The government aims to reduce the share of adults aged 25 to 64 without professional or vocational education from 28.5% in 2016 to less than 25% by 2020, and to increase their participation in lifelong learning. An obstacle for achieving this goal is low motivation and lack of key competences.

Nine projects totalling EUR 2.1 million provide social and learning skills, entrepreneurship competence, foreign languages and Estonian for non-native speakers. They also offer support and follow-up activities that increase the sustainability of learning outcomes and bridge the development of key competences and motivation for the continuation of studies in formal and non-formal education.

In 2017-18, courses will be available in all regions and will address 5 400 adults without professional or vocational education, with disabilities and with poor knowledge of Estonian. A special training package aimed at improving digital competences of medical workers will also become available through these projects. A new call for proposals will be announced in 2018. The training is jointly financed by the European Social Fund.