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The finance ministry was responsible for preparing the National integrated reform plan (NIRP). Over 100 experts, including analysts from respective ministries and experts from NGOs and businesses, contributed to the identification of milestones, measurable goals and required costs in eight priority areas. The following are the most relevant to VET:

1. education;
2. research, development and innovations;
3. digitalisation;
4. labour market and social sustainability.

The priority area education includes...

The MCAST Strategic blueprint 2030 underpins its strategic direction. This is informed by the college's contextual challenges that include: meeting the ever- changing economic and industry needs, a drive towards boosting the esteem of vocational and professional education and training (VPET) in Malta and abroad, its physical infrastructure, and enhancing its autonomy and self-regulation. The college's strategic horizon for the forthcoming years is informed, aligned and directed by relevant...

The NAIS follows up on and meets the objectives of the Government Innovation Strategy 2019-30 and is linked to the Digital Czech Republic programme. It was inspired by similar foreign strategic documents concerning AI and support for the digitisation of the industry and services.

The key to fulfilling the NAIS is primarily to support the concentration of excellent Research and development in AI, in particular by supporting the creation of the European Centre of Excellence, Test centre and...

A new Act on VET was adopted in June 2017 and entered into force in January 2018. The focus of the implementation of this latest reform is on the following elements:

1. a single Act on VET, i.e. VET for young people and adults within the same framework;
2. a single licence to provide education and to award qualifications;
3. flexible application and admission systems;
4. a clearer range of qualifications that better meets the needs of working life;
5. a single competence-based approach to completing...

In 2019, the Public Scholarship, Development Disability and Maintenance Fund of Slovenia published a tender for competence centres for human resource development for 2019-22.

The companies in a particular industry or in a Smart specialisation strategy field connect to a competence centre (10 KOC were selected). The Smart specialisation is a strategy for strengthening the competitiveness of economy, innovation capacity and the diversification of the existing industry as well as the growth of...

The budget for this 2019-23 ESF project managed by the labour ministry in cooperation with Trexima Ltd. is approximately EUR 20 million. The main activities include:

1. managing activities of the Alliance of sectoral councils, SC activities and working groups, in accordance with the strategic tasks of the current National employment strategy;
2. ensuring sector-driven adaptation of workers to changes in labour market demand and sectoral inputs for a lifelong learning system with a special focus on...

Overall, the spending review proposes a series of measures regarding social inclusion, data collection and methodology development, the management of systems not sensitive to additional funding, as well as three austerity measures. Many were related to education.

One austerity measure was linked to VET, requiring that contributions to the so-called activation work of the unemployed provided by municipalities (focusing predominantly on unskilled activities, such as street sweeping, waste...

In the short term, three priority areas have been identified by the strategy, forming a basis for the 2019-22 action plan:

1. promoting digital transformation of schools, improving education environment, enhancing learners' digital competences and improving their employment prospects;
2. laying the foundations for a modern data-based and digital economy and the digital transformation of the economy as a whole;
3. improving the capacity of public administration to make use of data and innovation for...

The project System of verifying qualifications, run by the State Institute of Vocational Education, started in 2019 and is expected to be completed on 1 February 2023. It aims to complement existing qualification standards of the National system of qualifications (NSQ) by developing assessment manuals and to suggest and pilot processes of validation of non-formal and informal learning concerning approximately 300 qualifications. 72 qualification cards placed in the national registry of NSQ...

There are four main areas of development envisaged in the national education strategy 2021-27:

Highly competent educators

Highly competent educational staff implies the training, attraction and retention of outstanding teachers and academic staff, as well as systematic and purposeful professional development, methodological and consultative support. Stimulating the motivation of teachers and academic staff is also important.

Availability of quality education to everyone

Quality education...

As of September 2019, VET teachers are required to participate in a new form of continuing professional development: 40-hour training cycles (that must be completed within three years) at a company active in the field of the occupation they teach. This is required both for staff teaching theoretical vocational education subjects and practical vocational training teachers in VET schools, continuing education centres and vocational training centres. Teachers who are employed or operate...

On 11 September 2019, the education ministry announced a list of vocational education professions of particular significance for culture and national heritage. The list covers 21 occupations, most being niche and rare professions (e.g. leatherworker (kaletnik), goldsmith-jeweller (zlotnik-jubiler), yacht and boat assembler (monter jachtów i lodzi), beekeeper technician (technik pszczelarz). This regulation will have an impact on VET financing. As of 2020, local governments will receive...

