Since the first years of the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus, adult education and training has been among the priorities of the Government. Today, there is an abundance of courses on offer for adults, either in the category of formal, non-formal or vocational education, aiming to satisfy different needs for continuous and lifelong learning.
The objective of formal adult education and training is to give working people the opportunity to gain a qualification that will improve their career prospects and enable them to reach their full potential.Non-formal continuing education aims at improving the quality of life of the individuals involved by offering them opportunities for self-development.
Vocational training aims at upgrading the skills of individuals working in technical fields, and train unskilled or semi-skilled workers in vocational trades.
Responsible for adult education and training are mainly the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Security. Formal and non-formal institutions of graduate, postgraduate, secondary and vocational level are the providers of adult education and training.
There are three main possible sources of funding for formal and non-formal education and training for adults: public funding, funding from employers and to a lesser extent, fees paid by learners.
In Cyprus, only public sector employees are entitled by law to leave their job for a definite period of time in order to gain a qualification. A few areas in the private sector provide for study leave in their collective agreements.
There is a need for a systematic mechanism to record adult education and training in Cyprus which will cover all the areas from the general education of adults to the continuous professional training. There is not a comprehensive legislative framework for Adult Education and Training. Instead, there are a number of legislative provisions related to the different authorities involved.