Guidance

 We initially provided adult education guidance to the professional and general public both through the provision of information and guidance in person, over the telephone and e-mail, between 1999 and 2020 also through the e-Svetovalni kotiček (e-Guidance Corner).

We began developing the model of the information-guidance activity in adult education – IGAE at the end of the nineteen-nineties and integrated it into the network of regional guidance centres for adult education – IGAE centres. Since 2021 guidance activity in adult education (ISIO) – IGAE is a part of public service, being provided by 35 public adult education centres (34 in 2021 and 35 since 2022). The professional basis for the implementation of guidance activities in adult education is substantiated in The Guidelines for Implementing Adult Education Guidance as a Public Service (adopted by the Expert Council for Adult Education in June 2020). For more information visit the public network webpage (in Slovenian).

We have been devoting special attention since 2009 to the development and assessment of the quality of the adult education guidance activity. That remains an important part of quality assurance of adult education guidance as a public service.

We are also developing professional materials, guidance, databases and tools for quality and effective work of adult education counsellors. The majority of such materials are available in the Publications section. We are developing various training courses for adult education counsellors that reflect the current needs in this area. We devote special attention to the development of guidance for vulnerable groups of adults.

We also develop the activity of guidance in adult education in Slovenia as partners or coordinators of international projects and within the scope of the projects, co-founded by the European Social Found (ESF) and European Cohesion Policy Program.

In the 2000–2003 period, we were internationally active within the scope of the project entitled EBIS – Development of Adult Education in South-East Europe, while we worked in the 2007–2009 period on the innovative Leonardo da Vinci project Guidance at the workplace – Guidance merger.

In the 2015–2018 period, we were partners in Erasmus+, KA3 project Guidance and Orientation for Adult Learners – GOAL, 2015–2018 (in Slovenia the lead partner was the Ministrsy od Eduction, Science and Sport with two partners – Slovenian Institute for Adult Education and Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Vocational Education and Training).

In the 2020–2022 period, we are partners in Erasmus+. KA2 project Guidance for Low-skilled Adults towards Skills Assessment and Validation – GLAS (CIK Trebnje being the lead partner in Slovenia). 

In 2021-2023, we were a partner in the Erasmus+ KA2 project YouthReach: Outreach – Inclusive and Transformative Framework for All.

In 2022-2024, we were a partner in the Erasmus+ project KA2, Reaching Out to the ‘Left-Behind’ – improving guidance for working persons from the underprivileged milieu.

Co-founded by the European Social Found (ESF) and the Ministry of Education, Science and Spor (now Ministry of Education), we implemented several projects in the past that dealt with the development of the content and training for the area of guidance in adult education:

• Education and training of adult education professionals  (2009–2011 and 2011–2014), 
• Competences of Adult Education Professionals ( 2016–2018 and 2018–2022).

In March 2022, we successfully completed a six-year ESF project  “Professional Support for the Information-Guidance Activity and Validation of Non-formal Learning 2016–2022“.

In 2024, we started a new project, co-founded by the European Cohesion Policy Program, called Strengthening Lifelong Learning, which will run until June 2029. The project covers several thematic strands, one of which is Strengthening Adult Education Guidance Activities. The purpose of these activities is to provide professional support to adult education counsellors through various tools, instruments and materials. These will enable them to inform, motivate and carry out professional and quality adult education guidance in all three areas (guidance on enrolment in education and continuation of education, guidance on identification and documentation of knowledge and skills, guidance on self-directed learning).

We regularly work with other counselling networks in Slovenian on the exchange of knowledge and experience and the incorporation of this field into the education system. Partner networking and cooperation take place within the scope of the development and updating of the portal of all Slovenian networks that deal with the area of adult education. Through our member, we participate in the national Lifelong Career Orientation (VKO) Expert Group. We have the strongest ties with the Employment Service of Slovenia, National Education Institute Slovenia, the Association Of Free Trade Unions Of Slovenia, the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Vocational Education and Training (CPI), the Public Scholarship, Development, Disability and Maintenance Fund of the Republic of Slovenia, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, and the Chamber of Craft and Small Business of Slovenia.