In autumn 2018, the Federal Ministry of Digital and Economic Affairs (BMDW) initiated the review (Lehrberufsscreening) and update of the content of apprenticeship programmes. The review was carried out by the two education research institutes, ibw and öibf. It will serve as the basis for updating and introducing new apprenticeship training content. Challenges included the time pressure for processing the large number of different apprenticeship training regulations and the collection of...

The education strategy applies an integrated approach to the development of the education system to make better use of Estonia's high-quality education for the benefit of people, society and the economy.

It continues to support the contemporary approaches to teaching and learning, considers rapid technological developments, strives to ensure the next generation of teachers and the renewal of teachers' roles, and it focuses more on the skills policy, including a clearer division of the roles...

In 2018, the Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT) and the Federal Ministry of Digital and Economic Affairs (BMDW) jointly published the paper Artificial Intelligence Mission Austria 2030. This paper defines seven fields (including qualification and training) that need to be adapted in the future in connection with AI.

Based on this AI mission, parallel working groups were set up in these seven fields in the first half of 2019, involving around 150 experts from...

Order TMS/369/2019 harmonises the system of accreditation of all training providers. All vocational training providers authorised by the different competent authorities are integrated into one network through the State registry, which also ensures coherence with the Catalogue of training specialities (associated or not with professional certificates). The registry is used by the employment authorities to manage different services for different target groups. Only registered providers may...

A training speciality consists of 'the grouping of professional competences, contents, and technical specifications that respond to a set of work activities framed in a phase of the production process and related functions, or to the acquisition of transversal competences necessary in a professional environment and context'. The Order TMS/283/2019 foresees mechanisms for dissemination, monitoring and evaluation to ensure compliance with the objectives set. Accreditation procedures, career...

INCoDe.2030 is an integrated inter-ministerial strategy bringing together and encouraging collaboration between people with different experiences and knowledge as well as multiple public and private organisations.

This initiative has five major priorities:

1. inclusion: to reach the entire population and promote digital skills;
2. education: to provide training to young people and reinforce digital skills at all levels of education and lifelong learning;
3. qualification: to promote the professional...

In 2019, the Council of Ministers of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Education and Labour, Solidarity and Social Security decided that QDRCD should be developed. The QDRCD is based on the DigComp 2.1, which is aligned with the terminology and logic of the European qualifications framework (EQF). The QDRCD adapts the DigComp 2.1 descriptors and translates them into learning outcomes according to the complexity of tasks, autonomy and cognitive domain.

The QDRCD has four levels of...

The committee proposed:

1. a new act for universities and university colleges;
2. amendments to the regulations given on the basis of the University and University College Act;
3. amendments to the Student Welfare Organisation Act and regulations.

The committee assessed:

1. the structure of the regulations, including the relationship between this act and national and local regulations;
2. the relationship to adjacent laws and regulations;
3. provisions on students' rights, learning environment and duties;
4. the...

The committee proposed a new education act, statutes, guidelines and general principles for the governing of primary and secondary education, including VET.

The committee assessed:

1. what factors should be subject to regulation, what is the appropriate level of detail and what should respectively be regulated by law or regulation;
2. how to simplify the regulations and facilitate efficient use of resources in primary and secondary education;
3. how the regulations should be designed to reduce the...

The Ministry of Education and Research prepared a proposal for new provisions in the new higher vocational education regulation, aiming to gather all possible rules for vocational colleges into one regulation. These were submitted for public consultation and the new vocational education (EQF level 5) regulation (Fagskoleforskriften) was adopted on the 15 July 2019, based on the input from the consultation round.

The social partners and relevant stakeholders have been involved through an open...

The new regulation intends to ensure that:

1. conditions for approval are clarified, for easier assessment of whether the conditions have been met during the approval period;
2. conditions for withdrawal of approval specify the criteria on which the assessment is based;
3. exchange organisations and school owners make information on relevant cultural and safety issues related to their stay available to students and their guardians at an early stage;
4. responsibilities will be clearly defined, including the...

The tasks of the committee were:

1. to review relevant systematic knowledge overviews, as well as other relevant national and international research on gender differences in school performance;
2. to systematise existing knowledge and related it to the context of today's Norwegian school system to arrive at a common knowledge base about the challenges;
3. to investigate whether there are conditions in Norwegian schools or education, or in society at large, that systematically contribute to gender...

