Supporting lifelong learning, with a particular focus on adult education, is one of the priorities of the development of the education system in Slovakia. The reform of adult education brings about systemic change that will enable everyone to adapt to new challenges, whether they involve digitalisation, a career change, or personal development.

Adult education is governed by Act No. 292/2024 Coll. on Adult Education (Zákon č. 292/2024 Z. z. o vzdelávaní dospelých). Adult education takes place through formal and non-formal education and informal learning.

The state allows every individual who has reached the age of at least 16 to supplement, expand, and deepen their education, retrain, or pursue their interests. 

The aim of Act No. 292/2024 is to create an effective, high-quality, transparent, and flexible adult education system that: 

• motivates adults to engage in lifelong learning,
• ensures the quality of educational services,
• recognizes informal learning outcomes,
• and better aligns education with the needs of the labour market and individuals.

The Adult Education Information System (Informačný systém vzdelávania dospelých) is a tool designed to promote quality and transparency in adult education. This central IT platform serves as a one-stop shop for users looking for information on adult education in Slovakia.

Adult education is provided at adult education institutions, secondary schools, and high education institution, as well as at school-based and non-school-based facilities. Adult Education Information System provides access to a registry of certified institutions, which serves as a list of educational institutions that have undergone certification—i.e., state verification of their eligibility to provide education—as well as an assessment of the educational institution’s quality assurance system.

Educational institutions offer:

• accredited educational programmes
• non-accredited educational programmes
• micro-credentials 

Accredited educational programmes are adult education programmes that have been accredited under Act No. 292/2024 Coll., with defined learning outcomes in accordance with the National Qualifications Framework. The programmes are completed by the assessment of learning outcomes and issuing of a certificate. The accreditation process primarily assesses the alignment of the educational content with qualification and assessment standards, as well as the quality of personnel and material-technical resources.

Non-accredited educational programmes are courses or training programmes for adults with clearly defined content and objectives; at the end, participants’ learning outcomes are assessed, and upon completion, they receive a certificate of completion of the non-accredited educational programme (not merely a certificate of attendance). These programmes do not have official accreditation, but they are properly organised educational programmes. 

Micro-credentials certify the learning outcomes that an individual has acquired upon completion of short educational programmes of at least 25 hours of instruction and assessment of the learning outcomes. They represent a flexible and readily accessible way to acquire specific skills in response to changing labour market demands. Their advantages include a short timeframe and the ability to combine training with work responsibilities. Micro-credentials are transferable, understandable to employers, and can be progressively combined with other training programmes.

In 2026, individual education accounts (individuálne vzdelávacie účty) were introduced as one of the ways of financing adult education. These are personal education accounts that allow those interested in education to use earmarked funds for education based on their individual needs. 

An integral part of supporting lifelong learning is the development of professional counselling services, particularly in the area of career counselling. Career counselling for adults is a service that supports adults in their career development and in decisions related to education and employment in the labour market. 

The key document in this process is the Strategy for Lifelong Learning and Guidance for 2021–2030, which aims to ensure that every citizen has lifelong access to opportunities to learn, develop their skills and competencies throughout their lives at every stage of life and with regard to individual needs and circumstances, so that everyone can realize their potential in their personal, professional, and civic lives.