- 2017Design
- 2018Approved/Agreed
- 2019Implementation
- 2020Implementation
- 2021Implementation
- 2022Implementation
- 2023Implementation
- 2024Completed
Background
The main obstacles to the development of apprenticeships have in the past been a lack of clarity in the relevant legislation, a reluctance among small and medium-sized enterprises (99.8% of companies) to bear the cost of apprenticeships, and the absence of support mechanisms. The new Law on VET adopted in 2017 emphasises the importance of workplace-based learning and apprenticeships, further clarifying provisions in this area and encouraging sectoral professional committees to participate in planning the intake of apprentices.
Objectives
Sectoral professional committees (SPCs) are advisory bodies formed to ensure cooperation between all VET stakeholders in a particular sector of the economy. They support the effectiveness of the sector's qualification system and the labour market relevance of VET programmes.
Description
A joint Order of the Minister of Education, Science and Sport and the Minister of Economy and Innovation on the Tasks, Functions, Committee, Formation and Financing Procedures of Sectoral Professional Committees was drafted in 2018. It was approved by the ministers in the middle of that year.
Sectoral professional committees (SPCs) are funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, while their activities are supervised and coordinated by the Qualifications and VET Development Centre (KPMPC). In 2018, an Order of the Director of KPMPC approved the work regulations of the SPCs. This Order defined procedures for measures such as the use of experts for apprentice intake, and the organisation of SPC activities and meetings (including guidance on conducting meetings, the election of chairpersons, electronic meetings and meeting agendas).
Some 18 sectoral professional committees are in place across all economic sectors, with these entities taking responsibility for drafting, updating and approving qualification standards, and assessing VET programmes and their modules. They also submit proposals to the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport relating to qualifications that can be acquired through apprenticeships, and give advice on validation arrangements and the need for new qualifications to be included in the national register of qualifications. Each sectoral committee must have at least nine members and those...
A joint Order of the Minister of Education, Science and Sport and the Minister of Economy and Innovation on the Tasks, Functions, Committee, Formation and Financing Procedures of Sectoral Professional Committees was drafted in 2018. It was approved by the ministers in the middle of that year.
Sectoral professional committees (SPCs) are funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, while their activities are supervised and coordinated by the Qualifications and VET Development Centre (KPMPC). In 2018, an Order of the Director of KPMPC approved the work regulations of the SPCs. This Order defined procedures for measures such as the use of experts for apprentice intake, and the organisation of SPC activities and meetings (including guidance on conducting meetings, the election of chairpersons, electronic meetings and meeting agendas).
Some 18 sectoral professional committees are in place across all economic sectors, with these entities taking responsibility for drafting, updating and approving qualification standards, and assessing VET programmes and their modules. They also submit proposals to the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport relating to qualifications that can be acquired through apprenticeships, and give advice on validation arrangements and the need for new qualifications to be included in the national register of qualifications. Each sectoral committee must have at least nine members and those representing employers should comprise at least half the number when they are formed, unless they propose a smaller number.
In 2019, SPCs discussed and approved 17 draft professional standards. Representatives of the relevant businesses also played an active part in discussions, with their perspective often decisive in the composition of qualifications described in competence standards and specifics. Committee representatives analysed and proposed amendments to by-laws regulating the management of VET services and establishing the responsibilities of people providing them. Members were also interested in the assessment and recognition of qualifications, and the improvement and supervision of VET quality. At least three meetings of each committee took place in 2019.
In 2020, 21 meetings of the SPCs were organised, the composition of the SPCs was updated (replacements and new members joining in), six professional standards were approved, and four professional standards were updated.
The measure is operational and runs as a regular practice. The composition of sectoral professional committees is being continuously updated in line with needs in the sectors. Under the coordination of the KPMPC that provides methodological assistance and consultations, 12 meetings were held to discuss and give opinions on new standards for qualifications; 2 new standards were approved and 3 others were updated in 2021, in close cooperation with the KPMPC.
The committees contributed to continuing discussions on the implementation of LTQF level 5 qualifications and the need for short-cycle higher education studies; they also provided comments on the descriptions of these study fields.
In 2022, annual meetings of SPC took place.
Furthermore, two informational events were organised for the members of SPC to update the competences required for the tasks delegated to SPC.
An Erasmus + programme project, dedicated to capacity building, developing cooperation and sharing best practices among institutions coordinating sectoral occupational developments in the Baltic states, with the title, 'Development of Cooperation between sectoral professional committees', was implemented.
From 2022 a new Erasmus+ project has started with the title 'Strengthening cooperation between the institutions coordinating the work of sectoral expert councils in the Baltic states' (SECBaltics). It initiated a partnership of the Employers' Confederation of Latvia together with the Latvian Agricultural Organization Cooperation Council (LAOCC), the Latvian National Centre of Culture (LNCC), the Estonian Qualifications Authority (EQA) and the Lithuanian Qualifications and vocational education and training development centre (KPMPC). The objective of the project is to form a partnership, promote cooperation and exchange of good practices among the institutions coordinating the work of sectoral expert councils and other stakeholders involved in the development of VET education in the Baltic States.
The main activities of the project are:
- training visits to the participating countries to find out how sectoral expert councils work in each of the Baltic States;
- virtual mobility and exchange experience between sectoral expert councils in the Baltic States through preparatory meetings for project activities and seminars.