An Employment Committee was established in 2018 to address these challenges. The work was divided into two phases. In phase one, the committee presented proposals for increased employment. In phase two, the social parties and professional experts were included in the work and discussions continued based on the report from phase one and new proposals presented.

In phase one, the committee provided an overall analysis of employment trends of different groups in Norway. In phase two, the expert...

A forecasting model was developed in 2015 under the supervision of the Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (COLSAF, public employment services authority). The labour ministry presents the forecast of labour market needs, structured by fields of study and regions, every year.

Sponsored by ESF and the labour ministry, two new tools 'odborogram' and 'profesiometer', focusing on human resource planning and career guidance and counselling, were developed and launched in 2019....

The national EQAVET implementation report (2016-20), containing measures to strengthen quality assurance in IVET, has been prepared. At the end of 2016, ŠIOV, the quality assurance national reference point (QANRP), joined a European project aiming to introduce peer review in the country. Another Erasmus+ project Mobility for quality (June 2017 - November 2018), run by ŠIOV, resulted in training the staff of the institute as well as practitioners from education institutions in the European...

The 2015 action plan highlighted the importance of key competences. It provides small-scale training in career management skills and is expanding entrepreneurship education as a key competence through training (simulation) companies, young entrepreneur fairs and by establishing training enterprises in arts and sports VET schools. The 2016 action plan, approved in April 2016, provides for the further development of career guidance and planning for pupils, students and adults. The project...

The VET system development programme 2016-20 provides the strategic framework for VET development and reform. The programme was adopted by the Croatian Government in September 2016 and a related action plan was adopted two months later by the ministry responsible for education. It is planned according to the following principles:

1. quality assurance, which will increase the transparency of VET, strengthen confidence in the system and lifelong learning;
2. partnerships, which will ensure and...

The 2014-20 ESF-supported programmes, such as Non-formal education and training and the On-the-job training, that targeted the long-term unemployed and low-skilled aged 50+, were also adopted under the responsibility of the Ministry of Labour. They sought to improve employability through training for competences in demand in the labour market.

A 2016-22 project, Comprehensive support to companies for active ageing of employees targeting the employed over 45 (with emphasis on those older than...

In December 2017, the Slovenian Government passed the Decree on the methods and conditions for ensuring the rights of persons with international protection.

To help with the integration into the local environment, the Government Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants, in cooperation with a person with international protection, prepares a personal integration plan. The plan is based on the needs, knowledge, skills and abilities of the person. It includes various activities related...

The strategy was adopted in 2015. It was developed by the Lifelong Career Guidance Forum (LLCG forum), a national body for stakeholder cooperation, with the aim to establish a systemic approach to lifelong career guidance and career development and its integration in education and training. The approach is that of a coherent institutional system based on a multidisciplinary partnership that supports employability and inclusion. It is seen as a framework gathering all key stakeholders for the...

A law for post-secondary vocational education (EQF level 5) was adopted in 2018. Higher vocational colleges are categorised as post-secondary (referred to as tertiary in Norway) vocational education schools. Their students have strengthened rights. The law intended to ensure equal rights for all students and to increase the attractiveness of VET.

Slovakia participates in Cedefop's country reviews on Governance of EU skills anticipation and matching systems. The aim of the project is to improve the management and coordination of skills anticipation efforts, making existing skills anticipation initiatives more useful for policy, and better linking skills intelligence to education and training. Within this cooperation, an initial country report was commissioned and offered for comment to the education ministry in February 2018; it was...

The Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (public employment service) coordinates the national project Prognosis of labour market development, which is carried out under the supervision of the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family. The complex electronic system developed by Trexima based on the interlinking of administrative data sources along with surveys tracks graduates from the time they graduate. It is thus possible to identify various aspects for specific groups...

The legislation introduced in 2018 and amended in 2019, aims to promote inclusive education and enable schools to recognise and respond to learners' diversity, individual needs and capabilities. It established a flexible learning model, which addresses the unique needs of learners and targets the acquisition of common knowledge throughout their school paths, regardless of the specific education or training programme in which they are enrolled. This legislation offers learners opportunities...

Reference guides developing the common employment services portfolio were approved and published in 2018. These reference guides, developed jointly with the regions, comprise protocols for:

1. career guidance;
2. qualification and training for employment;
3. self-employment and entrepreneurship;
4. guidance and labour intermediation.

The qualification and training for employment protocol aims to promote training for up-skilling and reskilling and to facilitate transition to employment, in coordination...

