DOBA Faculty of Applied Business and Social Studies Maribor

All the years of existence at DOBA we develop and nurture the process of lifelong learning. With over 100 different programs of formal and non-formal forms of education and training for different target groups and different age groups, we take care of promoting education needs, raising the educational level of individuals and strengthening not only the Podravje region, but also in Slovenia and other countries. We started the path with language education. First of all with programs for preschool children, we developed our own program of early learning of the foreign language for kindergartens Deutsch mit Tina. Thousands of children were included in the program for the first year. In the same year, the field of language education was supplemented with language programs for adults, including specialized programs tailored to companies and individuals. We have developed into a strong language examination center. Candidates can take exams of the State Examination Center, Aula Cervantes, the British Council, the Goethe Institute, the Austrian Institute, Cambridge and the Slovene for Foreigners. In the twenty-five years of our courses, language skills were collected by 22,377 participants of all ages. In 1991, we started to work with RZZ OE Maribor, we developed new programs for unemployed / motivational seminars, professional programs and programs for personal growth (8,991 participants). During the 25 years of operation, DOBI acquired new knowledge, developed its competencies and competences, and has 61,740 participants and students. In the next few years, DOBA successfully continued with the introduction of different forms and modes of learning, specially adapted to the needs of adults. In 1995, in cooperation with the Slovenian Center for Adult Education, we opened the first Center for the Promotion of Learning in Slovenia and a year later the Knowledge Exchange, both for free informal learning of individuals.