This chapter focuses on the extent to which European policy on lifelong learning has influenced the policy and practice landscape of many European countries and beyond. It shines a particular light on the Irish context and details a range of policy initiatives that link directly back to the European Commission's focus on lifelong learning that began in the 1990s and that has always principally focused on education for employability. It ends with some examples of how bottom-up research can positively influence policy towards a more egalitarian agenda.