Vocational training for employment in the labour scope was last reformed in 2015. The reform aimed at an efficient system for monitoring and prospecting the labour market, based on coordination of all actors (administrations, social agents, experts). It also aimed at:

1. promoting the assessment of the impact of training (on accessing and maintaining employment);
2. enhancing enterprise competitiveness;
3. improving workers' skills;
4. meeting labour market needs;
5. ensuring efficient use of resources.

A...

Since September 2017, several collaboration agreements between the State Public Employment Service (Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal, SEPE), the education ministry, and 11 Autonomous Regions have been approved. The agreements allow for implementing work plans of 25 national reference centres (Centros de Referencia Nacional, CRNs), of the 52 planned. CRNs are public institutions specialised in the different professional branches, in charge of carrying out innovation and experimentation...

The Law 92/2012 on the reform of the labour market defines for the first time in Italy the validation of non-formal and informal learning, as one of the key elements to ensure and implement lifelong learning in a comprehensive and systematic manner, establishing rules and regulatory requirements (standards) concerning the characteristics of the system and the stakeholders involved, ensuring transparency, usability and broad accessibility of validation/certification services (IVC).

In recent...

In 2013, the Legislative Decree No 13 article 8 sets up the National repertory of education and training and professional qualifications.

In 2014, the National Technical Committee was established and works for the development of the National repertory that is a comprehensive collection of national, regional and sectorial repertories existing and encoded by the entitling bodies. The entitling bodies are the qualification authorities: education ministry (for school and university...

In 2017, the Directorate for Research, Lifelong Learning and Employability (DRLLE) within the education ministry secured funding to coordinate the implementation of the Council Recommendation on Upskilling pathways. DRLLE is the focal point for the implementation of the Council Recommendation on Upskilling pathways in Malta.

Aspects covered include:

1. coordination of the lifelong learning steering committee and stakeholder working groups comprising representatives of MEDE directorates and...

The Malta National Lifelong learning strategy 2020 consolidated ideas and processes that were already taking shape in different organisations and institutions in Malta, such as to ensure a single, coherent location to guide actions in lifelong learning. This strategy is not a stand-alone document but interrelates with other important national documents published in the same period whose recommendations dovetail with those in this strategy. It also builds on the recommendations of...

The National vocational and training policy mapped the VET sector in Malta and identified areas for future actions.

Since October 2017, the Green education fund (GEF), managed by the Slovak Environment Agency and financed from the State budget and private companies, has been active in supporting environmental education. EUR 155 000 were earmarked for 28 NGO-projects at national (11) and regional (17) level. Grants of EUR 10 000 and EUR 5 000, respectively, with 5% joint financing by beneficiaries, supports the provision of class-ready materials and supporting actions (competitions, games, outdoor...

In 2016/17, in response to signs of increasing intolerance in the European Union, secondary education national curricula were supplemented by a document for teachers and counselling staff on how to prevent racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism and extremism.

A review of national curricula and textbooks concerning human rights and democratic citizenship education was initiated by the Government Council of the Slovak Republic for human rights, national minorities and gender equity as of 2016. The...

A new national standard for financial literacy was approved in 2017. It replaces the 2014 standard and includes entrepreneurship competence. It also addresses areas like planning, income and labour; consumer protection; counteracting corruption and fraud through consumer financial responsibility; consumer decisions and financial management; loans and debts; savings and investment; risk management and insurance. The revision was based on the 2016 thematic assessment of learner performance in...

Five-year action plans were launched in 2016 to address unemployment in the most vulnerable districts. Training centres and regional education centres, i.e. secondary VET schools, in originally 12 and gradually 20 districts (out of 79), identified as underdeveloped, were partially funded by ESIF.

The training centres are meant to provide practice-oriented training for the disadvantaged unemployed or low-qualified. The regional education centres are expected to address the specific needs of...

The ESF project Dual education and increasing attractiveness and quality of VET launched in 2016 and run by the State Institute of Vocational Education (ŠIOV) aims at improving career guidance and counselling services for learners in VET and those who consider entering this field. As part of this project an orientation centre was piloted in Nitra, targeting lower secondary pupils, teachers and educational counsellors.

VET teachers and trainers were targeted by in-service training offered by...

The education ministry has started an international project (with a budget of EUR 350 000) aimed at elaborating a National skills strategy for the Slovak Republic, in cooperation with the OECD. A launch conference was held on 29 January 2019 and a final OECD report is expected by the end of March 2020.

