According to the Law on Adult Education, an organiser of adult education activities is: 

• a primary and a secondary school; 

• an institution or an organisation such as: a public agency, a public enterprise, an organization responsible for employment affairs, an employment agency, a business company, an entrepreneur, a trade union organisation, an association, a professional society, an organisation for adult education (a people's university, a workers' university, an open university, a university for the third age etc.), a centre or an organisation for professional training, for learning foreign languages, for information and communication technology, for training and development of human resources, for driver training, a chamber of commerce, a centre for career guidance and counselling, an employers' association, a cultural and an educational centre, as well as other entities registered for educational activity in accordance with the regulations governing the classification of activities. 

Publicly recognized activity organisers – PRAO 

A primary school and a secondary school are publicly recognized organisers of an activity if they meet the prescribed conditions for that activity and have a verification decision issued by the Ministry. Similarly, any other organisation can acquire the status of a publicly recognized activity organiser for non-formal adult education activities if it is registered for educational activities, meets established standards and has approvals from the Ministry. The Bylaw on Detailed Conditions Concerning the Programme, Staff, Space, Equipment and Teaching Aids for Acquiring the Status of Publicly Recognized Activity Organisers of Adult Education outlines the activities carried out by the PRAO. 

These activities include: 

-non-formal education of adults who acquire competences and/or qualifications, for instance, training for: 

• the acquisition of qualifications from levels 1 to 3 and 5 of the National Qualifications Framework; 

• working in the profession within the qualification standards; 

• the acquisition of individual competences from qualification standards; 

• the acquisition of more individual learning outcomes from the qualification standards; 

• the acquisition of learning outcomes, i.e. knowledge and skills and/or competences that are not covered by national qualifications and are relevant to doing 

• jobs within a particular occupation. 

-informal education of adults, which improves knowledge, skills and abilities for the sake of personal and professional development and socially responsible behaviour; 

-provision of career guidance and counselling services; 

-recognition of previous learning, evaluation of knowledge, skills and attitudes acquired through education, life or work experience for levels 1 to 3 and 5 of National Qualifications Framework in a special procedure. 

A publicly recognized activity organiser has the autonomy to conduct an approved programme independently or in cooperation with another publicly recognized activity organisers,  with legal entities or entrepreneurs with whom practical work is carried out which must be documented by the Institute for Advancement of Education. 

A publicly recognized activity organiser (PRAO) can qualify as a model centre if:  

• it participated in a scientific research project as an experimental centre, introducing innovations in the practice of adult education or developing a new model of an adult education plan and programme; 

• it meets personnel and space requirements. 

The procedure for obtaining PRAO status for the implementation of one or more adult education activities is outlined by the National Qualifications Framework and the procedure partially differs depending on whether the organiser is a school or another organisation. 

By October 2022, 132 institutions/organisations, of which 23 are vocational secondary schools and 109 other organisations (companies, business associations, people's workers' universities, institutes, etc.), received PRAO status, for the total of 543 programmes, of which 84 programmes were accredited by schools and 459 by other organisations. In 2023, the largest number of planned PRAO programmes were in the fields of Health and Social Protection (19%), Civil Engineering (16%), Mechanical Engineering and Metalworking (10%), Economics, Law and Administration, (9%), Foreign languages (9%), Transport (9%), Trade, hospitality and tourism (5%), Personal services (5%), Safety and healthy working conditions (5%), Electrical engineering (4%), ICT (4%), Forestry and wood processing (2%). 

When we talk about the place of implementation of the practical part of the training, we notice that PRAO plan to implement this part of the training primarily in specialized school offices, school workshops, on training grounds, at restaurants and in the headquarters of their companies (61%). Other PRAO plan to implement the practical part of the training in companies with which they have a cooperation agreement, space lease or an agreement on the use of training grounds (39%). 

State bodies as organisers of activities 

The National Employment Service (NES), alongside other state bodies and institutions, associations and chambers organises various programmes and other activities for non-formal education and training of adults, in which unemployed and employed individuals acquire competences important for personal and professional development, employment, maintaining employment, career advancement, as well as career management and decision-making about further education and employment. The Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs and the National Employment Service conduct professional practice, internship programmes and various types of training to meet employment needs. 

The Institute for the Advancement of Education prepared the Proposal for the Annual Plan of Adult Education in the Republic of Serbia for 2023 in cooperation with relevant institutions. Moreover, the Institute provides support to schools in the process of acquiring PRAO status and promotion of the Recognition of a Prior Learning (RPL) concept, as well as monitoring and improving the quality assurance system of the RPL procedure. 

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia implements programmes and training specifically designed to help individuals maintain employment and advance their career: 

• Training for maintaining employment and career advancement: Specialist training; Training where participants acquire competences for personal and professional development; Continuous training for authorized representatives and authorized insurance intermediaries. 

• Training to prepare for exams in order to obtain a license or a certificate: Training to prepare to take exams for an authorized representative and authorized insurance intermediary; Training courses to prepare to take a professional administrator license exam; Training for risk assessment in the protection of people, property and business; Training for real estate appraisers; Training for professionals in the field of safety and health at work; Training for public procurement officers; Training for an instructor in dual education. 

In addition, there are other public institutions that offer similar services. Among them are:  

-The National Employment Service, which boasts branches in 30 towns all over Serbia, offers career guidance, professional internships, prequalification training, job search programmes and other kinds of training for unemployed individuals; 

-The Centres for the Professional Development of Adults, which can be found in 12 towns across Serbia, focus on identifying labour market needs and educational priorities. They collaborate with local authorities, schools and other relevant institutions and propose adult education programmes and how they should be implemented; 

-The National Agency for Regional Development provides different kinds of support to start-up companies and entrepreneurship on a local level. It also offers professional development opportunities for adults. 

Various organisations and state bodies in Serbia provide adult education programmes. These include the Serbian Association of Employers, Foundation Tempus, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Public Administration and Local Government, Ministry of Information and Telecommunications, Ministry of Economy and other.  

In general, organisers implement adult education activities through lectures, training, courses, seminars, workshops, forums, counselling and other forms of learning. Adult education can be carried out through regular classes, consultative-instructive work, correspondence-consultative classes, practical work, distance learning and other suitable methods. 

Adult education is provided by: 

• professionals delivering adult education programmes such as teachers, lecturers, trainers, leaders, instructors, etc.; 

• non-teaching professionals; 

• collaborators; 

• pedagogical assistants and andragogical assistants.