Centre of practical study

Head: Marko Mesec ...

The Centre for Practical Training plans and manages the implementation and evaluation of all the activities, associated with students’ practical training in social work:

  • establishing a network of university learning bases and practice mentors,
  • defining the competences required for a successful placement in each year of study,
  • developing a system to test and assess the competences,
  • planning and organising the implementation of professional conferences on the study placement,
  • planning concrete activities (student, learning base mentor, mentor at the Faculty of Social Work), related to the implementation of the study placement in each year of study,
  • establishing and consolidating the associations between the regular study placement and project work in other subjects,
  • linking the Faculty of Social Work and the networks of learning bases with other relevant social partners (Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs, and other ministries, the Social Chamber of Slovenia, the Slovenian Association of Social Workers, the Association of Centres for Social Work, the Association of Social Institutions of Slovenia, etc.).

In addition to the Faculty of Social Work teaching staff, the Centre is also attended by the representatives of the Faculty's learning bases and other social partners, as well as by students and users. The practical study in terms of the mission of the Faculty of Social Work, thus represents the fundamental understanding of social work as a participatory and active discipline and science and is the field in which students, professional social workers and university teachers test and develop the concepts and procedures of contemporary social work and, with the participation of representatives of users, enhance this process with indispensable user perspective.

Social work is a practical profession and studying social work is a practical course. Every year, social work students are placed in more than 250 learning bases and cooperate with more than 250 mentors.

Through annual voluntary social work projects, the development and quality of social activities and the functioning of civil society are strengthened.


More and more people are getting involved in voluntary social work projects which is the result of an increased promotion of voluntary work and its integration into educational programmes (voluntary social work in secondary schools and in some higher-education school centres and faculties).


Student volunteers are involved in the delivery of programmes for users, thus contributing to a better quality of service.

Service users participate in the projects and largely contribute from their own perspective to the development of quality programmes and services.

Mentors working with the faculty keep in touch with the developments in the profession and new concepts and further their professional development through open training courses.

Practical training, which enables students to acquire the necessary expertise, is also an opportunity for organisations to develop quality future employees.


Practicum