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1. Information providers / counselling structures

2. Awareness raising initiatives

Information providers / counselling structures

The principal state-funded actor that regularly publishes information about non-formal and informal learning opportunities is the National Agency for European Educational Programmes and Mobility, which promotes and administers Erasmus+ and other European programmes and posts open calls, guidance and support for applicants.

Complementing the Agency’s role, the Ministry of Education and Science periodically shares information on non-formal opportunities for young people, but the bulk of day-to-day counselling, outreach and programme delivery comes from civil society organisations, local adult-education providers and sectoral networks. In practice, CSOs and specialised lifelong-learning centres act as the most active information intermediaries, providing mentoring, course brokerage and guidance that are not always funded through the central budget.

A long-running national landmark for public awareness is the “Days of Lifelong Learning” (organized by the Lifelong Learning Centre and partner institutions), held regularly since 2002. The campaign brings together public debates, trainings, conferences and cultural events to promote the idea of learning throughout life; events were still being held in 2024, showing sustained public engagement. While the Days target adults broadly (18+), they remain an important national showcase for non-formal and informal learning practice.

Awareness raising initiatives

At the strategic level, the National Youth Strategy 2023–2027 explicitly recognize non-formal learning as a priority and commits to strengthening institutional and financial support for youth participation in non-formal education. This places non-formal learning more squarely within national youth policy and signals a stronger public role in supporting youth-oriented non-formal provision. 

While the National Youth Strategy Action Plan (2023–2025) formally recognises non-formal and informal learning as a strategic priority and includes measures to strengthen the capacities of youth workers and to develop recognition mechanisms, North Macedonia does not yet operate a single, comprehensive national awareness campaign dedicated exclusively to non-formal and informal learning for all target groups. Instead, awareness-raising is delivered through a mix of targeted initiatives, institutional communications and civil-society activity.

Finally, state institutions have begun co-funding or partnering on targeted projects that bridge formal and non-formal learning. A prominent example is the multi-stakeholder Education for Employment (E4E@mk) initiative (implemented with Helvetas, MCEC and the Economic Chamber), which — in its Phase II — explicitly links vocational schools, non-formal training and employers to improve youth employability and reach marginalised groups (women, Roma, persons with disabilities). Such programmes demonstrate a practical shift from purely promotional activities to partnership projects that combine awareness, skills development and job-linking.