- 2019Design
- 2020Legislative process
- 2021Approved/Agreed
- 2022Approved/Agreed
Background
The 2014-20 education policy planning cycle has been completed and a new cycle (2021-27) started.
Objectives
The overarching goal of the national education strategy (guidelines) for 2021-27 called Future skills for the future society, is to provide for quality education to help realise people’s potential, develop their ability to adapt and responsibly manage constant changes in society and the economy.
Description
There are four main areas of development envisaged in the national education strategy 2021-27:
Highly competent educators
Highly competent educational staff implies the training, attraction and retention of outstanding teachers and academic staff, as well as systematic and purposeful professional development, methodological and consultative support. Stimulating the motivation of teachers and academic staff is also important.
Availability of quality education to everyone
Quality education accessible to all includes the provision of quality education at all levels, the qualitative introduction of new curricula and approaches in general education, the establishment of vocational education institutions as centres of sectoral excellence and innovation, and the provision of individual-centred education. The effective operation of the education quality monitoring system is also important.
Future skills development
Future skills development is focused on the development, accessibility and promotion of adult education, ensuring cooperation between the education sector and sectors for skills development and guidance, development of a skills management system, as well as horizontal/generic skills development, with emphasis on digital and new technology skills development.
Effective management of the education system
Effective management of the education system includes effective planning of education policy,...
There are four main areas of development envisaged in the national education strategy 2021-27:
Highly competent educators
Highly competent educational staff implies the training, attraction and retention of outstanding teachers and academic staff, as well as systematic and purposeful professional development, methodological and consultative support. Stimulating the motivation of teachers and academic staff is also important.
Availability of quality education to everyone
Quality education accessible to all includes the provision of quality education at all levels, the qualitative introduction of new curricula and approaches in general education, the establishment of vocational education institutions as centres of sectoral excellence and innovation, and the provision of individual-centred education. The effective operation of the education quality monitoring system is also important.
Future skills development
Future skills development is focused on the development, accessibility and promotion of adult education, ensuring cooperation between the education sector and sectors for skills development and guidance, development of a skills management system, as well as horizontal/generic skills development, with emphasis on digital and new technology skills development.
Effective management of the education system
Effective management of the education system includes effective planning of education policy, management and communication in the implementation process, modern and efficient management of education institutions at all levels, as well as purposeful and efficient use of education system resources.
More specifically for vocational education and training (VET) and adult education, the following directions of work are envisaged.
In VET:
- highly qualified, competent and excellence-oriented teachers;
- a modern, high-quality VET offer focused on the development of highly valued skills in the labour market, including strengthening VET competence centre capacity; creating a cooperation platform for implementing modern VET; developing centres of excellence in VET and promoting innovations; providing career development support; and ensuring the quality and cost-effectiveness of VET programmes.
In adult education:
- development of VET and HE modular programmes for the needs of adults;
- implementation of individualised and flexible adult education, including support for reducing barriers to participation;
- improving the skills recognition system;
- creating a socially responsible and sustainable system for financing of adult education (including skills’ funds);
- development of adult education quality;
- strengthening the governance of adult education;
- raising public and employer awareness of adult learning and motivating participation.
Horizontally: education environment with focus on digitalisation and green issues.
Partnerships for the development of VET, including promotion of transnational cooperation and cooperation between education and economic sectors.
In 2019, following public discussion, a task force continued working on revising the draft guidelines by involving relevant stakeholders and social partners.
In October 2020, the guidelines were submitted to the government.
In June 2021, the guidelines were approved by the government.
In 2022, an action plan for implementing the strategy in 2021-23 was drafted and approved by the government.
The plan foresees tasks related to the evaluation of existing systems and processes and the development of new and improved solutions, tools and methods that contribute to the fulfilment of the planned activities. It also envisages the improvement of the regulatory base and the preparation of new regulations, as well as guidelines, methodologies and various types of informative and consultative support materials for a wide range of stakeholders. Important issues addressed by the action plan are developing skills (especially digital) for various target groups, building cooperation and partnerships, exchanging experience and knowledge transfer, and improving the learning environment and infrastructure of the education institutions.
