- 2015Implementation
- 2016Implementation
- 2017Implementation
- 2018Implementation
- 2019Implementation
- 2020Implementation
- 2021Implementation
- 2022Implementation
- 2023Implementation
- 2024Implementation
Background
Introducing dual VET and reinforcing work-based learning were among the recommendations that Slovakia received in 2012 and 2014 in the framework of the EU's economic policy coordination. This process has been supported by bilateral collaborations with Austria, Germany, and Switzerland and through the ESF projects Development of secondary VET, implemented in 2013-15, and Dual education and increasing attractiveness and quality of VET, implemented in 2016-20.
VET programmes were typically offered by secondary VET schools at secondary (ISCED levels 253, 353, 354) and post-secondary non-tertiary (ISCED levels 454 and 554) levels. Depending on the school and programme, the share of work-based learning varied between 0 and 80%. During the workplace practical training, learners had the status of students, not employees. No genuine apprenticeship system was in place. However, a certificate of apprenticeship, confirming the occupational area the person is qualified for, could be obtained upon completion of a VET programme. Financial incentives properly stimulating small businesses to invest in the quality of practical training were missing. Introducing dual VET to large companies and SMEs was a challenge.
Slovakia joined the European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA) in 2014.
Objectives
The main objective of the Slovak version of dual VET is to increase the share of in-company training based on individual contracts between learners and companies responsible for a practical component of VET. In contrast to other forms of work-based learning already in place, companies may adjust training to their needs within the curricular framework agreed with the VET school.
Description
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:
- school-based programmes with practical training (mainly) in school workshops;
- mixed scheme, with school-based learning along with in-company training within the framework of school-company agreements (contracts) based on previous legislation;
- dual VET combining in-company training and school-based learning, where learners (or their parents) have contracts with enterprises for training, while companies and schools have agreements for VET theory provision.
Dual VET is mainly offered at ISCED levels 353 and 354, the latter granting higher education access. VET schools are responsible for curriculum programming as well as issuing certifications. Learners have student (not employee) status. The new scheme was expected to attract more employers and offer quality training. The dual system has been in place since the 2015/16 school year. The first dual VET students (96) graduated in 2018. Enrolment in dual VET has been gradually increasing. However, in 2018/19, only 3% of learners starting upper secondary level were enrolled in dual VET. The 2016-20 ESF project Dual education and increasing attractiveness and quality of VET has a target of reaching 12 000 dual...
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:
- school-based programmes with practical training (mainly) in school workshops;
- mixed scheme, with school-based learning along with in-company training within the framework of school-company agreements (contracts) based on previous legislation;
- dual VET combining in-company training and school-based learning, where learners (or their parents) have contracts with enterprises for training, while companies and schools have agreements for VET theory provision.
Dual VET is mainly offered at ISCED levels 353 and 354, the latter granting higher education access. VET schools are responsible for curriculum programming as well as issuing certifications. Learners have student (not employee) status. The new scheme was expected to attract more employers and offer quality training. The dual system has been in place since the 2015/16 school year. The first dual VET students (96) graduated in 2018. Enrolment in dual VET has been gradually increasing. However, in 2018/19, only 3% of learners starting upper secondary level were enrolled in dual VET. The 2016-20 ESF project Dual education and increasing attractiveness and quality of VET has a target of reaching 12 000 dual VET learners by 2020.
Dual VET was originally offered in sectors such as mechanical and electrical engineering where most learners were pronominally male. With the retail sector joining the dual system, more females entered dual VET. Although no future job contract is explicitly envisaged by law, employment in the company (or at least in the sector) is expected. Some companies offer learners a pre-contract on future employment.
A reform of the 2015 legislation was undertaken to make dual VET more attractive. In March 2017, a working group was appointed to prepare an amendment of the 2015 Act on VET (presented to stakeholders on 17 January 2018). The amendment of the Act on VET was adopted by the Parliament on 14 June 2018. Main changes include:
- lifting the remuneration ceiling for learners' productive work, but at the same time recognising only remuneration up to 100% of minimum wage as tax deductible;
- abolishing negative incentives (cuts in school budgets) for schools making agreements with companies on outsourcing practical training within dual VET;
- reducing the administration burden for companies entering dual VET;
- harmonising curricula for dual learners and non-dual learners receiving the same qualification;
- expanding the period for entering dual VET to 31 January of the respective school year;
- additional generous fiscal incentives for companies.
