Most of us may be largely unaware of it, but the fact is that Ireland is bang in the middle of a revolution.

So says Prof Alan Wagner, who is the OECD's principal administrator in the directorate for education, employment, labour and social affairs. Wagner was in Dublin last week to address the National Adult Education Forum at Dublin Castle. At a recent OECD meeting on adult education it was said that "a quiet revolution is already under way among some groups of adults in a few countries and in a sprinkling of firms"," he says.

"The (adult education) initiatives being advanced in Ireland form part of that revolution."

Although the Irish experience boasts many similarities with other OECD countries there are also differences, Wagner says. As in other OECD countries, rates of completion at second level have risen in recent years - in Ireland's case from 40 per cent of the cohort in the 1950s to almost 80 per cent by the mid-1990s. Nonetheless, compared with other countries, we still have a long way to go. A range of countries including Finland, Norway, New Zealand and Korea have completion rates of between 90 per cent and 100 per cent, he says. Among OECD countries, Wagner notes, "Ireland will experience one of the largest proportionate declines in the size of the school-age population (ages 5 to 14) in the 10-year period to 2006."

This, he argues, opens up possibilities for qualitative improvements in both the provision for early childhood education and within second-level education. These demographic developments, however, also raise questions about the position of adults - particularly at a time when demands for skilled workers are growing, thanks to the Celtic Tiger. This population (aged 25 to 64 years), has lower than OECD average educational attainments. Only half of all Irish adults have completed second-level education, compared with a 60 per cent OECD attainment rate.

Only 11 per cent of Irish adults have achieved at least one university qualification, compared with an OECD average of 13 per cent.

"A consequence of these trends and patterns is a significant share of the population who lack the knowledge and skills needed to confront the complex challenges of the modern world."

The huge increase in third-level participation in recent years means that people who fail to complete second level or to continue into third level will be left behind even further, Wagner predicts. Even if more young people from under-represented groups participate in higher education, the gap is unlikely to close. OECD figures to be published in October show that in seven countries where the participation rates of young people from low socio-economic backgrounds have increased, so too has participation by their more well-off peers. Given the rapidly changing nature of the economy, even people with relatively high educational attainments will need further training if they are not to be left behind.

The marshalling and best use of resources - public versus private funding or a mixture of both - are set to become major issues.