Bodies responsible
- Ministry of Education and Science
Target groups
Learners
- Learners in upper secondary, including apprentices
- Adult learners
Education professionals
- Teachers
- Trainers
- Adult educators
- Guidance practitioners
Entities providing VET
- 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 to further development of national quality assurance (QA) systems for IVET and CVET, for all learning environments (school-based provision and work-based learning, including apprenticeships) and all learning types (digital, face-to-face or blended), delivered by both public and private providers. These systems are underpinned by the EQAVET quality criteria and by indicative descriptors applied both at system and provider levels, as defined in Annex II of the VET Recommendation. The sub-category concerns creating and improving external and self-evaluation of VET providers, and establishing criteria of QA, accreditation of providers and programmes. It also covers the activities of Quality assurance national reference points for VET on implementing and further developing the EQAVET framework, including the implementation of peer reviews at VET system level.
Modernising VET infrastructure
This thematic category looks at how VET schools and companies providing VET are supported to update and upgrade their physical infrastructure for teaching and learning, including digital and green technologies, so that learners in all VET programmes and specialities have access to state-of-the-art equipment and are able to acquire relevant and up-to-date vocational and technical skills and competences. Modernising infrastructure in remote and rural areas increases the inclusiveness of VET and LLL.
This thematic sub-category refers to initiatives where VET institutions or companies providing VET not only ‘teach’ about environmental and social sustainability but implement green and sustainable principles in their physical infrastructure, e.g. using renewable energy, applying organic agriculture on their premises, recycling, using learning and training materials sustainably, etc.
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.
VET standards and curricula define the content and outcomes of learning, most often at national or sectoral levels. VET programmes are based on standards and curricula and refer to specific vocations/occupations. They all need to be regularly reviewed, updated and aligned with the needs of the labour market and society. They need to include a balanced mix of vocational and technical skills corresponding to economic cycles, evolving jobs and working methods, and key competences, providing for resilience, lifelong learning, employability, social inclusion, active citizenship, sustainable awareness and personal development (Council of the European Union, 2020). The thematic sub-category also refers to establishing new VET programmes, reducing their number or discontinuing some. It also includes design of CVET programmes and training courses to adapt to labour market, sectoral or individual up- and re-skilling needs.
The learning-outcomes-based approaches focus on what a learner is expected to know, to be able to do and understand at the end of a learning process (Cedefop, 2016). Learning outcomes can be defined at the system level as in national qualification frameworks (NQFs), most of which are currently based on learning outcomes. Learning outcomes can be defined in qualification standards, curricula, learning programmes and assessment, although the last one is still uncommon. This thematic sub-category refers to the use of learning outcomes in these contexts and to development and use of modules or units of learning outcomes in VET curricula and programmes.
This thematic sub-category refers to acquisition of key competences and basic skills for all, from an early age and throughout their life, including those acquired as part of qualifications and curricula. Key competences include knowledge, skills and attitudes needed by all for personal fulfilment and development, employability and lifelong learning, social inclusion, active citizenship and sustainable awareness. Key competences include literacy; multilingual; science, technology, engineering and mathematical (STEM); digital; personal, social and learning to learn; active citizenship, entrepreneurship, cultural awareness and expression (Council of the European Union, 2018).
Green transition and environmental sustainability have a significant place in the EU agenda (Green Deal), including the agenda for VET. This thematic sub-category refers to identifying in cooperation with industry, incorporating into VET curricula and programmes and teaching the skills related and needed for the green transition, including sector- and occupation-specific skills and those across sectors. It covers measures aimed at ‘greening’ VET programmes, including awareness and knowledge about climate change, green technologies and innovation, energy efficiency, circular economy and environmental sustainability. It also includes the use of appropriate learning methods that develop such awareness.
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.
This thematic sub-category refers to the establishment and development of Centres of vocational excellence (CoVEs). These centres support the development of VET, including at higher qualification levels (EQF 5-8), cooperation of VET, higher education and research. They build on strong local business investment and support recovery, green and digital transitions, European and regional innovation and smart specialisation strategies. They provide innovative services, such as clusters and business incubators for start-ups, technology innovation for SMEs and innovative reskilling solutions for workers at risk of redundancy. The thematic sub-category is not limited to the centres supported by Erasmus+ funding.
