A continuing professional development model for pedagogical and professional staff

Seminars organised by the Methodological-Pedagogical Centre took place in the first quarter of 2020 to inform practitioners about the impact of the new legislation, focusing on the portfolio-based assessment. Portfolio-based attesting of continuing professional development of pedagogical staff has been in progress since then.

A national ESF project Professional development of teachers (TEACHERS) started in 2020. It supports the professionalisation of staff, review current professional standards and develop professional standards for the newly introduced position of career counsellors. The project, with a budget of approximately EUR 7 million, is run by the Methodological-Pedagogical Centre in cooperation with the National Institute for Education.

Two amendments of the Act on pedagogical staff and professional staff (138/2019) resulted in extensive changes of the law coming into force in 1 January 2022. This law focuses on simplification of many earlier over-regulations, such as moving between individual levels within career paths and between different career paths. Removing barriers can also support the transition of specialists working outside school into advanced teaching/training positions in schools. Induction processes for novice teachers are also simplified by the involvement of specialists working outside the respective schools.

The legislation clarifies the purpose of professional development, by emphasising developing professional competences. In connection with this, the importance of internships as a special form of training and professionalisation has been strengthened.

Practitioners, such as specialists from companies, are attracted to the final examination for participants and learners. At the request of employers, the legislation expands the range of providers of officially recognised in-service training. Unlike the previous regulation, non-State institutions, such as employer organisations, guilds or chambers who are already involved in the assessment and verifying professional competence according to the Lifelong Learning Act (568/2009), are eligible for the provision of training and examinations related to attestation at the first and second (advanced) level of qualification.

Professional development plans, which are currently important for securing funding for professional development, can now be changed more flexibly to reflect better the learning needs of school staff. Providers of in-service training are now obliged to collect the feedback and publish participants' assessment of completed training. Financing for professional development of staff is supported by enabling the education ministry to provide subsidies for professional development support in addition to the regular funding of operation of schools.

Within the national ESF project Professional development of teachers (TEACHERS), an offer of in-service training programmes based on analysis of learning needs has been created. It also reflects challenges caused by the pandemic. A portal We teach remotely, created in April 2020 to support learning and communication in times of pandemic, has been reorganised and expanded, offering online counselling and digital learning objects. Revised professional standards are expected by the end of 2022.

In 2021, 1 344 employees of basic and secondary schools who entered training aimed at receiving or expanding qualification were eligible for reimbursement of training costs of EUR 400. Up to 40% of VET schools applied for repayment of training costs of their employees within a newly introduced financial scheme from the education ministry. The scheme aimed at mitigating a lack of qualified professionals willing to enter teaching and training positions.

The final conference of the national ESF project Professional development of teachers (TEACHERS) took place on 29-30 November 2022. The results of the project as of 31 December 2022 were as follows:

1. 29 revised or new professional standards backed by a methodological guide for the revision and innovation of professional standards;
2. 8 916 pedagogical and professional staff involved in innovative training activities, of which 7 682 completed training;
3. 60 innovative in-service training programmes were offered with each programme requiring the development of specific professional competences;
4. 189 examples of documented best practice;
5. 1 605 participants in teachers forums.

To support the exchange of experience between practitioners, a database of best practices was being developed. The results of the first six rounds were already published. Although a dominant share of best practices relates to general education, there were also examples from VET schools. Piloting the dissemination of best practices and supporting the networking of teachers through teacher forums confirmed the potential of these instruments in enhancing professionalisation of staff.

2023 was the first operational year of the National Institute of Education and Youth (NIVAM), a consolidated institution established newly through the merger of several organisations, previously managed directly by the education ministry. The catalogue of professional activities and educational programmes for the 2023/24 school year contains the services offered by NIVAM's organisational components, which formerly operated as independent organisations.

This was also the first year when European funding for the national project Professional development of teachers (TEACHERS) was no longer available, while the conditions for drawing from the Programme Slovakia 2021-27 were not yet created. A key priority was to support the class-level implementation of the ongoing curricular reform, which began to be piloted in 2023 in the first year of primary school. Neither capacities nor resources were available to support content-related innovations at VET schools but NIVAM facilitated continuing professional development of VET staff through training on creating individual professional competence portfolios, a crucial instrument for recognising opportunities for career growth and improving remuneration.

In 2024, tasks related to the National recovery and resilience plan (RRP) remained dominant, especially curricular changes in elementary education and inclusive education, which also impacted VET. The introduction of a catalogue of support measures for schools and school facilities required retraining of staff to enhance their capacities to support SEN learners. This included the understanding of the use of support measures and clarifying the responsibilities of regular teachers and trainers, inclusion specialists in schools and counsellors in counselling facilities. Since October, online retraining of school staff bound to investments in digital equipment and infrastructure funded by the National RRP was launched.