Guidance System in Slovenia
OVERVIEW
There are two established guidance and counselling systems in Slovenia that provide guidance and counselling: education and training institutions, the Employment Service of Slovenia and other institutions in the field of career guidance.
POLICY
Lifelong guidance is carried out across sectors. The Ministry of Economy, Labour and Sport and the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth are responsible for legislation in guidance service provision and development. Several organisations are responsible for providers of lifelong guidance in education and employment.
The Employment Service of Slovenia ensures a uniform methodology for the professional and operational execution of procedures related to activities. Employment Service of Slovenia is the key Slovenian labour market institution. Among other activities, it provides services for the unemployed and jobseekers and students who need professional help in the fields of employment and career guidance.
The National Education Institute is implementing and monitoring innovative programmes and practices in schools as well as developing guidelines for school counselling service for primary and secondary schools.
The Educational Research Institute is the central research institution for research in education, undertaking basic research, development and applied projects on issues of current interest in the education sector.
The Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Vocational Education and Training develops vocational standards for vocational education and training programmes.
The Slovenian Institute for Adult Education is the main national institute for research and development, quality and education, guidance and validation, and promotional and informative activities in adult education.
The Public Scholarship, Development, Disability and Maintenance Fund of the Republic of Slovenia provides career guidance for employees with strengthening HR departments at companies and consequently providing their employees with accessible and qualitative career development.
The National expert group on lifelong guidance supports the lifelong guidance policy among different ministries and other relevant institutions.
SERVICE AND PRACTICE
Guidance in education
Slovenian schools and kindergardens have a counselling service as an integral element with guidance counsellors as part of the school team. Within an educational institution, the counselling service operates as a development-oriented internal professional service. Guidance counsellors take into account the developmental and educational needs of children and adolescents, as well as the specific needs of individual children and adolescents in all five areas of counselling practice: a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment; the holistic development and well-being of children (in preschool) or the holistic development and well-being of elementary and high school students (in elementary and secondary schools and student dormitories); children’s play and learning (in preschool) or learning and teaching (in elementary and secondary schools and student dormitories); orientation of newcomers and transitions for children in kindergarten or educational transitions (in elementary and secondary schools and boarding schools); development of the educational institution and professional development.
Outside the school system, guidance counsellors at Career centres of the Employment Service of Slovenia provide guidance for young people. There are opportunities for career information and career counselling and the use of career guidance tools.
Career centres for young people provide information, individual career counselling and workshops for developing vocational interests and effective career planning. Their target groups are students in education aged 6–19, early school leavers (young people aged 15–29 who are not employed, in education, or in training - NEETs) as well as parents and school counsellors.
Career guidance is provided by career centres at universities and colleges to assist students and prospective students with activities such as individual counselling, career skills development workshops, competencies development workshops, events designed to learn about diverse career paths, career days, speed dates with employers, job opportunities and job searches, and career fairs.
The main goal of guidance in adult education is to provide information and guidance for all adults in regional/local environment, and in particular should be accessible to vulnerable adults, with special attention on adults without completed primary, vocational or professional education or adults with low basic skills.
Guidance in employment
The Employment Service of Slovenia is the key Slovenian labour market institution and an independent legal entity with public institute status operating uniformly across the entire country. The services are intended for the unemployed and jobseekers, schoolchildren and university students who need professional help in employment and career guidance, employers, providers of active labour market policies, social partners, professional institutions and the general public. One of the main activities is also lifelong career guidance. Lifelong career guidance includes providing labour market information, independent career guidance, career information, career counselling and learning career management skills.
Career centres of the Employment Service of Slovenia provide access to job searching, labour market information and guidance tools independently or with the help of career counsellors, several workshops to strengthen job search skills or presentations of job vacancies.
TRAINING
In Slovenia there is no formal educational degree or dedicated professional qualifications for career counselling. Guidance counsellors have university degrees in relevant fields, additional trainings and a professional exam in lifelong career orientation (employment sector) or a professional exam in education (education sector). Guidance counsellors at adult education guidance centres have undergone training to provide guidance in adult education provided by Institute for Adult Education.
The Employment Service of Slovenia provided multidisciplinary 160-hour modular training for career counsellors in lifelong career orientation from employment and education sectors in order to provide career counsellors with the needed knowledge on useful working methods and their theoretical background. It is divided into four modules (career orientation, guidance, lifelong guidance career tools and working with group in career orientation) for four different fields of practice (employment counsellors, education counsellors, HR and NGO).
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Research and development is carried out by the following institutions:
- The Employment Service of Slovenia (labour market data and forecasts) in the employment sector;
- Slovenian Institute for Adult Education in adult education;
- Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Vocational Education and Training and The Educational Research Institute (the central research institution in Slovenia for research in education undertaking basic research, development and applied projects on issues of current interest in all sectors of education and related areas) in the education sector.
ETHICS
On the general level IAEVG Ethical standards are base for work in career guidance also in Slovenia. The Employment Service of Slovenia has additional ethics code.
Further information can be found at:
Last updated at: September 2026