Transparency and portability of VET skills and qualifications
European principles and tools, such as EQF, ESCO, ECTS, Europass and ECVET, provide a strong basis for transparency and portability of national and sectoral qualifications across Europe, including the issuing of digital diplomas and certificates.
This thematic category looks at how individuals are supported in transferring, accumulating, and validating skills and competences acquired in formal, non-formal and informal settings – including learning on the job – and in having their learning recognised towards a qualification at any point of their lives. This is only possible if qualifications are transparent and comparable and are part of comprehensive national qualifications frameworks. Availability of qualifications smaller than full and acquirable in shorter periods of time is necessary; some countries have recently worked on developing partial qualifications, microcredentials, etc.
This thematic sub-category refers to the development and implementation of qualifications that are smaller than full qualifications (alternative credentials) or are acquired in a shorter learning experience. It includes microcredentials, partial qualifications, units of learning outcomes (ECVET principle), digital badges, etc. These are owned by learners and can be combined or not to get a full qualification.
This thematic sub-category refers to validation mechanisms allowing individuals to accumulate, transfer, and recognise learning outcomes acquired non-formally and informally, including on-the-job learning, or in another formal system. In case they are not automatically recognised, a learner can have these learning outcomes validated and recognised through a particular process with a view to obtaining a partial or full qualification. This thematic sub-category covers such provisions and mechanisms.
Teachers, trainers and school leaders competences
Competent and motivated VET teachers in schools and trainers in companies are crucial to VET becoming innovative and relevant, agile, resilient, flexible, inclusive and lifelong.
This thematic category comprises policies and practices of initial training and continuing professional development approaches in a systemic and systematic manner. It also looks at measures aiming to update (entry) requirements and make teaching and training careers attractive and bring more young and talented individuals and business professionals into teaching and training. Supporting VET educators by equipping them with adequate competences, skills and tools for the green transition and digital teaching and learning are addressed in separate thematic sub-categories.
The measures in this category target teachers and school leaders, company trainers and mentors, adult educators and guidance practitioners.
This thematic sub-category refers to all kinds of initial and continuing professional development (CPD) for VET educators who work in vocational schools and in companies providing VET. VET educators include teachers and school leaders, trainers and company managers involved in VET, as well as adult educators and guidance practitioners – those who work in school- and work-based settings. The thematic sub-category includes national strategies, training programmes or individual courses to address the learning needs of VET educators and to develop their vocational (technical) skills, and pedagogical (teaching) skills and competences. Such programmes concern state-of-the-art vocational pedagogy, innovative teaching methods, and competences needed to address evolving teaching environments, e.g. teaching in multicultural settings, working with learners at risk of early leaving, etc.
This thematic sub-category refers to measures aimed at engaging more professionals into teaching and training careers, including career schemes or incentives. It includes measures enabling teaching and training of staff, managing VET provider and trainer teams in companies to act as multipliers and mediators, and supporting their peers and/or local communities.
This thematic sub-category is in line with the EU policy focus on the green transition and sustainability, and refers to professional development and other measures to prepare and support teachers and trainers in raising learners’ awareness of the green transition and sustainable development, and teaching and training them on skills necessary for the green transition. It also covers the development and availability of tools and resources on sustainability and green transition for teachers and trainers.
This thematic sub-category is in line with the EU policy focus on the digital transition, and refers to professional development and other measures to prepare and support teachers and trainers in teaching their learners digital skills and competences. It also covers measures and support for them to increase their own digital skills and competences, including for teaching in virtual environments, working with digital tools and applying digital pedagogies. Emergency measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic also fall into this sub-category.
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 priorities in VET
VET Recommendation
- VET agile in adapting to labour market challenges
- VET as a driver for innovation and growth preparing for digital and green transitions and occupations in high demand
- VET underpinned by a culture of quality assurance
Osnabrück Declaration
- Resilience and excellence through quality, inclusive and flexible VET
- Establishing a new lifelong learning culture - relevance of continuing VET and digitalisation
- Sustainability - a green link in VET