On September 1, 2024, the University of the Third Age UMB (UTV UMB) became part of he UMB Support anf Further Education Centre, within the UNI Community department. It represents an open educational system of interest-based education for people over 40, offering a wide range of attractive study programmes. Students have been crossing its threshold for more than thirty years. It is the second oldest and one of the largest universities of the third age in Slovakia in terms of student numbers. Its character and mission fulfill the goals of lifelong learning in line with UNESCO's gerontology program. It is a member of the Association of Universities of the Third Age (ASUTV UMB) in Slovakia, thanks to which it is in contact with global trends and organizations such as the International Association of Universities of the Third Age (AIUTA), the European Federation of Older Students (EFOS), and the European Federation for the Care of Older People (EURAG).

Currently, interested parties can choose from more than thirty study programes and decide whether to study in Banská Bystrica or at UTV UMB branches in Poprad and Martin. The total number of UTV UMB students in recent academic years has been around 850, of which 520 seniors study in Banská Bystrica and approximately 85% are women. The most popular programmes have long been those with an artistic focus, such as drawing and painting, but also art history and theory. The largest number of students at UTV UMB  attend programmes focused on developing foreign language skills.

New study programmes with various focuses are added to the permanent offer every year. Seniors who are interested in nature and the environment have the opportunity to attend a beekeeping program. On the other side of the spectrum of UTV UMB students' interests is the development of information literacy, where a program called "IT for Every Day" has been added to the offer. We are pleased that in both cases we have managed to recruit new lecturers directly from among the university's staff. In recent years, there has been growing interest among seniors in topics related to healthy lifestyles. ZUMBA gold, designed for seniors, beginners, and people with limited mobility, has been added to the UTV UMB exercise programmes. The long-standing favorite FIT Senior exercise, which takes place every week at ŠA UMB, has been given a new modern look this academic year. Full-time fitness training students are also involved in the preparation of the program in cooperation with the Faculty of Sport Sciences  and Health UMB in Banská Bystrica.

UTV UMB responds with its educational offerings to the demands of the times, but especially to the needs of its clients, who enter its gates with a vision of deepening their life experiences, knowledge, skills, and interests. UTV UMB is a zone of meaningful self-realization, but also a place for gaining new mental and physical strength, life impulses, and social contacts. The profile of students and graduates of our UTV UMB shows that education is not limited by age.

 

UTV UMB actively responds to calls for participation in projects under various schemes, such as Erasmus+. The future direction of UTV UMB is related to the targeted updating of the portfolio of study programmes, as well as the modification of the content of courses that have enjoyed great interest over the long term. Our goal is to bring new topics and opportunities for developing skills that will expand the possibilities for seniors to fulfil their potential.