In today rapidly changing world, lifelong learning is essential for personal and professional development. Ensuring high quality adult education helps individuals to remain competitive and to adapt to new challenges. Simultaneously, there is a growing need to ensure the quality of educational services which will contribute positively to individual and societal development. The research on adult education service quality in Croatian institutions focuses on understanding and improving the effectiveness of these services through a comprehensive analysis. The study uses a survey-based approach, where managers from various institutions of adult education assess the level of service quality, image and effectiveness. The quality of service is scrutinized through two main dimensions: functional and technical aspects. The model has been developed to examine how functional and technical aspects of service quality influence overall results and outcomes of adult education services. SEM-PLS has been used to explore the relationships between various components of service quality and resulting outcomes. The study identifies key aspects of service quality that can be improved, and those that increase effectiveness. It highlights the importance of technical and functional aspects in delivering high quality adult education and provides insights for managers to make data-driven decisions aimed to quality enhancement. Policy-makers can use the findings to formulate strategies that suport the development of adult education and lifelong learning programs.

Keywords: Quality management, lifelong learning, adult education, leadership.