The number of dual learners is gradually increasing benefiting from the 2018 amendment of the Act on VET. In the 2019/20 school year, a share of dual learners increased to 6.4% of newly enrolled VET students.
Currently, almost 8 500 students participate in dual VET in about 200 schools and more than 1 000 company facilities. There are 2 430 certified company facilities in total, but the provision of dual VET has been hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ESF project Dual education and increasing attractiveness and quality of VET has been prolonged until September 2021 to support training companies and contribute to attracting students to dual VET.
The ESF project Dual education and increasing attractiveness and quality of VET was completed in September 2021. The final conference was held on 21 November 2021.
As of 15 September 2021, according to the information system of the education ministry (RIS), there were 8 580 students in dual VET (7.06% of 121 470 VET school students), of which 2 221 were in the first, 2 734 in the second, 2 581 in the third, and 1 044 in the fourth year of training. The law allows signing of the learning contract during the school year, therefore, the number of dual learners changes with time. Up to 50% of the time devoted to practical education of dual learners can be offered by schools and school trainers. Therefore, the number of secondary VET school learners who signed a learning contract with a company is higher than the number of learners trained in the company, as presented by the Slovak Centre of Scientific and Technical Information (SCSTI) data. The total numbers of pupils in dual VET who had practical training in companies as of 15 September are available from the SCSTI. The total number of dual learners with practical training in companies increased slightly to 6 851 at the beginning of the 2021/22 school year (5.64% of all VET school students).
The company is entitled to the State budget contribution, reimbursed by the State Institute of Vocational Education after the end of the school year, if it provides dual training for learner in its premises at least in the amount of 200 hours during the school year. For the year 2020/21, it concerned 7 035 dual learners, of which 2 806 were in the first, 2 782 in the second and 1 447 in the third year.
Professional or employer organisations are legally responsible for assessing the fulfilment of the conditions for the provision of practical training at the company's premises. Training premises are certified in 1 627 companies. The certification procedure includes an assessment of capacity conditions by setting the maximum number of learners per day. This means that the maximum capacity for the provision of dual VET in companies is 33 878 places. The data on the demand from companies for dual learners is not available but it cannot exceed this limit.
Not all VET programmes are suitable for dual VET as set by the law, and many learners enjoy work-based learning outside the dual form. Secondary heath schools opposed the proposal for legislation to back dual VET in the health programmes; they prefer current form of training that is based on work-based learning outside regulations of dual VET.
As of 15 September 2022, there were 9 347 learners in dual VET (7.63% of the 122 495 full-time learners in VET), of whom 2 248 were in their first, 2 914 in their second, 2 459 in their third, 1 721 in their fourth and 5 in their fifth year of training. Of the 9 347 learners 18% were enroled in a programme offering only a 'maturita' school-leaving certificate, and 61% in a programme offering both a 'maturita' school-leaving certificate and a certificate of apprenticeship. Only 19% of learners were enroled in ISCED 353 programmes offering a certificate of apprenticeship. The rest (2%) of the learners were in programmes at lower and higher qualification levels.
Despite strong criticism from the Supreme Audit Office regarding the slow implementation of dual VET and the failure to meet targets for the number of dual learners and company involvement in dual VET, no corrective interventions were applied. The originally set target of 12 thousand dual learners by the government in 2017 remains unachieved, despite expansion to programmes that were not originally considered crucial for dual VET. According to the Regional Information System (RIS) data, as of 15 September 2023, there were 9 848 contracted dual learners, of which 8 302 received practical training in companies, while the rest received training in schools as legislation allows to offer up to 50% of practical training at schools within dual VET. At the same time, the RIS data indicate a strong share of VET learners trained in schools and companies outside the dual VET system. 114 311 learners were in practical training in total (full-time and part-time), of which 65 416 in school workshops, 34 125 in companies contracted by schools outside the dual VET system, 1 793 in specialised school-type training facilities suitable for offering work-based learning, 8 302 in dual companies and 4 675 in other forms not identified by statistics. Among full-time learners, 106 694 participated in practical training, of which 63 051 in school workshops, 30 044 in companies contracted by schools outside the dual VET system, 1 756 in specialised school-type training facilities suitable for offering work-based learning, 8 302 in dual companies and 3 541 in other forms not identified by statistics.
