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Lifelong learning as a steppingstone to entrepreneurship and innovation

Often besides aiming for recognition or personal satisfaction, entrepreneurs aim for financial gain. It has been argued that lifelong learning is an efficient way out of poverty and a portal to (re)enter society. With the current influx of refugees into Europe, immigrants, societies, and governments alike benefit from programs that integrate people with different educational and cultural backgrounds into their newly-adopted societies and activate them for participation in society. The more refugees and immigrants are employed or successful as entrepreneurs, the less they will depend on welfare, which lessens the financial burden and creates positive momentum for social acceptance. The same can be said for professionally inactive persons often on the brink of poverty. This ongoing research paper explores two lifelong learning projects in Belgium's Dutch-speaking region, their different target groups, and program goals regarding achievement of active participation into society. Some successes and shortcomings are discussed. Activities and target groups, and existing areas of overlap and cooperation between the organizations are described. Results indicate that projects focus on language skills and basic skills for the workplace. Participant numbers sometimes exceed the projects' capacities, but participant satisfaction is high.