- 2017Design
- 2018Design
- 2019Implementation
- 2020Implementation
- 2021Implementation
- 2022Implementation
- 2023Implementation
- 2024Implementation
Background
The VET system development programme 2016-20 identifies student skills competitions as an important instrument for VET promotion and calls for a reform of such competitions to increase their relevance and promotional potential.
Objectives
To promote the attractiveness and the excellence of VET, this policy development aims to reform the model of VET student competitions with a strong focus on skills' demonstration, visibility and the involvement of companies and key stakeholders in VET. This is expected to improve the reputation of VET as a desirable and high-quality education option for Croatian students and introduce students to excellence, professional skills at an advanced level, high professional standards, contemporary business practices and state-of-the-art technologies.
Description
In January 2017, an initiative on Promoting student competences and VET through skills competitions and fairs was launched to modernise VET student skills competitions in Croatia and encourage participation in national and international skills competitions. In its initial stage in 2018, the project analysed the existing national and international VET student skills competitions and fairs and developed a new model of competitions in Croatia consistent with major international competitions such as WorldSkills and EuroSkills. In preparation for the implementation of the new model, the programme and rules of competitions were developed at sectoral level, along with test books and assessment criteria for each discipline in national skills competitions. Throughout the project, AVETAE supported VET schools, student mentors and students in the introduction of the new model of competitions, organisation of annual national skills competitions, and in preparation for and participation in international WorldSkills and EuroSkills competitions.
In 2018, the new model of skills competitions in VET was prepared and presented. It addressed the relevance of disciplines and task design, competitor assessment, visibility, low involvement of businesses, as well as the potential for career guidance, job recruitment and VET promotion. First, it streamlined the number of disciplines so that they reflected all sectors in VET evenly, as well as full...
In January 2017, an initiative on Promoting student competences and VET through skills competitions and fairs was launched to modernise VET student skills competitions in Croatia and encourage participation in national and international skills competitions. In its initial stage in 2018, the project analysed the existing national and international VET student skills competitions and fairs and developed a new model of competitions in Croatia consistent with major international competitions such as WorldSkills and EuroSkills. In preparation for the implementation of the new model, the programme and rules of competitions were developed at sectoral level, along with test books and assessment criteria for each discipline in national skills competitions. Throughout the project, AVETAE supported VET schools, student mentors and students in the introduction of the new model of competitions, organisation of annual national skills competitions, and in preparation for and participation in international WorldSkills and EuroSkills competitions.
In 2018, the new model of skills competitions in VET was prepared and presented. It addressed the relevance of disciplines and task design, competitor assessment, visibility, low involvement of businesses, as well as the potential for career guidance, job recruitment and VET promotion. First, it streamlined the number of disciplines so that they reflected all sectors in VET evenly, as well as full qualifications in VET. For the first time, competing disciplines for students with disabilities were introduced, in addition to cross-sector disciplines in technologically progressive industries such as robotics and mechatronics. Based on employer input, technical description and model task were developed for each discipline, which are now more closely aligned to vocational curricula taught in schools, as well as the latest industry standards. As the principal shift from the previous design, the new model of competition placed practical skills in the spotlight by eliminating all theoretical examinations and encouraging teamwork. Finally, the new model enhanced the transparency of competition through reformed assessment and clearer separation of responsibilities.
Stakeholders are also involved in the process of developing the competition model. VET schools contribute to the development and implementation of the new model of student skills competitions in Croatia, and also participate in international skills competitions. Different stakeholders are asked to contribute to the project implementation by nominating prospective competitors and evaluators or potential partners from the business sector.
Linking Croatia to the global skills movement, the Agency for VET and Adult Education (ASOO) organised the first WorldSkills Croatia competition in March 2019, which launched the reformed model of VET student competitions with:
- 44 disciplines and 3 fairs in 13 VET sectors in 15 000 square meters of exhibition space;
- 568 competitors;
- 436 mentors;
- 220 assessment committee members;
- 10 000 visitors in two days;
- 34 VET schools hosting disciplines and fairs;
- 260 participating VET schools out of a total of 299 VET schools in Croatia;
- 24 companies as partners, supporting the competition with over EUR 65 000 (estimated) of donations, equipment and financial contributions.
The WorldSkills Croatia 2019 competition ensured strong stakeholder endorsement from VET schools and companies, the ministry responsible for education, the public employment service (HZZ) and the chamber of crafts (HOK). It was visited by the President of the Republic of Croatia and raised significant media attention with nationwide coverage. Primary school students from the entire country participated in career guidance and try-a-skill activities during the competition. The event has already produced positive short-term effects, such as closer cooperation between VET providers and companies, employment opportunities offered to competitors, and a strong commitment of employers to support similar events in the future.
After the WorldSkills Croatia 2019 competition, nationwide campaigns for the promotion of VET ensued, in parallel with the main enrolment period in secondary education. The central message of ASOO campaign, Skills surround us. Choose vocational education! highlighted the importance of vocational skills for the modern-day economy, as well as attractive education opportunities and favourable employment outlook for VET graduates. Enrolment in 2019/20 indicated an increased share of students in initial VET; detailed enrolment data showed that VET was becoming the first choice of Croatian students, including high-achievers. Significantly, higher enrolment was also recorded in VET programmes for shortage occupations.
