The first evaluation of the three-year apprenticeship pilot carried out in 2018 showed that 30 out of 32 companies plan on taking on the apprentice. Most apprentices were satisfied and would choose the same path again.

The Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for VET (CPI) prepared the second evaluation report The challenges of assessment in apprenticeship in 2019. Evaluation focused on formative monitoring of apprentices’ competence assessment to explore how schools and companies understand the monitoring of apprentices’ progress and the assessment of their competences, the importance they attach to these processes, who is responsible for them, how they are implemented in practice, and where they see challenges and ambiguities. The evaluation included five pilot schools, 30 companies, two chambers, and eight interim examination supervisors.

Key findings

  • The assessment of students’ competences is done in schools with the companies’ cooperation, which has improved since last year. There is still room for improvement though, so development of innovative bottom-up solutions for cooperation is encouraged.
  • The work-based learning (WBL) coordinator is a key figure in monitoring the apprentices’ progress and collaboration between the school and business.
  • Teachers and mentors are cooperating in monitoring and assessing the apprentices’ progress. Teachers tend to focus mostly on knowledge, while mentors focus on assessing skills. Assessment tools in support of development of competences (knowledge, skills, and attitude) should be developed. Further improvements of assessment are possible through innovative forms of cooperation between school teachers and in-company trainers.
  • Apprentices should participate more in monitoring their own progress. There is a lack of awareness among teachers and mentors of the importance of reflecting on one's own learning, both in terms of motivation and learning performance, as well as in terms of the ability to build one's own career. To achieve a greater level of tailoring and participation, apprentices should be empowered with an individualised apprenticeship plan and self-monitoring tools.
  • The national occupational standards form the basis for national curricula for VET programmes. VET programmes are modular, each module including a list of operational goals. Schools prepare minimum standards of knowledge in accordance with these goals. For the apprenticeship path, the minimum standards of knowledge should be defined by the schools and companies, as the standards also include the goals that apprentices achieve during their in-company training.
  • In-company trainers received good support and sufficient information from both chambers and schools; nevertheless, a comprehensive reform of mentor training is being prepared.

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