Cene Štupar

What Cene Štupar does

Cene Štupar - CILJ (Center za izobraževanje Ljubljana) is a public institute (javni zavod) founded in 1959 by the City of Ljubljana and operating as one of Slovenia's leading adult education organizations. The institution delivers a comprehensive program portfolio spanning formal education (14 secondary school programs for adults and an elementary school completion track), 10 National Professional Qualifications (NPK) certifications, a language school covering eight languages including Slovenian for foreigners, and a broad catalogue of non-formal workshops in digital literacy, soft skills, and personal development. It serves 15,000-20,000 learners annually and operates the regional Svetovalno središče (Counseling Center) for Central Slovenia, the Večgeneracijski center Ljubljana+ (N'šPlac), and the Karierni Plac youth career center.

The business model blends institutional and project-based revenue: primary funding flows from the City of Ljubljana and national ministries, supplemented by a stack of EU grants (Erasmus+, Interreg, ERDF, ESF), modest participant tuition for language and self-pay courses, and B2B corporate training priced per workshop. Delivery combines in-person instruction at the Ljubljana headquarters (Ulica Ambrožiča Novljana 5) with hybrid/online learning built on React-EU IKT infrastructure, the e-indeks digital student index, Zoom-based remote sessions, and integrations with Sendpulse, Google Analytics, and Tawk.to. The headcount stands at approximately 40 named staff under director mag. Bojan Hajdinjak.

Distribution relies on a hybrid mix: direct field sales to corporate clients via the 'Ponudba za podjetja' offering, government and employment-service referral channels, community-based outreach through the multi-generational center, and cross-border project partnerships with institutions such as FH Kärnten, Wirtschaftskammer Steiermark, and Algebra University Croatia. Strategic positioning combines public-institute stability with EU project-driven capability expansion across digital VET, AI literacy, prison-system sustainability training, and cross-border wood-industry career orientation.

Name

Cene Štupar

Legal name

Javni zavod Cene Štupar - Center za izobraževanje Ljubljana

Website

https://cene-stupar.si

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cene Štupar - CILJ is a public adult education institute founded in 1959 by the City of Ljubljana, delivering secondary, vocational, language, and corporate training programs to 15,000-20,000 learners annually across Central Slovenia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adult Education Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Other Schools and Instruction (6116)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAAALAE

Education Professionals (Teacher/Administrator CE, CPD)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Professional Licensure & Continuing Professional Education (CE/CPE)

Keywords

• Adult education services
• Vocational training programs
• Language school courses
• Professional certifications
• Career counseling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ljubljana

HQ country

Slovenia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government institutional funding: Primary revenue from municipal (Mestna občina Ljubljana) funding as a public institute founded by MOL, supplemented by national ministry funding for vocational and adult education programs.
2. EU project grants: Multiple EU-funded projects including Erasmus+, Interreg, European Social Fund, Asylum/Migration Fund, and Rural Development Fund providing project-based financing for specific programs targeting defined beneficiary groups.
3. Participant tuition fees: Self-pay language courses (English, German, French, Italian, Russian, Spanish) and some professional training programs generate direct revenue. Free programs available for unemployed persons, immigrants, and MOL residents under municipal programs.
4. Corporate training contracts: Customized B2B training programs for companies covering language, communication, digital skills, and team development, sold directly to enterprise clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cene Štupar - CILJ is a public adult education institution offering formal education programs including adult secondary school, primary school completion, and National Professional Qualifications (NPK), alongside a language school covering Slovenian and six foreign languages, short courses and workshops, career development services, and customized corporate training programs. Operating since 1959 under the City of Ljubljana, it serves 15,000-20,000 learners annually across Central Slovenia through both government-subsidized and fee-paying offerings.

