A Distance Second Chance. Effects of Distance Adult Education on Social Inclusion Koen DePryck Vrije Universiteit Brussel & Center for Adult Education Antwerpen Belgium koen.depryck@cvoantwerpen.be Rebecca Nuyts Center for Adult Education Antwerpen Belgium rebecca.nuyts@cvoantwerpen.be Hilde Van Laer Center for Adult Education Antwerpen Belgium hilde.vanlaer@cvoantwerpen.be Abstract: In this paper we present our survey on the effect of Second Chance program offered as distance education on social inclusion of the participants, ic unqualified workers employed by the Belgian postal service. Bpost, the Belgian postal service, one of the larger employers in the country, recently contracted with a number of Centers for Adult Education in Flanders, Belgium, to upgrade at least part of their unqualified/uncertified workers using mainly distance learning. Offering the program as distance learning creates new opportunities for these full-time employed adults. We examine how distance adult education scores on social inclusion by adding specific items/new indicators to our survey referring to digital life competences, participation in virtual social networks etc. Adult Education has a positive effect on Social Inclusion of participants, even when social inclusion is not explicitly targeted. In this paper we investigate whether this effect also exists when programs are offered as distance learning with minimal F2F (Face-to-face) teaching. EDAM, Project of EDucation Against Marginalisation, by Grundtvig-GMP Given the socio-economic developments in European countries, the group of vulnerable adults without perspectives for a place in society is growing. The group of vulnerable adults consists of senior people, adults experiencing social or economical problems in daily life, unemployed, and immigrants having language problems. For this group of vulnerable adults, educational programs are organized aiming at enhancing the social inclusion of the participants in terms of improving their daily life circumstances. More precisely, many adult learners, defined as vulnerable, join training-courses, because they need assistance in writing and reading, having a good conversation, using a cell-phone or personal computer, solving problems or making important choices in their personal life, organizing their financial administration. The EDucation against Marginalisation (EDAM) project aimed at contributing to the enhancement of the social inclusion of vulnerable adults through education. Therefore, it produced a set of deliverables. In order to set the scene a report is published, presenting the results of a desk-research on the adult learning environment and social inclusion throughout Europe. It aims at strengthening the conceptual frameworks with respect to tendencies of social inclusion and adult education as well as identifying trends and topical issues at the European and at the national levels. As a second step in the project, based on extensive literature review, an instrument (survey) is developed and validated to measure change in social inclusion of participants in adult - 941 -