Slovenia: Participation in lifelong learning shows troubling decline

Fewer employed people are participating in lifelong learning since the crisis and big differences exist among sectors and occupational groups.

The participation of employed people in lifelong learning has fallen since the crisis, according to the latest research. Declining participation is a concern because lifelong learning is an important factor contributing to the competitiveness of the economy. 

Participation is still above the EU average, but it fell between 2008 and 2013 in Slovenia while it increased in the EU. In 2013, it was higher than in the EU overall in all sectors apart from administrative and support service activities and construction. The lowest participation rate was recorded in construction and the highest in education, with considerable differences between sectors. Falling participation in public administration and defence was attributed to savings in the public sector budget. 

Participation in lifelong learning is highest among higher occupational groups such as managers and professionals, which have the largest share of people with tertiary education. In other occupational groups, where incomes tend to be lower and people are less able to afford education, participation is much lower owing to declining investment by employers, despite government incentives. 

The research is published by the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development (IMAD) in the Development report 2015 (PDF 4 MB).