Product overview

Cene Štupar – CILJ is a public educational institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of formal and non-formal education programs. The core offerings include 13 secondary school programs for adults, elementary school completion, and 10 National Professional Qualifications (NPK) certificate programs. The Language School provides courses in Slovenian as a foreign language plus 6 foreign languages (English, German, French, Italian, Russian, Spanish) with proficiency exams. Supporting offerings include short courses and workshops (computer, personal growth, creative, financial literacy), career development services (counseling, mentoring, company training), and specialized projects like LifeLongWood (wood industry career promotion) and the Multi-Generational Center (free community activities). The institution serves 15,000-20,000 participants annually and operates as a single integrated educational platform rather than discrete modular products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Secondary School Programs for Adults (Srednješolski programi za odrasle) Formal secondary education programs for adults offering 13 different programs including Administrator, Nurse-Carer, Hospitality-Tourism, Merchant, Economic Technician, Cosmetic Technician, Logistics Technician, and Preschool Educator. Programs are adapted for working adults with flexible attendance options.
• Elementary School for Adults (Osnovna šola za odrasle) Basic education program for adults and youth who want to complete their elementary school education.
• National Professional Qualifications (NPK) Certificate system allowing individuals to obtain publicly valid documents about work, professional or expert qualifications needed for practicing a profession. Offers 10 programs including Pedicurist, Manicurist, Reflexologist, Masseur, Social Caregiver, Accountant, Warehouse Worker, Assistant Cook, Makeup Artist, and Intercultural Mediator.
• Language School (Jezikovna šola) Comprehensive language education offerings including Slovenian as a foreign language, English, German, French, Italian, Russian, and Spanish courses. Offers Slovenian proficiency exams for citizenship, language courses for unemployed, and specialized language training for professionals in various sectors.
• Courses and Workshops (Tečaji in delavnice) Short courses and workshops across diverse areas including computer workshops, personal growth, creative workshops, language and intercultural, quality leisure time, and free financial workshops.
• Training for Companies (Ponudba za podjetja) Customized corporate training programs including Excel in business practice, online communication tools, basic computer use, Google services, smartphone efficiency, office suite, financial literacy, online security, and AI basics workshops.
• Career Development Services (Razvoj kariere) Career development services including career counseling, mentoring, business idea development, and offerings for companies including HR consulting, training, digital education, language training, and soft skills development.
• ChatGPT Workshop for Writing EU Projects 120-minute workshop on AI-powered writing using ChatGPT for EU project proposal writing, targeted at project writers in companies. Covers prompt engineering techniques, ethics and transparency, and advanced ChatGPT programming.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15,000–20,000 learners educated annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Sveučilište Algebra (Algebra University, Croatia)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Lead partner in ERASMUS+ VETehConn project (2025-2026, 313,343.09 EUR). Aims to improve digital competence of vocational education instructors in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro with partner institutions from Western Balkans.
• Ljudska univerza Rogaška SlatinacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Slovenian partner in ERASMUS+ VETehConn project supporting digital skills training for vocational education instructors across Western Balkans.
• Obrtno-podjetniška zbornica Slovenije (OZS) / Craftsmen and Entrepreneurs Chamber of SloveniaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023Lead partner in the LifeLongWood Interreg SI-AT project (2023-2026). Coordinates cross-border cooperation between Slovenia and Austria to promote wood as a future resource and career sector. Total project budget 1,269,387.16 EUR with 80% ERDF co-funding.
• FH Kärnten gemeinnützige Gesellschaft mbH (CUAS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023Project partner in LifeLongWood Interreg SI-AT (2023-2026) focusing on cross-border cooperation for wood industry promotion and vocational education between Slovenia and Austria.
• Wirtschaftskammer Steiermark (WKS) / Styrian Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023Project partner in LifeLongWood Interreg SI-AT (2023-2023-2026) contributing to the wood industry skills development and cross-border vocational training collaboration.
• Ministarstvo pravosuđa i uprave, Centar za izobrazbu (Croatia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Croatian partner in ERASMUS+ KA2 FirstINthenOUT project (2023-2025) developing sustainability training programs for prison staff in both Slovenia and Croatia.
• Ministrstvo za pravosodje, Uprava RS za izvrševanje kazenskih sankcijcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Associate partner in ERASMUS+ FirstINthenOUT project supporting sustainability education development in prison systems.
• LAS Barje z zaledjem (Local Action Group Barje with Hinterland)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2021Local development partnership managing the Zaledje podjetnikom project (2021-2022) supporting entrepreneurship in municipalities of Brezovica, Borovnica, Dobrova-Polhov Gradec, Horjul, Log-Dragomer, and Vrhnika. Total project 33,870.77 EUR.
• Mestna občina Ljubljana (City of Ljubljana)flagshipOthersFounding authority and primary funder of the public institute Cene Štupar – CILJ. Provides ongoing municipal funding for adult education programs, career centers, and intergenerational programming.
• Ministrstvo za izobraževanje, znanost in šport RScoreOthersMinistry of Education, Science and Sport of Slovenia providing national program funding, accreditation, and regulatory oversight for adult education and VET programs.
• Evropski socialni sklad (European Social Fund)coreOthersEU funding source co-financing adult education and employment programs implemented by Cene Štupar – CILJ through various national and regional calls.
• Zavod RS za zaposlovanje (Employment Service of Slovenia)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational employment service referring unemployed job seekers to Cene Štupar – CILJ programs for retraining, language learning, and vocational qualification.
• Andragoski center Slovenije (ACS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSlovenian National Centre for Adult Education providing coordination, methodological support, and project collaboration for adult learning institutions.
• Občina VrhnikaminorOthersMunicipality partner in Zaledje podjetnikom project providing co-financing and hosting events for local entrepreneurship development.
• Turistično društvo BlagajanaminorOthersTourist association participating as a local partner in the Zaledje podjetnikom entrepreneurship support project.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Coursera: Global online learning platform offering university-credentialed courses, professional certificates, and corporate upskilling programs. While not a direct local competitor, Coursera represents the digital-native alternative to many of Cene Štupar's professional development and language offerings.

