Second chance education aims to give learners who interrupted their education a second opportunity to complete an education or training program, and potentially to obtain a formal qualification. In order to be more effective, second chance education programs are sensitive to the initial reasons that might be in the background of learners interrupting their education and training in the first place. They are often delivered in a flexible way, outside regular school-hours, or part-time, allowing learners to work in parallel to their studies. Often such students meet and gain from alternative pedagogical methodologies.
Some second chance education programs provide another chance to acquire a bankable qualification, while others focus on re-engaging learners and motivating them to return to formal education or employment; so, instead of creating an alternative to formal education, this system supports the process of transition.