On 27 June 2018, the government approved the National programme for the development of education (NPDE). The NPDE was adopted, with 106 measures to be fulfilled until 2027. Some measures related to regional schooling and higher education are relevant also to VET. Measures directly aiming to align VET to labour market are as follows:

1. increasing the quality of dual VET through the funding of professional and employer organisations involved; they will receive approximately EUR 1 million annually...

In December 2016, a call was launched to invite proposals for the modernisation of the equipment and premises of school-based practical training (VET schools' workshops and specialised facilities, e.g. libraries). Additional components could relate to equipment for dormitories in support of inclusive education, reconstruction of school premises, or improving the energy performance of buildings. The call was launched within the framework of the ERDF part-funded Integrated regional operational...

The Act on VET was amended in March 2015 (61/2015). Its main objectives were to introduce a dual VET scheme and tax incentives for enterprises to provide training. The reform entered into force in September 2015 and made available upper secondary VET delivery in three forms:

1. school-based programmes with practical training (mainly) in school workshops;
2. mixed scheme, with school-based learning along with in-company training within the framework of school-company agreements (contracts) based on...

In 2018, the public employment service of Slovenia completed a pilot project, Occupational barometer, to predict future changes in the labour market and determine training of the unemployed according to labour-market needs. The qualitative research was conducted for seven (out of 12) regional offices, classifying occupations in three groups: shortage, balance, and surplus. For the shortage occupations, several main reasons were identified: lack of candidates for the occupation; lack of...

The Romanian national qualifications framework was referenced to the EQF in April 2018 and the next revision of the referencing report is foreseen to take place in 2023.

Lifelong learning strategy 2015-20 was adopted in 2015. It addressed the need for strengthening partnerships between VET providers and enterprises, to increase the quality and labour market relevance of VET. Measures supported the take-up of apprenticeship contracts for people with low qualifications, with a target of 125 000 contracts to be awarded by 2020. Financial incentives (subsidies) were set to stimulate employers to engage in apprenticeship programmes, internships and job...

Addressing both IVET and CVET, the Ministry of Digital Affairs appointed a digital education working group within the Digitalisation Council in December 2016. In 2016-18, the working group was engaged in identifying digital competences currently needed in the labour market as well as foreseeable future trends. Focus was on e-skills gaps and e-skills needs of employers, as well as employment gaps in the IT sector. The group developed the main areas of the 'body of knowledge' for ICT...

In May 2018, the education ministry launched the first call for projects aimed at strengthening cooperation between VET schools and higher education institutions. The call covers the development and dissemination of exemplary practice of cooperation between vocational schools and higher education institutions, including:

1. exemplary teaching programmes, which include the description of how the vocational school and the higher education institution cooperate;
2. proposals for organising classes by...

In 2017, the education ministry initiated the development of a national skills strategy (integrated skills strategy - Zintegrowana Strategia Umiejetnosci - ZSU). The strategy covers the whole area of education and training, i.e. general education, vocational education, higher education and adult learning. It takes into account both demand (for specific competences and qualifications) and supply (availability of qualifications and competences in society). The general part of the strategy was...

The National strategy for responsible development (Strategia na Rzecz Odpowiedzialnego Rozwoju - 'Morawiecki Plan' - SRD) was adopted by the Council of Ministers in February 2017. It addresses the challenges, which the country will be facing until 2030, in particular in the areas of social and regional development, reduction of poverty and social exclusion, as well as demographic challenges. In education, the following actions were prioritised:

1. promoting dual VET, further linking school...

The social contract for VET was renewed in 2016 aiming at providing apprenticeship places to all qualified young people who applied, therefore tackling high dropout rates, increasing the number of apprenticeships and the number of adults acquiring a trade or journeyman's certificate. The social contract was renewed by the following parties: the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Government Affairs and a range of social partners (NHO, LO, Virke, Spekter, Unio,...

During 2018, work started on the design of an econometric model to forecast labour market demand and supply in Malta. The development of this model was contracted to the Institute of Economic Studies at the Slovak academy of sciences, whose expertise lies expressly in this area. Jobsplus constantly kept in touch with experts from this institute to oversee various tasks, such as the transmission of data from domestic sources, and to delineate specific preferences about the intended model's...

In November 2016, a National Skills Council (NSC) was set up to establish the institutional framework for the anticipation of skills needs in Malta. The NSC is made up of representatives from:

1. the Ministry for Education and Employment;
2. University of Malta;
3. the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST);
4. Jobsplus (PES);
5. the Institute for Tourism Studies;
6. the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry;
7. Malta Enterprise;
8. lifelong learning entities and the civil society.