Direct peers

• Berlitz: Global language school chain offering corporate and individual language training across many of the same languages as Cene Štupar's Language School. Direct competitor for the institution's fee-paying language course revenue and corporate language training contracts.
• Inlingua: International language school franchise network offering corporate language training in 8 languages including Slovenian-relevant ones (English, German, French, Italian). Direct competitor to Cene Štupar's B2B language training offering under the Ponudba za podjetja division.
• Andragoški center Slovenije (ACS): Slovenian National Centre for Adult Education providing coordination, methodological support, and quality assurance for the country's adult education institutions. Direct partner of Cene Štupar with strong overlap in advisory, project coordination, and policy engagement functions.
• Ljudska univerza Koper: Coastal Slovenian People's University providing the same comprehensive adult education portfolio — secondary school for adults, NPK, language school, and EU project implementation — under the same javni zavod governance model.
• Ljudska univerza Celje: One of the largest Slovenian People's Universities offering formal adult secondary education, NPK programs, language courses, and corporate training under the same javni zavod model as Cene Štupar, serving the Savinjska region with an analogous program mix.
• Ljudska univerza Rogaška Slatina: Slovenian People's University offering the same model of adult secondary education, NPK certifications, language courses, and EU-funded project implementation. Already a partner to Cene Štupar in the VETehConn Erasmus+ project, making it both a peer and an active collaborator in the Slovenian adult education network.
• Ljudska univerza Velenje: Slovenian People's University delivering adult secondary education, vocational qualifications, language courses, and lifelong learning programs under the same municipal public institute structure, serving the Šalek Valley with comparable offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Folkuniversitetet: Swedish adult education association delivering language courses, vocational training, and university-prep programs with a comparable mix of public mission and fee-paying offerings. Serves as a relevant Scandinavian model for publicly-supported lifelong learning institutions.
• Volkshochschule (VHS): Germany's nationwide network of Volkshochschulen is the closest European analogue to the Slovenian ljudske univerze model — municipally-supported adult education centers delivering secondary equivalency, vocational retraining, language integration, and corporate training. VHS operates at much greater scale but shares the institutional DNA with Cene Štupar.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CeneStupar

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cene Štupar