Presentation of counselling centre for adult education

To make information and counselling help available to as many adults in Slovenia as possible, the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education, within the informing and counselling in adult education project, develops counselling centres for education of adults  in different Slovenian cities. At the same time the centre develops local counselling networks for adult education alongside counselling centres.. 

In 2005, through development and establishing of counselling centres, we have gotten to 14 of them and thus achieved the set goal of 14 counselling centres that cover 14 school boards as foreseen in the Organisation and Financing of Education Act (Article 30, MŠZŠ, 1996), that is 14 envisaged development regions. All counselling centres work as individual units in chosen Slovenian folk high schools, which are the education organizations that have the longest tradition in Slovenia.

Basic objectives of work of counselling centres are:

• To ensure free, impartial, confidential, complete and good information and counselling for adults in their education and learning;
• To ensure information and counselling to adults before they enter educational programme (choosing the correct educational programme, and the organization providing it, learn about the entrance requirements, the course of education, etc.), while they visit it (how to organize learning, how to solve learning problems, etc.) and at the conclusion of the education (evaluation of what has been achieved, what can be additionally learned, etc.);
• To ensure accessible information and counselling in different ways: individual counselling offered in centres, information and counselling over the telephone, written counselling – regular or e-mail and with informational material; by agreement also group counselling is possible and counselling outside the counselling centre;
• To link as many providers of education and counselling services for adults in local environment as possible into a network and thus ensure a quality, comprehensive and coordinated work of all subjects in the field of informing and counselling in adult education.

The work of counselling centres is based on the following principles:

• equal accessibility for all target groups of adults,
• free service, and
• volunteer service, aimed at the client, objectivity, impartiality and confidentiality of information.

Networking of counselling centres for adult education

Networking of 14 counselling centres occurs at two levels, at the national level and at the local level that in some environments grows into regional level.

At the national level

Slovenian Institute for Adult Education is a coordinator of the network of 14 counselling centres; the primary goal of coordinating work of this network is to ensure the provision on counselling centre services through equal concept, which is professionally managed and developed by the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education. Besides this, other common tasks support the work of the network of 14 counselling centres:

• Ensuring continued common development of counselling centres development;
• Ensuring single monitoring of counselling centres activities;
• Sending feedback on the quality of work;
• Ensuring continued professional additional training of expert workers in counselling centres;
• Updating and future development of a common national database;
• Guidance of work of local counselling centres that work as a part of every counselling centre.

For their role in coordination and professional development of counselling centres, the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education receives funds from the Ministry of Education and Sport, funds from different international projects and as of 2004 also funds from the European social fund.

At the local level (in some regions growing into regional level)

Every counselling centre for adult education has a local counselling network, with a formal method of work. The goals, content and methods of work of local counselling network are set with a concept (model) of work of counselling centre for adult education. In the following sections the key characteristics of work of local counselling network are given.

Because we want to ensure quality counselling services to the adults, in accordance with the set goals and principles, the counselling centre in the local environment wishes to become a true centre of counselling activities for adult education. Noteworthy, we alone cannot ensure to offer counselling to adults in the fields that are not directly related to counselling for education (e.g. vocational guidance, material problems related to education, family problems, etc.), and at the same time this would not be sensible, because there are already institutions in local environments that develop such services. We believe that only professional cooperation of everyone acting in environment – both the counselling centres and other institutions – can:

• Increase the accessibility of counselling for all population;
• Increase the quality of counselling services;
• Allow complete provision;
• Complement the work of different institutions;
• Contribute to achieving equal opportunities for different marginalized groups.

With this purpose we are in the process of establishing a local counselling network besides the counselling centre. In this network educational and other institutions that provide different educational and counselling services are brought together, or the organization that can affect the development of counselling services for adult education in local environment.

Considering the different roles that individual partners in local community have, they can be divided in two groups: strategic partners and expert partners.

Strategic partners decide on the strategies of development of local environment, cooperate in planning and execution of policies of human resources development in local environments, represent employers and employees, deal with target groups that are frequent users of counselling services and have high professional reputation.

Expert partners are institutions that work in local environment in the field of counselling or education for adults. The main developers of informational and counselling activities in adult education are the education institutions for adults. Besides educational organizations in local environment, some forms of informational and counselling activities for adult education, as a part of their activities, are also provided by the employment offices and companies (for their employees), as well as other, non-educational organizations that offer different counselling services to adults.

The methods of work in local counselling network

In the counselling network as a part of counselling centre, the common activities are planned and executed on three levels:

• Inside the counselling centre;
• At the strategic council; and
• Inside the working group of expert partners.

The counselling centre represents the central part of the network.

Its basic tasks, connected to formation, maintenance and development of the partnership network, are:

• It is a link between different partners, both those who are already in the network and those who are potential partners;
• It is a coordinator of jointly agreed activities;
• It is an initiator of different activities;
• It ensures quality information and counselling for adults and partners in the network;
• It enables expert partners in the network to access national and local databases that are used in the counselling centre;
• It presents the services offered by the counselling centre and by all participants within the network that deal with counselling;
• It ensures information for expert partners that participate in the network on professional education, related to counselling;
• It prepares a motion for annual work plan;
• It prepares a report on the work of local counselling network and informs partners on achievements and effects;
• It prepares an evaluation of the work of counselling centre and local counselling network;
• It ensures coordinated work of partners within the network.

In all jointly agreed tasks, the counselling centre has neither the right nor the responsibility to work independently; its role is defined on the basis of partner agreements.

The strategic council decides on the policies and strategies of development, the place and inclusion of informational and counselling activity for adult education. The strategic council as a rule consists of one representative per each strategic partner that is appointed according to procedure set out in partner's statute.

The expert working group represents a form of forum for association and consultation of all expert partners that are a part of the counselling network of the counselling centre. The working group is an informal form of associating expert partners. The expert working group consists of experts from partner expert organizations, where individual organization may recommend several experts for membership. The work of the strategic council and the expert working group is managed and coordinated by the counselling centre.

In 2005 we have performed an evaluation of the work of local counselling networks in first nine counselling centres (the last 5 counselling centres have started their work in March 2005). The results of the evaluation show that the achievement of goals and results is within the expected framework and that the work that is performed there is running well.