The Future of Education

Adult education is widely promoted as a driver of personal development, social mobility and labour-market adaptability, yet participation in lifelong learning remains uneven. This paper examines factors associated with participation in formal and non-formal adult education in Slovenia, with a focus on social inclusion and barriers affecting disadvantaged groups. Using Labour Force Survey (LFS) data and logistic regression, we test how individual, educational, occupational and spatial characteristics predict non-participation. The results show marked social selectivity: women participate more than men; younger adults more than older adults; and people with higher educational attainment participate substantially more. Participation is also higher among those in leadership roles or on fixed-term contracts, while people born abroad, living in smaller towns or rural areas and with lower education are at greater risk of exclusion. Unemployed adults are more likely to participate, reflecting engagement through active labour-market programmes, whereas students and school-aged learners show lower involvement in additional adult learning. Based on these findings, we present a possible intersectoral pathway for inclusion in the context of deinstitutionalisation in Slovenia: the Social Protection Institute of the Republic of Slovenia (IRSSV), through its Centre for Deinstitutionalisation, plans to connect adults and children with disability who are transitioning to community life with trusted local learning and participation networks, especially ACS Study Circles and the Institute for Inner Peace (Zavod notranji mir). As a practical condition for sustainable cooperation between social protection, adult education, child and youth inclusion services and local communities, we propose a compassion-centred approach grounded in patience, awareness and cooperation.