Adult education is considered as a crucial factor in helping individuals navigate the complexities of the modern world, including the shift towards digitalization and more environmentally friendly production and consumption alternatives in addressing current and future challenges (e.g. climate change, demography, technology, health, etc.). Adult education, as an important part of lifelong learning, can contribute to economic and societal development and create the necessary conditions for people to act as agents of change through their own choices and decisions (CoEU 2021).

A review of key EU policy documents related to the role and importance of adult educators highlights that adult educators are identified as key actors in achieving high-quality adult education and solving problems in response to rapidly changing societal demands (Ioannou, 2023).

It is emphasized that adult educators in the field of adult education are the cornerstone of the system, and their interest, motivation, skills, competences and working conditions must be optimized to ensure the quality of professional development curricula (Nuissl & Egetenmeyer, 2010).

The implementation of adult professional curricula is guided by five key content criteria: focus, activities, collaboration, content coherence and duration, as well as three contextual ones: coherence with context, individual factors and organizational factors (Hubers et al., 2020).

When engaging in problem-solving, teachers' hands-on approach is highly valued, emphasizing the importance of positive teacher-student relationships and holistic learning experiences, which affect adults who complete professional development educational programmes emotionally and cognitively (Carter et al., 2023). The theoretical model of problem-solving skills is structured into six stages, which include problem understanding, idea generation, solution development, action planning, and assessment of actions and results, and adult educators can apply various strategies to promote problem-solving skills, such as project-based learning, experiential learning, interdisciplinary collaboration and technology integration (Adeoye & Jimoh, 2023).

Common competencies related to the role of a teacher include the application of teaching methods appropriate to the learners’ individual abilities and needs, assessment, development of curricula and planning their implementation, motivation of adult learners, professional development competence; communication and group management; needs analysis and knowledge of adult development (Zagir & Mandel, 2020).

In the context of the study, the most optimal strategies for creating student motivation have been mentioned:

• managing the learning process through its programming, systematizing, organizing cyclically and evaluating each cycle;
• modelling, adapting, making the content of the studied discipline “accessible” to the student’s needs;
• providing the problematic nature of learning material;
• ensuring that the content and its organization are novel;
• providing the means to meet existing needs in students so that they may comply simultaneously with the objectives of teaching content;
• promoting a communicative teaching: establishing fruitful communication between student and teacher, intergroup, with other teachers, etc.; creating positive psychological environment;
• raising the illustrative and dynamic teaching through audio material, videos, photos, drawings, ICT and other materials;
• providing students direct sensory experiences, allowing them carry out experiments, build models related to the subject and experience things directly;
• ensuring the self-control and self-regulation; using the error as part of the learning process (and not as punitive) (Zhyzhko, 2017, 32-33).

Since high-quality adult education and the implementation of adult professional curricula depend on the adult educators’ professionalism and competence (Zulfakar, 2020), the multifaceted nature of their pedagogical work requires a comprehensive study of the factors influencing the overall quality of education (Bacus et al., 2024).

Aim of the research: Determine the relation between the quality of professional development curricula and the criteria for educators’ professional competence; identify the predictive factors of the quality of professional development curricula in relation to the educators’ professional competence.

For the study, implemented in 2024, a descriptive correlative research design has been chosen, applying the approach of quantitative methods in order to find the answer to the research questions: What is the relation between the quality of professional development curricula and the educators’ professional competence? What are the factors that predict the quality of professional development curricula in relation to the educators’ professional competence? The survey sample comprises 129 respondents from Latvia from the following professional development curricula: Small Business Organization (84 respondents), 3D Modelling with SketchUp (8 respondents), Financial Data Analysis and Report Preparation in MS Excel (25 respondents), Digital Marketing and Digital Public Relations (12 respondents). An online survey has been administered by applying a questionnaire containing a 3-point Likert scale (1=disagree, 2=somehow agree, 3=agree), in which the substantive issues regarding the quality of the professional development curriculum have been assessed, as well as the criteria of educators' professional competence such as planning the stages of initiation, comprehension and reflection and adherence to this structure in lessons; introduction to the requirements for acquiring a professional development curriculum; methods applied to promote understanding of the topic; preparedness for the lesson and a clear presentation of the topic; promotion of interest and motivation; clear and understandable verbal and non-verbal message; reflection of the recent industry achievements and problems in the content; recommendations and instructions for the application of additional resources; a supportive emotional environment; optimal use of time resources in classes and the quality of feedback as assessed by respondents. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for test reliability indicates good internal consistency (α=83). The Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test results for the non-normality of the empirical distribution (p=.000) has determined the application of nonparametric methods for secondary data collection. Empirical data processing methods using SPSS software to provide quantitative data processing methods: • descriptive statistics (arithmetic mean, median, mode); • Spearman’s correlation analysis for determination of relationships between indicators; • stepwise or sequential regression analysis, choosing the quality of the professional development curriculum as the dependent variable, but including the above-mentioned criteria for adult educators’ professional competence in the group of independent variables.

The results of descriptive statistics show that the quality of professional development curricula (Mean=2.76; Me=3; Mo=3) and the assessment of educators' professional competence are high (Mean=2.85; Me=3; Mo=3). The results of Spearman's correlation analysis demonstrate that there is a statistically significant close positive correlation between the quality of the professional development curriculum and such criteria of educators' professional competence as the reflection of the latest industrial achievements and problems in the acquisition of content (r=.63, p<.001), the methods used to promote the understanding of the topic (r=.59, p<.001), and the planning of the stages of initiation, comprehension and reflection and the observance of this structure in lessons (r=.55, p<.001), but a statistically significant close negative correlation - recommendations and instructions for the application of additional resources (r=-.51, p<.001). The stepwise regression results show that the model is statistically significant (F(4;129)=203.75, p≤0.001). A more significant predictor of the quality of professional development education curricula in relation to the development of adult educators’ professional competence is the application of the latest industrial achievements and problem solving in classes, followed by the application of methods appropriate to the students’ interests, abilities and needs, as well as modelling lessons based on a structure that includes 3 phases: initiation (arousing interest), comprehension based on the practical application of knowledge, and reflection with the opportunity to receive qualitative feedback on one's performance (β=.65, p=.000; β=.53, p=.000, β=0.37, p=.000). In its turn, the recommendations and instructions for the application of additional resources have a negative impact on the quality of professional development curricula (β=-.31, p=0.000). This indicates that students in professional development education programmes prefer the adult educators’ support and cooperation. Application of the latest industry developments increases the quality of argumentation in problem solving (Wess et al., 2023), as well as competitiveness in the labour market. The decisive factor in the choice of teaching methods in the implementation of professional development curricula is their correspondence to the individual abilities and needs of each student, which is based on the knowledge, skills and attitudes of the individuals involved in the process. Modelling of classes starting from the initiation phase to the subsequent comprehension phase, as well as high-quality feedback provided by adult educators, opens up the perspective of practical application for learners and contributes to the improvement of professional competence.

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