One of...

Following consultation in 2016, a draft act was proposed by the education ministry on a framework for developing quality work placements, apprenticeships and internships. It was enacted as a law on 6 March 2018, providing regulations, governance and administration of accredited training programmes for work placements, apprenticeships and internships in VET. The governance of the apprenticeship system was changed as a result of the reform. Subsequently, the system has since been governed at...

Social partners (employer and employee organisations) have been actively involved in the design of the implementing regulations of apprenticeship through participation in the sectoral expert councils. The 2017 amendments of the VET law strengthen the role of the councils in their various roles: promote cooperation between companies and schools; evaluate and collect information about the companies involved in apprenticeship; consult companies on issues related to apprenticeship; evaluate the...

In 2014, the Erasmus+ project National authorities for apprenticeships: Implementing work-based learning in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia (WBL-Balt)' was launched, led by the Latvian Ministry of Education and Science. The project partners were: the Ministry of Education and Science (Latvia), Employers' Confederation of Latvia, National Centre for Education (Latvia), Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia, Ministry of Education and Science (Lithuania), Qualifications and Vocational...

The revised VET Act of August 2016 introduced the concept of the final integrated project in initial VET in the CCP programmes (Certificat de capacité professionnelle, Certificate of professional competence). Integrated projects combine theoretical knowledge and on-the-job practical training. The revised act abolished the intermediate integrated project for some VET programmes, including those on full-time attendance, as it proved to be an organisational burden for technical secondary...

In 2016, the education ministry adopted the multi annual National plan for digital education (PNSD). The plan has coordinated government, region and municipality digital resources, as well as managed all the projects focusing on digital education and innovation. The plan can be seen as a consequence of the Good school Law which emphasises the development of digital skills.

The plan aims to link education institutions with lifelong learning and life-wide learning in formal, informal and...

A National strategy for competences/skills has been launched based on the education and training (Good school) and labour (Jobs Act) reforms. Both reforms aim to improve the competences of young people and adults, including NEETs, and to provide new competences for the (long-term) unemployed and employees. The strategy also links skills with the labour market demand. As a result of the National strategy for competences/skills, cognitive (including basic skills), professional and particularly...

On 13 July 2015, the Italian government adopted a reform of the national education system called the Good school (La Buona Scuola), emphasising alternance between classroom work and periods of workplace training. The main objective is to boost school-to-work transition by increasing employment opportunities and guidance for learners. The reform has made it compulsory for all learners attending the last three years of upper secondary school to take part in a school-work exchange scheme for at...

Each SPA set out plans for the development and innovation of the VET system and include each ETB's contribution to the national FET system targets agreed with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS). Measures and targets can vary by ETB, and take into account their regional characteristics, such as educational attainment, unemployment rates, enterprise base. Every year, the SPAs are reviewed and necessary amendments are agreed.

The 2025 National skills strategy is targeted at ensuring relevance of education and training to the needs of learners, society and the economy. It is based on active involvement of employers and quality teaching and learning, with a perspective of lifelong learning and inclusion. The strategy points to the need for employers - especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs) - to provide work placement opportunities for learners.

At the beginning of 2017, the Croatian government started a joint project with Cedefop for a comprehensive analysis of the national apprenticeship system. The project includes interviews with apprentices and companies involved, as well as several exchange forums. The aim is to help national stakeholders to plan further development of the national apprenticeship scheme. In 2017, two rounds of interviews were held with 90 respondents from 11 education institutions and 24 companies in six...

The key element of the 2016 strategic framework was the design and implementation of the post-secondary apprenticeship year, which is offered by vocational upper secondary schools (EPAL). For the establishment of its regulatory basis, a demanding legislative process was needed (for example, through regulating the EPAL apprenticeship year, setting the quality framework for apprenticeships, introducing pilot apprenticeship programmes). Law 4610/2019 integrated all the amendments related to...

Within the framework of the 2016 State-Regions partnership agreement, 500 new training courses are offered in VET upper secondary schools (lycées professionnels) since September 2017. Almost 70% of these courses lead to national diplomas, with more than 20% of them being offered in apprenticeships or combined school-based / apprenticeship pathways. On completing an initial VET programme, graduates my continue with a second training programme leading to additional qualification, either to...

