Counselling can be seen as an important (missing) link in adult education, since appropriate access to guidance and provision of quality counselling services can significantly contribute to inclusion of all groups of adults into the process of learning and education, including the most vulnerable. The range and provision of information and guidance activities varies depending on a number of factors, such as who performs them, what aims and goals are pursued, where the activities are conducted, which segments of adults they cater for, which activities are predominant, and also who sponsors the activity. The more demanding categories of counselling can be undertaken only by specially trained counsellors; however, professi- onals in different fields who employ counselling skills in their own work can, besides volunteers, also provide educational guidance for adults.Andragoško svetovalno delo (ASD) lahko razumemo kot pomemben vezni člen v izobraževanju odraslih, saj z ustrezno dostopnostjo do svetovalnih dejavnosti in njihovim kakovostnim izvajanjem pomembno pripomore k vključevanju vseh, tudi ranljivih skupin odraslih v učni in izobraževalni proces. Ponudba in izvajanje informacijskih in svetovalnih dejav- nosti se razlikujeta glede na to, kdo svetovalno delo ponuja in s kakšnim namenom ter cilji, kje se to izvaja, katerim skupinam odraslih je namenjeno, katere zvrsti prevladujejo, pa tudi glede na to, kdo svetovalne dejavnosti financira. Zahtevnejše zvrsti ASD lahko izvajajo le posebej usposobljeni svetovalci, sicer pa pri svetovalnem delu sodelujejo tudi drugi strokovnjaki, ki pri svojem siceršnjem delu le uporabljajo veščine svetovanja, ter prostovoljci