According to the Regional Information System (RIS) data, as of 15 September 2024, there were 11 327 contracted dual learners, of which 8 469 received practical training in companies, while the rest trained in schools as legislation allows up to 50% of practical training within dual VET to take place in schools. RIS data also highlight a significant share of VET learners receiving practical training in schools and companies outside the dual VET system. 122 228 learners participated in practical training in total (both full-time and part-time), of which 70 880 in school workshops, 36 449 in companies contracted by schools outside the dual VET system, 1 246 in specialised school-type training facilities suitable for offering work-based learning, 8 469 in dual companies and 5 184 in other forms not identified by statistics. For full-time learners only, 112 921 participated in practical training, of which 68 361 in school workshops, 30 961 in companies contracted by schools outside the dual VET system, 1 221 in specialised school-type training facilities suitable for offering work-based learning, 8 469 in dual companies and 3 909 in other forms not identified by statistics.
A monitoring report from the independent monitoring commission regarding the National programme for the development of education (NPDE) highlighted the slow progress in implementing dual VET and the missing support for cooperation between schools and companies concerning WBL outside the dual VET framework. The fifth of seven strategic objectives outlined in the 2024-26 Implementation plan of the NPDE proposes expanding the possibility of offering practical training through new forms of work-based learning, alongside the existing dual VET model. This reflects a high potential for providing WBL in diverse forms agreed between schools and companies that can be more flexible than dual VET under current regulations. While the limits of the provision of dual VET seem to have been reached, the provision of WBL by companies outside the dual VET framework - which currently affects about four times more learners than dual VET - could increase if supported financially by the State, similarly to dual VET.
A spending review published in November 2024, analysing school expenditures indicates that graduates from dual VET are significantly less vulnerable to early leaving and have higher wages. However, it questioned the financial incentives supporting dual VET, arguing that while they were justified in the early phase of implementation, their continued necessity should be reassessed
Bodies responsible
- Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth
- Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport (until 2024)
Target groups
Learners
- Learners in upper secondary, including apprentices
Education professionals
- Teachers
- Trainers
- School leaders
Entities providing VET
- Companies
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
- 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 to the integration of VET into economic, industrial, innovation, social and employment strategies, including those linked to recovery, green and digital transitions, and where VET is seen as a driver for innovation and growth. It includes national, regional, sectoral strategic documents or initiatives that make VET an integral part of broader policies, or applying a mix of policies to address an issue VET is part of, e.g. in addressing youth unemployment measures through VET, social and active labour market policies that are implemented in combination. National skill strategies aiming at quality and inclusive lifelong learning also fall into this sub-category.
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.
Supporting lifelong learning culture and increasing participation
Lifelong learning refers to all learning (formal, non-formal or informal) taking place at all stages in life and resulting in an improvement or update in knowledge, skills, competences and attitudes or in participation in society from a personal, civic, cultural, social or employment-related perspective (Erasmus+, Glossary of terms, https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/programme-guide/part-d/glossary-common-terms). A systemic approach to CVET is crucial to ensure adaptability to evolving demands.
This broad thematic category looks at ways of creating opportunities and ensuring access to re-skilling and upskilling pathways, allowing individuals to progress smoothly in their learning throughout their lives with better permeability between general and vocational education and training, and better integration and compatibility between initial and continuing VET and with higher education. Individuals should be supported in acquiring and updating their skills and competences and navigating easily through education and training systems. Strategies and campaigns that promote VET and LLL as an attractive and high-quality pathway, providing quality lifelong guidance and tailored support to design learning and career paths, and various incentives (financial and non-financial) to attract and support participation in VET and LLL fall into this thematic category as well.
This thematic category also includes many initiatives on making VET inclusive and ensuring equal education and training opportunities for various groups of learners, regardless of their personal and economic background and place of residence – especially those at risk of disadvantage or exclusion, such as persons with disabilities, the low-skilled and low-qualified, minorities, migrants, refugees and others.
This thematic sub-category refers to all kinds of incentives that encourage learners to take part in VET and lifelong learning; VET providers to improve, broaden and update their offer; companies to provide places for apprenticeship and work-based learning, and to stimulate and support learning of their employees. It also includes measures addressing specific challenges of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) willing to create work-based learning opportunities in different sectors. Incentives can be financial (e.g. grants, allowances, tax incentives, levy/grant mechanisms, vouchers, training credits, individual learning accounts) and non-financial (e.g. information/advice on funding opportunities, technical support, mentoring).
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Introducing dual VET: Slovakia. 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/28560