Lebensbegleitendes Lernen in Netzwerken. Supportstrukturen zur Lernunterstützung

The concept of support-networks is currently finding its way out of the theoretical discussions into practical application. This is not only due to the zeitgeist of reduced governmental investments in education policy but also because the concept of support takes into account the social embeddedness of learning costs and thus contributes to the discourse of the „learning society”. Networks are propagated as an alternative to either the state or the market, on the other hand they are likely to create new zones of friction (i.e. too many partners involved, lack of continuity, unefficient communication processes). New models in Germany thus draw upon two different functions of the networking concept: decision-making and support, to realize „regional learning cultures”.