A circular of 2 December 2015 from the Ministry of Education announced 12 measures aimed at developing relationships between businesses and education through career guidance and work-based training for young people. They include work placements and measures to help pupils gain a better understanding of the world of work. School staff will have more opportunities to interact with the business world through courses for head teachers and continuous professional development modules on...

Apprentice mobility was enshrined in the Labour Code (2017). New legal provisions have come into force, aimed at removing obstacles to long-term mobility in Europe for apprentices and trainees in alternance training schemes. Recent laws reforming the Labour Code (March 2018) and vocational education and training (September 2018) include measures that apply to all young people under the apprenticeship contract (contrat d'apprentissage) and the professional development contract (contrat de...

A 2015 circular established conditions for apprenticeship contracts within the non-industrial and non-commercial public sector. The overall goal was to create 500 000 apprenticeships by 2017, with specific targets for the public sector: 4 000 apprenticeships starting in September 2015 and an additional 6 000 by September 2016. A practical guide was issued for human resources services to facilitate this process. The targets were successfully met, with 4 420 apprentices recruited in 2015 and 8...

The Action plan for youth employment (2019-21) includes initiatives in relation to vocational training aimed at enabling young people under 30 years of age to acquire competences or professional experience, upgrade their qualifications and increase their employability.

The Reincorpora-T plan 2019-2021, approved in April, aimed at the long-term unemployed, is one of the measures implemented to contribute to the development of a new, more inclusive production model and is committed to intelligent, sustainable and inclusive growth as set out in the Europe 2020 Strategy. It considers and recognises, through active employment policies, the labour potential of the active population that is related to situations of long-term unemployment or precarious employment.

The education ministry has contributed to promote work-based learning by supporting VET skills competitions at national (Spainskills), European (EuroSkills) and international levels (WorldSkills). All regional education authorities are also fostering different kind of events to promote dual VET among students, families and companies.

Trade unions are also contributing to the development of dual VET. In January 2018, General Union of Worker (Unión General de Trabajadores - UGT) published a...

Employment authorities have reflected the policy priority given to dual VET and apprenticeships, including them as structural objectives in the 2017-20 Spanish employment activation strategy approved in December 2017. The strategy takes into account recommendations made to Spain both within the framework of the National reform programme and by the European Network of Public Employment Services (SPE-UE Network). The strategy covers dual and alternance training, regarded as key elements for...

Dual VET is being developed in cooperation with the Autonomous Communities. The ministry of education and vocational training (2018), in cooperation with the main stakeholders, is pursuing the regulatory work necessary to develop dual VET at national level, also monitoring and assessing the results of regional pilot experiences so as to meet the needs and characteristics of the Spanish business world.

The initial draft was presented to social partners in May 2018, but the new government...

The programme was adopted in 2015. It is implemented through a single measure (Correspondence between lifelong learning opportunities and the needs of the labour market and increased participation in learning). Its main activities are:

1. developing the quality and organisation of vocational education;
2. planning of volumes of studies, provision of study places and students´ support measures;
3. regional distribution of curriculum groups in vocational education institutions and modernisation of the...

The following regular surveys are conducted under the Labour market and education cooperation programme:

1. satisfaction surveys;
2. graduate tracking (including employability and income) surveys;
3. analyses on labour requirements of different economic sectors (OSKA reports).

A student, teacher and graduate satisfaction surveys' wave was carried out in 2017-18. The results of the graduate satisfaction survey were published in 2017. Student and teacher survey reports were published in 2019.

A survey on...

The programme was adopted in 2015. It sets out a roadmap and offers a framework for increasing the qualification levels of the labour force, decreasing the structural labour shortage and enhancing the employability of graduates by responding better to changes in labour demand. A smoother transition from education to employment will be ensured and opportunities to participate in lifelong learning will be expanded.

The programme is implemented through a single measure (linking studies to the...

Building upon the results of its pilot project Continuing education and training guidance, the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit, BA) launched in 2017 a more comprehensive Lifelong vocational guidance project. The project targets both young people and adults. In 2018, it was piloted at four locations.

The Lifelong vocational guidance (Lebensbegleitende Berufsberatung, LBB) is based on the BA 2025 strategy of the employment service, which provides better support for customers...

To provide young people with the best possible one-stop support in the transition from school to work, local alliances known as JBA have been established in many places since 2011 (first in Hamburg but ten years later widespread in Germany with more than 350 agencies). This is where the various players responsible for vocational guidance and social support coordinate their efforts at the regional and local level. The alliances that have been established vary greatly. It takes time to work...

