Professionalisation of Andragogical Staff Through a University Study Programme in the Republic of Croatia

Despite a rich tradition of institutional adult education and relatively continuous development of andragogical theory and practice, the Republic of Croatia has only adopted strategic and legal frameworks that have created the conditions for the professionalisation of adult education staff in the last twenty years. This paper aims to present the andragogical thought, legislative framework, and andragogy study programme in Croatia. The need for the university education of andragogues stems from research results that indicate many employers prefer highly educated staff in this field. To respond to current needs, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka is going to implement a University Part-Time Graduate Study in Andragogy programme designed in accordance with ten years of positive experience in adult education in the Republic of Croatia, modern achievements in andragogical theory and practice, and based on the Croatian Qualification Frame. Kljub bogati tradiciji institucionalnega izobraževanja odraslih in relativno neprekinjenega razvoja andragoške teorije in prakse je Hrvaška šele v zadnjih 20 letih vzpostavila strateško in zakonsko ogrodje, ki je ustvarilo pogoje za profesionalizacijo zaposlenih v izobraževanju odraslih. Članek predstavlja andragoško misel, zakonodajno ogrodje in študijski program andragogike. Potrebo po univerzitetni izobrazbi andragogov so pokazali rezultati raziskav, da številni delodajalci dajejo prednost visoko izobraženemu kadru na tem področju. V odgovor na sodobne potrebe bodo na Filozofski fakulteti na Reki izvajali program izrednega diplomskega študija andragogike, oblikovan v skladu z desetletjem pozitivnih izkušenj dela na področju izobraževanja odraslih v Republiki Hrvaški, s sodobnimi pristopi k andragoški teoriji in praksi, ter na podlagi Hrvaškega ogrodja kvalifikacij.