This special issue is dedicated to recent opportunities, trends, and expectations that the emergent number of institutions and governments, exploiting the open learning concept, face in designing and providing open education that is striving to shape the new environment for formal and informal education. The open learning concept embraces not only various definitions but also diverse directions conveying many opportunities for educational arrangements. Facing the need for a sustainable economy, and higher employability, governments progressively experience the pressure toward ensuring a qualified and retaining competitive workforce. There is a high demand for education settings where learners are not able to formally attend courses but experience the need to enhance their knowledge and skills. The open learning concept reflects not only educational but also business and societal issues, as well as visions and expectations. We address with this special issue innovative solutions and emerging trends in the area of open learning that comprise complex multidisciplinary fields of knowledge drawing a line between the needs of various learners in terms of accrediting current and desired level of skills and knowledge as well as of numerous institutions striving to provide education on a broad and competitive basis.
Keywords: Open learning; competency and skills development; open education.