The Law to reform the care and nursing occupations (Pflegeberufsgesetz) was published on 24 July 2017. The initiative 'Concerted Action on Care' (Konzertierten Aktion Pflege - KAP) was launched on 3 July 2018, including the 'Care and nursing training offensive' (Ausbildungsoffensive Pflege) targeted at ensuring the successful implementation of the law (2019-23). Training in healthcare and nursing care occupations, which used to be separated in three areas (general, elderly and paediatrics),...

In 2015, the Federal Institute for VET (BIBB) started 12 pilot projects in VET aiming to ensure a sustainable development (Berufsbildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung BBNE). With the EUR 12 million budget, the projects intend to develop vocational competences in sustainability. Until 2021, they will be experimenting and evaluating relevant curriculum concepts, digital teaching, learning materials and examination questions for initial and continuing VET. These projects will lead - amongst...

In January 2019, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) launched the project Shaping the future - innovations for excellent vocational training (InnoVET) and ran the first call. It invited projects targeted at increasing the attractiveness, quality and equivalence of VET through innovation and excellence, with a focus on higher VET.

Proposals were expected to put emphasis on:

1. innovative training, especially above DQR level 5, geared to the needs of companies and providing...

The Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs BMAS has drafted the Skills Immigration Act in December 2018, in the context of its Strategy to secure skilled labour. The Act features the following:

1. access for specialised staff from non-EU countries, along with recognised vocational training for all occupations, without restriction for bottleneck occupations;
2. measures for the recognition of foreign professional qualifications become more attractive and practical, including quicker, closer...

In November 2018, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) launched a committee to develop a National continuing education strategy (Nationale Weiterbildungsstrategie). The social partners were part of the committee which was expected to formulate answers to the digital change in the world of work. The focus should be on SMEs, micro enterprises and people in need of help to increase their opportunities on the labour...

In October 2016, the National Coalition for Digital Skills and Jobs (DigiKoalice) was established by the Ministries of Education, Labour and Social Affairs, Industry and Trade, the Office of the Government, and the Czech ICT Alliance, as part of the digital education strategy. The composition of the coalition is diverse, bringing together non-profit organisations, IT companies, schools, libraries, academic institutions, government agencies and more.

The main tasks of the coalition include...

The Digital education strategy targets basic and secondary schools and includes measures addressing teacher training, pedagogical research, support for headmasters, infrastructure and connectivity issues of the schools, innovation in modern methods of education and teaching, priorities in communicating the need for change to the public, and the need for opening education through digital technologies to everyone. The Digital literacy strategy focuses on measures aiming to enhance digital...

Czechia has in place a Digital literacy strategy for 2015-20 aimed at supporting digital literacy of adults through continuing education and lifelong learning. The action plan for the strategy was adopted in 2016. The measures are specified by target group: employees, self-employed, unemployed, people at risk of digital and social exclusion and families. The first implementation step was taken in mid-2016 by launching the DigiStrategie 2020 project. The goal of the project is to provide...

The 2015-20 VET development strategy addressed the acquisition of key competences in secondary VET for personal and professional needs. The 2015-20 VET development strategy aims to increase the number of adults taking part in training and to improve the attainment of qualifications and key competences, complementing their professional knowledge and skills. The 2015-17 action plan for this strategy foresees measures promoting key competences, such as career management skills. The 2015-20 VET...

On May 29, 2015, the Walloon Government adopted its priority action plan for 2015-19, the Marshall Plan 4.0, focused on economic redeployment measures.

The plan is organised around five axes and the following two axes are particularly relevant for VET.

1. Axis 1. Make human capital an asset

This axis, which will be implemented in close collaboration with the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, aims to develop skills in line with socio-economic needs, with a view to lifelong training. It will target...

Compulsory education

The digital strategy for education was adopted in 2018 and then implemented. The strategy includes the following five axes:

1. defining digital content and resources for learning,
2. providing support and training to teachers and heads of school,
3. defining modalities of school digital equipment,
4. sharing, communicating and disseminating,
5. developing digital governance.

Digital competence is regarded both as a learning object and a support to other disciplines. Digital education...

The certification by learning-outcomes units (CPU) divides upper-secondary VET tracks into different CPU. Learners receive the qualification certificate when all the learning-outcomes units are validated. Those who fail get a second chance in a complementary year with a personalised support from teachers.

The Minister of Education decides which training will be implemented in CPU; hence this certification approach is being gradually implemented.

In 2017, certification by learning-outcomes...