The importance and the necessity of the continuous professional development of teachers and trainers in Adult Education is highlighted in the priority goals of the Adult education Strategy 2018-2022, where:

• the setting up of a system for professional and career development of teachers and instructors in adult education and training,

is defined as one of the prerequisites for quality assurance in Adult Education.

On systemic level, the regulations of the service of adult educators embedded in the Law on adult education, are aiming at supporting the professionalization of Adult Education. Namely, as mentioned in the points 9.7 and 9.8, the teachers, trainers and instructors performing educational work in the frames of the state accredited programmes for non-formal adult education, are obliged to have completed a suitable further education program for educational work with adults. For all other profiles of providers of programs for non-formal Adult Education who are not holding a state accreditation, the regulations of the Law related to the further education of teachers for educational work with adults is not of an obligatory nature.

As mentioned in Point 9.7, in accordance with the Law on AE, professional development trainings for teachers/trainers in AE can be offered by:

- the Public Institution Adult Education Centre (the List of certified AE trainers/educators, containing their short profiles and field of expertise is to be found on their website),

 as well as by other suitable providers, such as:

• various profiles of non-formal AE providers offering non – formal further education for teachers in AE and issuing a certificate for attended non-formal training
• various profiles of non-formal AE providers offering state verified non – formal further education for teachers in AE and issuing a state recognized certificate;

In practice, the professional development of teachers in AE is facing issues and challenges. The inconsistent implementation of the Law is one of the weaknesses. Another problem to be stressed in this context, is the fact that many of the teachers in AE either don’t have any experience and no knowledge, skills gained through training for teaching adult learners, or have gained teaching experience without having attended a training.

The weakness of the operationalization of the systemic provisions for continuous professional development of teachers and trainers in Adult Education is being recognized by the NGO sector, who has been supporting professionalization of AE through project measures. An example of good practice in this regard is presented by the German non-governmental organization Institute for International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Association – (DVV International), from Bonn, FR Germany. With its’ presence and project work in the country for more than two decades, DVV International has contributed toward the quality assurance in AE through continuous and long-term support to institutional human resource development by capacity building of teachers and trainers of various providers of non-formal AE.