WorldSkills Croatia competition was planned in 2020, but cancelled in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In May 2021, WorldSkills Croatia 2021 was organised under strict health and safety measures in consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The VET learners' competitions were held in:
- 43 skills in 13 VET sectors in 16 000 square meters of exhibition space;
- 303 competitors;
- 296 mentors;
- 156 assessment committee members;
- 29 VET schools hosting skills;
- 30 companies as partners, supporting the competition with over EUR 43 000 (estimated) of donations, equipment and financial contributions.
The project activities successfully adapted to the challenges caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, and largely shifted to a virtual environment. Project activities were recognised as an important mechanism for promoting VET excellence and attractiveness.
From May 10 to 12 2022 a national skills competition WorldSkills Croatia 2022 was held on more than 15.000 square meters of exhibition space. Due to the improvement of the epidemiological situation, compared to the 2021 model of the competition, the competition was opened to visitors.
WorldSkills Croatia 2022 was held in:
- 40 Skills in 13 VET sectors;
- 357 competitors;
- 336 mentors;
- 157 assessment committee members;
- 27 VET school hosting skills;
- 43 companies as partners, supporting the competition;
- Organised buses for finishing grades of primary school students;
- More than 6000 visitors;
- 9 foreign experts and competitors competing in 3 Skills as guest competitors.
An addendum to the contract was signed in July 2022, extending the duration of the project until the end of September 2023 and providing additional funds to organise project activities in 2023.
The WorldSkills Croatia competitions were organised for the fourth time in 2023, marking the European Year of Skills. As the largest skills showcase in the country, the event involved over 400 VET teachers and trainers, 405 IVET learners and 46 skills competitions. Two-thirds of all IVET providers in Croatia participated in the competition, with 28 schools hosting competition skills. A nationwide campaign to promote VET accompanied the competition. As a result, more than 5,000 people attended the event, including 1,100 primary school pupils from across the country. In 2023, over 40 companies supported the event through in-kind donations and hosting skills competitions, contributing to sustainability. In the EuroSkills Gdansk competition in 2023, the Croatian team won a bronze medal in fashion design and technology and a medal of excellence in hotel reception.
Organised for the fifth time in 2024, the WorldSkills Croatia competition involved over 350 VET teachers and trainers, 400 competitors, and 42 skills competitions. Two-thirds of all VET schools in Croatia participated in the competition, with 31 VET schools hosting specific competition skills. More than 6 000 visitors attended the event, including pupils from around 100 primary schools nationwide. Try-your-skill and guidance activities were available, enabling visitors to explore VET pathways. The competition specifically encouraged company investment in training, improved employability of VET graduates, and accountability for learning outcomes in VET. In 2024, over 50 companies supported the event through in-kind donations of equipment, consumables, and awards for competitors. The international dimension of the WorldSkills competition was underpinned by international competitors from Austria, Finland and Montenegro, alongside visiting delegations from North Macedonia, Poland, Montenegro, Slovenia, Japan, Austria, and ReferNet national partners from across Europe. Croatia also participated in the WorldSkills global competition in Lyon in September 2024, winning a medal of excellence in health and social care. Future WorldSkills Croatia competitions will continue to promote VET attractiveness, supported by EUR 13.5 million from the ESF+, through the project, Support for Excellence, Innovation, and Visibility of VET, which started in January 2024 to last until December 2029.
Bodies responsible
- Agency for VET and Adult Education (ASOO)
Target groups
Learners
- Learners in upper secondary, including apprentices
Education professionals
- Guidance practitioners
Entities providing VET
- Companies
- 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 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.
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 initiatives that promote VET and lifelong learning implemented at any level and by any stakeholder. It also covers measures to ensure and broaden access to information about VET to various target groups, including targeted information and promotional campaigns (e.g. for parents, adult learners, vulnerable groups). Among others, it includes national skill competitions and fairs organised to attract learners to VET.
This thematic sub-category refers to providing high-quality lifelong learning and career guidance services, including making full use of Europass and other digital services and resources.
European and international dimensions of VET
This thematic category covers both European and international cooperation in initial and continuing VET, aimed at promoting EU VET systems as a European education and training area and making it a reference for learners in neighbouring countries and across the globe.
Expanding opportunities and increasing participation of VET learners, young and adult, and staff in international mobility for learning and work, including apprenticeship and virtual and blended mobility, account for most initiatives in this thematic category.
Apart from established and financially supported EU cooperation, VET opens up to cooperation and promotion of European values and national practices beyond the EU, which is becoming a trend. This thematic category also encompasses internationalisation strategies, transnational cooperation projects and initiatives – including those where joint VET programmes, examinations and qualifications are developed – and participation in international skills competitions that promote the image of VET. Using international qualifications – awarded by legally established international bodies or by a national body acting on behalf of an international body – in the national VET systems and recognising them towards national qualifications is also in focus.
This thematic sub-category refers to cooperation with other EU countries and beyond in preparing national teams for international competitions such as WorldSkills and EuroSkills and participation in those.
European priorities in VET
VET Recommendation
- VET as an attractive choice based on modern and digitalised provision of training and skills
- VET promoting equality of opportunities
Osnabrück Declaration
- European Education and Training Area and international VET
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Reformed model of skills competitions: Croatia. 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/28792