Examination of public education center programs in Turkey within the scope of lifelong learning competencies

Today, the understanding that individuals need to acquire knowledge, skills, and competencies not only during formal education but also throughout every stage of their lives has brought the concept of lifelong learning to the forefront. In this context, "public education centers" have become one of the key institutions contributing to individuals' continuous development. The purpose of this study is to examine the programs of public education centers in Turkey within the framework of lifelong learning competencies. To achieve this goal, the document review technique, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. The study group consists of a total of 14 provinces selected to provide a balanced distribution across Turkey's seven geographical regions and 246 public education centers (PEC) in these provinces. Two provinces were selected from each region to ensure a balanced distribution that also took into account geographical, cultural, and socioeconomic differences. The educational programs offered at the public education centers in the selected provinces were classified within the scope of the eight basic lifelong learning competencies defined by the European Commission. The data were analyzed thematically to reveal which educational programs served which competency areas. The research found that many programs run by HEM contribute to individuals' personal, social, and professional development, with a particular focus on digital competence, entrepreneurship, cultural awareness, and self-expression. However, foreign language and social citizenship competencies were found to be less prevalent in the programs. It is believed that the recommendations based on the research findings will contribute to policymakers, program developers, educators, and the field literature.