Well-qualified educators are a vital factor for the quality of adult education, enhancing inclusion in lifelong learning, An increase in interest for non-formal adult education programmes has been recorded; however, the public funds for non-for- mal adult education regarding future activities have been reduced (Analysis ReNPIO 2005-2008, 2010). When dealing with adults with a lack of education, skills and vocational and professional competencies, more common in people at lower educational levels and in the groups that require special social care (adults with special needs, groups that are vulnerable and marginal in other ways, the Roma and members of other ethnic communities, etc.) we tend to come across situational and dispositional obstacles. They represent the basic obstacles for successful inclusion in lifelong learning (EK, 2011), which is often a precondition for development of basic competencies. Adult education, with properly trained adult educators, is one of the key social mechanisms for reaching the goals, set in the EU strategic documents. We are faced with dilemmas and challenges, since our national legislation fails to adequately determine educational requirements, knowledge and competen- cies for adult educators (ZOFVI, 1996; ZIO, 1996); somewhat more specific is the national policy regarding education and training of educators for special, publicly recognized programmes in adult education and specific adult education activities (infrastructural activities, provision of information and guidance, autonomous learning, quality, etc.)Usposobljenost strokovnih delavcev v izobraževanju odraslih je eden od dejavnikov kakovosti, ki pripomore k vključevanju v vseživljenjsko učenje. Ugotavljamo rast vključevanja v neformalne programe za odrasle, pa vendar zmanjševanje vlaganj javnih financ v splošno neformalno izobraževanje odraslih glede na načrte (Analiza ReNPIO 2005–2008, 2010). Pri odraslih se, poleg primanjkljaja izobrazbe, spretnosti in poklicnih ter strokovnih kompetenc, ki je pogostejše pri nižjeizobraženih in skupinah posebne družbene skrbi (odrasli s posebnimi potrebami, drugače ranljive in marginalne skupine, Romi in raz- lične etnične skupnosti …), srečujemo še s situacijskimi in dispozicijskimi ovirami. Te ustvarjajo temeljne ovire za uspešno vključevanje v vseživljenjsko učenje, kar pa pogosto pogojuje tudi razvoj temeljnih zmožnosti. Izobraževanje odraslih z ustrezno usposobljenimi strokovnjaki je eden od pomembnih družbenih mehanizmov za doseganje ciljev, opredeljenih v strateških dokumentih Evropske unije. Pred nami so velika vprašanja, saj nacionalna zakonodaja pomanjkljivo opredeljuje potrebno izobrazbo, znanje in kompetence strokovnih delavcev v izobraževanju odraslih (ZOFVI, 1996 s sprem.; ZIO, 1996 s sprem.), nekoliko doslednejša je nacionalna politika izpopolnjevanja in usposabljanja strokovnih delavcev za posebne izobraževalne programe za odrasle z javno veljavnostjo in dejavnosti izobraževanja odraslih (t. i. infrastrukturne dejavnosti: informiranje in svetovanje, samostojno učenje, kakovost …)
