The indicator shows the educational level of farmers of agricultural holdings in Slovenia based on the achieved agricultural education. Their favourable age and educational structure is one of the important factors which can contribute to the more efficient management of the agricultural holdings, as only well-educated, innovative and aware farmers can more easily adapt to contemporary economic, environmental and social conditions. The number of participants in the trainings under the Rural Development Programme does not provide a direct link between the achieved level of education and the environmental effectiveness of agricultural policy measures but shows the willingness of decision-makers on farms to educate and introduce environmentally friendly farming methods.

The indicator also shows the participation rate of the rural population in lifelong learning and training programs in rural areas. The participation rate in education and training covers participation in formal and non-formal education and training. Participation of adults in education and training is a measure of lifelong learning.

The educational structure of farmers on Slovenian agricultural holdings is quite unfavourable. According to the data from agricultural census in the year 2000, there were 86,336 farmers in Slovenia. As many as 72,440 (85.8%) had no formal agricultural education and only had practical experience with agriculture, a further 7,045 (8.3%) completed basic courses in agriculture, and 4,982 (5.9%) had formal agricultural education. In the year 2020, when the last sample survey of the structure of agricultural holdings was carried out, the number of holders decreased to 52,557, and their educational structure improved significantly. The share of farmers with only practical experience in agriculture amounts to 51.8%. This share is slightly higher than it was during the sample survey of agricultural holdings in 2016, but the data of labour force are not directly comparable due to different thresholds of agricultural holdings.

According to the data from the 2020 survey of agricultural holdings, the educational structure of farmers between different age groups is improving. Compared to the data from 2005, the number of farmers with only practical experience in agriculture in the age group up to 35 years decreased by almost two third (63.3%), while the number of farmers with basic and full agricultural training almost doubled (+94%). The situation is similar in the age group over 65 years, where the number of those who have only practical experience in agriculture decreased by 16.2%, while the number of farmers with basic and full agricultural training increased by more than three times.

In 2020, the share of managers on agricultural holdings, who have at least one form of formal agricultural education (basic or full agricultural training) in Slovenia is 51.5%, which is significantly better than the average level in the EU-27 member states (27.6%). The lowest share of managers on agricultural holdings with formal agricultural education is found in Romania, Greece and Croatia, where this share is lower than 10%. In contrast, managers on agricultural holdings with the most favourable educational structure are in some Western European countries, such as the Netherlands (81.9%), Germany (66.8%) and France (64.8%).

Under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 for Slovenia, the sub-measure M01.1: Support for vocational training and skills acquisition actions is being implemented. This sub-measure is intended for training courses required at the time of entry or at the time measure-related obligations are fulfilled for different sub-measures, such as: agri-environment-climate payment, organic farming and animal welfare. Training is also provided in the field of marketing and processing of agricultural products and occupational safety in forests. Trainings are also provided for young farmers, who are a specific target group. In the period 2015-2022, 133,320 participants attended education and training. The majority of participants attended training in the field of Agri-environment-climate measures (40.0 %) organic farming (35.9%) and animal welfare (20.5%).

In 2022, 39.9% of rural residents in Slovenia were included in the lifelong learning programmes in rural areas. This is slightly less than the EU-27 average (46.6%). In 2022, Bulgaria (9.8%) and Greece (12.4%) had the lowest share of people included in lifelong learning programmes in rural areas, while the highest share were in Sweden (70.4%) and in the Netherlands (61.4%).