The expected effects of the project are to lay the foundations for a long-term partnership at international level and to promote cooperation between the three coordinating bodies of SECs in Latvia at national level.
Ten meetings of sectoral professional committees were organised regarding the approval or update of new qualifications. Members of sectoral professional committees attended two international conferences on skills and qualifications policies. Committee members were consulted regarding the demand for short-cycle studies and new qualifications and competencies to address green and digital transition.
The project 'Strengthening cooperation between the institutions coordinating the work of sectoral expert councils in the Baltic states' (SECBaltics) has been implemented. Activities of the project carried out in 2023: training visit in Latvia, a webinar"Exchange of experience of the Sectoral Expert Councils (SECs) in the Baltic Region", a final conference"Skills - A Success Factor for Economic Transformation"; preparation of three thematic analysis "Sectoral Expert Councils", "Sector involvement in the qualification awarding process" and "Development of qualification requirements".
In 2024, four meetings of sectoral professional committees were organised to approve or update new qualifications. Committee members were consulted regarding the demand for short-cycle studies and new qualifications and competences to address green and digital transition.
Sectoral professional committees are now an integral part of the VET system and operate on a regular basis.
Bodies responsible
- Ministry of Education, Science and Sport
- Ministry of Economy and Innovation
- Qualifications and VET Development Centre (KPMPC)
Target groups
Education professionals
- School leaders
- Adult educators
Entities providing VET
- Companies
- VET providers (all kinds)
Other stakeholders
- Social partners (employer organisations and trade unions)
Thematic categories
Governance of VET and lifelong learning
This thematic category looks at existing legal frameworks providing for strategic, operational – including quality assurance – and financing arrangements for VET and lifelong learning (LLL). It examines how VET and LLL-related policies are placed in broad national socioeconomic contexts and coordinate with other strategies and policies, such as economic, social and employment, growth and innovation, recovery and resilience.
This thematic category covers partnerships and collaboration networks of VET stakeholders – especially the social partners – to shape and implement VET in a country, including looking at how their roles and responsibilities for VET at national, regional and local levels are shared and distributed, ensuring an appropriate degree of autonomy for VET providers to adapt their offer.
The thematic category also includes efforts to create national, regional and sectoral skills intelligence systems (skills anticipation and graduate tracking) and using skills intelligence for making decisions about VET and LLL on quality, inclusiveness and flexibility.
This thematic sub-category refers both to formal mechanisms of stakeholder engagement in VET governance and to informal cooperation among stakeholders, which motivate shared responsibility for quality VET. Formal engagement is usually based on legally established institutional procedures that clearly define the role and responsibilities for relevant stakeholders in designing, implementing and improving VET. It also refers to establishing and increasing the degree of autonomy of VET providers for agile and flexible VET provision.
In terms of informal cooperation, the sub-category covers targeted actions by different stakeholders to promote or implement VET. This cooperation often leads to creating sustainable partnerships and making commitments for targeted actions, in line with the national context and regulation, e.g. national alliances for apprenticeships, pacts for youth or partnerships between schools and employers. It can also include initiatives and projects run by the social partners or sectoral organisations or networks of voluntary experts and executives, retired or on sabbatical, to support their peers in the fields of VET and apprenticeships, as part of the EAfA.
Modernising VET offer and delivery
This thematic category looks at what and how individuals learn, how learning content and learning outcomes in initial and continuing VET are defined, adapted and updated. First and foremost, it examines how VET standards, curricula, programmes and training courses are updated and modernised or new ones created. Updated and renewed VET content ensures that learners acquire a balanced mix of competences that address modern demands, and are more closely aligned with the realities of the labour market, including key competences, digital competences and skills for green transition and sustainability, both sector-specific and across sectors. Using learning outcomes as a basis is important to facilitate this modernisation, including modularisation of VET programmes. Updating and developing teaching and learning materials to support the above is also part of the category.
The thematic category continues to focus on strengthening high-quality and inclusive apprenticeships and work-based learning in real-life work environments and in line with the European framework for quality and effective apprenticeships. It looks at expanding apprenticeship to continuing vocational training and at developing VET programmes at EQF levels 5-8 for better permeability and lifelong learning and to support the need for higher vocational skills.
This thematic category also focuses on VET delivery through a mix of open, digital and participative learning environments, including workplaces conducive to learning, which are flexible, more adaptable to the ways individuals learn, and provide more access and outreach to various groups of learners, diversifying modes of learning and exploiting the potential of digital learning solutions and blended learning to complement face-to-face learning.
Centres of vocational excellence that connect VET to innovation and skill ecosystems and facilitate stronger cooperation with business and research also fall into this category.
This thematic sub-category covers all developments related to work-based learning (WBL) elements in VET programmes and apprenticeships which continue to be important in the policy agenda. It includes measures to stabilise the offer of apprenticeships, the implementation of the European framework for quality and effective apprenticeships, and using the EU on-demand support services and policy learning initiatives among the Member States. It also covers further expansion of apprenticeships and WBL to continuing VET (CVET), for transition to work and inclusion of vulnerable groups, and for improving citizens’ qualification levels.
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Sectoral professional committees (SPCs): Lithuania. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/28329