Estonia

Adult education is divided into formal education, informal work-related training and retraining and popular adult education.

Flexible study opportunities have been created for adult learners: distance learning and evening courses, external study and part-time study, as well as participation in various courses.

Formal education acquired within the adult education system allows adults to acquire basic and general secondary education at adult upper secondary schools through distance learning, evening courses or external study. Adult upper secondary schools are flexible in preparing individual curricula and adapt the study process to the needs of the students, allowing them to study single subjects, for example.
In addition to formal education, institutions of vocational education and higher education are providing increasingly more continuing education courses and retraining courses. These courses allow adults to acquire and improve their professional, occupational and speciality knowledge, skills and experience as well as to retrain themselves.

Training courses allow students to develop their creativity, talents and social skills also. Such training is usually linked to people’s interests and hobbies. Although this training is mainly provided by informal education centres, it is also available at many other training institutions.
Source of information: Ministry of Education and Research