- 2017Implementation
- 2018Implementation
- 2019Implementation
- 2020Implementation
- 2021Implementation
- 2022Implementation
- 2023Implementation
- 2024Implementation
Background
The lack of detailed graduate tracking data has been discussed for several years. Improvement on this was advocated by strategy papers, such as Learning Slovakia and the Cedefop country review on skills anticipation and matching.
Objectives
Offering data to reduce the supply-demand mismatch.
Description
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 of graduates, such as their number, whether they continued their studies at secondary school or university, found employment, took maternal/parental leave, registered at the labour office or decided to start a business. In cases of employment, the system provides information on the average gross monthly salary, median salary, commonly accepted job positions and industries. These data are important for policymakers and administrators but the visualisation of data by the dedicated Graduate tracking portal is also attractive for career counsellors, learners deciding on the school choice and schools themselves as it offers not only the aforementioned types of data but also allows for the comparison between schools and programmes.
An important part is also the information on how many graduates have found a job corresponding to their field of study. Data on the transition from school to work of school graduates were published for the first time...
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 of graduates, such as their number, whether they continued their studies at secondary school or university, found employment, took maternal/parental leave, registered at the labour office or decided to start a business. In cases of employment, the system provides information on the average gross monthly salary, median salary, commonly accepted job positions and industries. These data are important for policymakers and administrators but the visualisation of data by the dedicated Graduate tracking portal is also attractive for career counsellors, learners deciding on the school choice and schools themselves as it offers not only the aforementioned types of data but also allows for the comparison between schools and programmes.
An important part is also the information on how many graduates have found a job corresponding to their field of study. Data on the transition from school to work of school graduates were published for the first time in 2017. Data showed that, in 2016, up to 60% of secondary and tertiary graduates were working in jobs that did not fully correspond to their fields of study five years after graduation. Only 20% (secondary) and 25% (tertiary) of graduates worked in jobs fully compatible with their fields of study. In 2018, 64% of secondary school graduates and 54% of tertiary graduates worked outside their fields of study.
In 2019, detailed graduate tracking data were for the first time offered to national and regional authorities (see PD Forecasting model of labour market needs).
In February 2020, a new website was launched offering detailed data regarding graduate tracking from 733 secondary schools and 366 fields of study, and from 33 tertiary schools and 1 415 fields of study.
The following indicators on the status of graduates are presented: employment (optimal, alternative, or 'outside the field of study'), short-term contract, self-employment, registered unemployment, continuing in secondary or tertiary studies, maternity or parental leave, and others (including working abroad and voluntary unemployment). This information is based on daily data interlinked from several administrative sources (information systems of the education sector, employment services, social insurance agency, and labour cost information systems). The use of data from the health insurance agency is currently being considered.
Also available are geographic distribution of placement, top three jobs, top three sectors of the economy, average and median wages, registered unemployment rate, the average number of days needed to find the first job. The website allows for comparison between two schools and also between any two items (selected school, school/programme, and aggregated regional or national data).
These graduate tracking data can be a valuable source in informed school/field of study choice for young people and better-informed decisions of self-governing regions on the regulation of the number of learners entering secondary programmes. These data can contribute to substantial improvement compared to using only the labour market forecasting model.
The portal was enriched by the 2019 data. Graduate tracking activities currently funded by ESF need to be embedded in regular national policy and funding from the State budget. The draft Lifelong learning strategy 2030, to be completed in April 2021, contains explicit measures to cover graduate tracking of VET students.
To support the European higher education graduate tracking initiative envisaged for 2022, 'country strategic roadmaps' were developed at the request of the European Commission to assess in-country capacities and identify capacity building needs. Capacity building aimed at improving higher education graduate tracking is also relevant for VET graduate tracking that should be supported by the State Institute of Vocational Education.
Data needed for updating the Trexima graduate tracking portal have been collected. However, no agreement has been reached yet concerning the portal update. The labour ministry indicated its intention to adopt the methodology developed and embed the respective data in the portal under its direct control.
A Lifelong learning and counselling strategy for 2021-30 was adopted by the government on 24 November 2021. The strategy proposes the creation of a comprehensive system of graduate tracking composed of three elements. The first is represented by the annual collection of administrative data, such as information systems of the education sector, employment services, social insurance agency and health insurance. The second is composed of the national questionnaire-based survey on higher education graduates, planned in 2022, corresponding to the European graduate tracking survey, and the national questionnaire-based survey on secondary graduates. The third comprises specialised graduate tracking surveys focusing on respective schools and their programmes related feedback. This element should be piloted in 10 faculties of higher education institutions and 10 secondary schools by 2023.
The Lifelong learning and counselling strategy action plan 2022-24, approved by the government on 20 April 2022 and also linked to the National implementation plan (NIP), set out in more detail all three pillars of the graduate tracking system, with estimated costs and timelines. The first pillar, which is based on administrative data with already developed know-how, has already been embedded in the draft new act on LLL. The second pillar, represented by two national surveys (on higher education and secondary education graduates), is under development between 2022 and 2024. In the case of higher education graduates, it draws on the data and experience of the Eurograduate survey, which started in 2022 and will be completed in 2023. Secondary education graduate survey will follow, run also by the Slovak Centre of Scientific and Technical Information. A pilot under the third pillar, focusing on specific school-based activities, is planned for 2023 and 2024. The estimated costs of the second and third pillars are in total EUR 4 million, according to the action plan 2022-24.
In December 2023, the national ESF+ project, Introducing quality management in VET and adult education, run by the State Institute of Vocational Education, was approved. The project supports the development of the 2nd pillar of the graduate tracking system by introducing a national survey of secondary VET graduates, conducted by the State Institute of Vocational Education, and also includes a pilot for the 3rd pillar in cooperation with selected VET schools.
On 15 October 2024, a national survey for VET schools was launched to collect online graduate tracking data within the 2nd pillar of the graduate tracking system. 1 784 VET school graduates responded to the questionnaire in the pilot phase of the survey.
In November 2024, a webinar informed VET schools on the 3rd pillar, which focuses on knowledge, skills and competences acquired by graduates. It is aimed at receiving feedback informing on the relevance of curricula. During the webinar, a framework questionnaire (template) was presented to VET schools. Subsequently, 74 VET schools started to work on school questionnaires making use of the template and assistance of the dedicated website of the State Institute of Vocational Education. Collection of data must be completed by April 2025 as the conference aimed at sharing experience and improving questionnaires is envisaged for May 2025.
Bodies responsible
- Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (COLSAF)
- Trexima Ltd.
Target groups
Learners
- Learners in upper secondary, including apprentices
Education professionals
- School leaders
- Guidance practitioners
Entities providing VET
- VET providers (all kinds)
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.
High-quality and timely skills intelligence is a powerful policy tool, helping improve economic competitiveness and fostering social progress and equality through the provision of targeted skills training to all citizens (Cedefop, 2020). Skills intelligence is the outcome of an expert-driven process of identifying, analysing, synthesising and presenting quantitative and/or qualitative skills and labour market information. Skills intelligence draws on data from multiple sources, such as graduate tracking systems, skills anticipation mechanisms, including at sectoral and regional levels. Actions related to establishing and developing such systems fall under this thematic sub-category.
European priorities in VET
VET Recommendation
- VET agile in adapting to labour market challenges
Osnabrück Declaration
- Establishing a new lifelong learning culture - relevance of continuing VET and digitalisation
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). VET graduate tracking: 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/28756