Teachers, trainers and school leaders competences

Work-based learning is developed under the Labour market and education cooperation programme.

In Estonia, WBL (apprenticeships) is defined as a form of study where work practice comprises at least two-thirds of the volume of the curriculum. The apprenticeship system was introduced in 2006 (updated in 2014) and the number of WBL learners, fields of study and qualification levels have gradually increased. In 2019, the share of WBL learners was, on average, 8% of all VET students and over 12% of...

A new act was adopted on pedagogical staff and professional staff (138/2019) in 2019 complemented by two decrees (361/2019 on education for professional development and 1/2020 on qualification requirements). The act cancelled:

1. the original credit system, but retained the right to a salary supplement for certain types of in-service training (especially when obtaining new qualifications), thus significantly reducing the link between salary bonuses and completion of in-service training;
2. the...

In the short term, three priority areas have been identified by the strategy, forming a basis for the 2019-22 action plan:

1. promoting digital transformation of schools, improving education environment, enhancing learners' digital competences and improving their employment prospects;
2. laying the foundations for a modern data-based and digital economy and the digital transformation of the economy as a whole;
3. improving the capacity of public administration to make use of data and innovation for...

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...

As of September 2019, VET teachers are required to participate in a new form of continuing professional development: 40-hour training cycles (that must be completed within three years) at a company active in the field of the occupation they teach. This is required both for staff teaching theoretical vocational education subjects and practical vocational training teachers in VET schools, continuing education centres and vocational training centres. Teachers who are employed or operate...

In 2017, the EU allocated as much as EUR 25.7 million for implementation of the Erasmus+ programme in Lithuania. Almost 900 eligible applications were submitted for grants in the country per year. Some 297 education and training applications were received in 2017. A sum of about EUR 11 million was allocated to higher-education establishments; more than EUR 3.5 million to VET institutions and about EUR 500 000 to general education schools. Pupils, students and education staff participating in...

The education strategy applies an integrated approach to the development of the education system to make better use of Estonia's high-quality education for the benefit of people, society and the economy.

It continues to support the contemporary approaches to teaching and learning, considers rapid technological developments, strives to ensure the next generation of teachers and the renewal of teachers' roles, and it focuses more on the skills policy, including a clearer division of the roles...

In 2018, the Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT) and the Federal Ministry of Digital and Economic Affairs (BMDW) jointly published the paper Artificial Intelligence Mission Austria 2030. This paper defines seven fields (including qualification and training) that need to be adapted in the future in connection with AI.

Based on this AI mission, parallel working groups were set up in these seven fields in the first half of 2019, involving around 150 experts from...

The amendments to the Crafts Act from December 2019, which entered into force as of January 2020, introduced a shift in governance that transferred more responsibility to the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts (HOK), in particular, and the ministry responsible for economy (MINGO). Accordingly, MINGO and HOK now have a more prominent role in drafting curricula, while the ministry responsible for education keeps its role in adopting curricula, which are proposed by the Agency for Vocational...

Dispatch No 779/2019 aims to define the priorities of continuing education for teachers. Training actions should focus on:

1. combating early school leaving;
2. promoting the operationalisation and assessment of learning;
3. supporting inclusive education;
4. improving the delivery of the basic and secondary education curriculum.

Teacher CPD aims to help:

1. promote learners' academic success, citizenship education and inclusive education;
2. deliver the curriculum of basic and secondary education, implement...

The Recognition, validation and certification of competences of trainers (RVCC-For) process, launched in 2019, targets professionals (including VET-school leaders) with proven experience as trainers or in other education and training activities, who wish to certify their pedagogical competences acquired through formal, non-formal and informal ways.

The RVCC-For process enables them to access the Certificate of pedagogical competences (CCP). It takes place in three stages through individual...

The scheme is based on a 50% contribution of the costs by the school owner.

The target group for the pilot project is teachers in primary and secondary school, as well as teachers who teach adults at these levels. Both teachers in public schools and in private schools approved under the law of independent schools may participate in the pilot.

School owners are responsible for developing plans for the assignment of teacher specialists and for clarifying roles and responsibilities. School owners...

The national EQAVET implementation report (2016-20), containing measures to strengthen quality assurance in IVET, has been prepared. At the end of 2016, ŠIOV, the quality assurance national reference point (QANRP), joined a European project aiming to introduce peer review in the country. Another Erasmus+ project Mobility for quality (June 2017 - November 2018), run by ŠIOV, resulted in training the staff of the institute as well as practitioners from education institutions in the European...

The suggested maximum of 10 knowledge centres materialised in 2017 as nine centres with different foci: robotics and automation (two centres), welfare technology (two centres: assisted technologies), process technology, craftsmanship and handicrafts, craftsmanship and design, sustainable building and energy related building renovation, e-business, and data-based service development. Each centre is placed in a VET college, but the centres also have close formal cooperation with knowledge...

The 2015 VET reform has changed how key competences are promoted in VET. It set up two basic programmes of 20 weeks each: basic programme 1 (grundforløb 1 - GF1), and basic programme 2 (grundforløb 2 - GF2). Both programmes focus on key competences, but in different ways. GF1 is mainly designed to provide a basic introduction to vocational study, including workplace culture, processes and methods, society and health, Danish and various elective subjects. It is only meant for students...

An online guide, Qualéduc, was made available to education institutions and inspectorate bodies in April 2016 to help them develop a quality assurance system based on continuous improvement.

By March 2017, 25 out of the 30 existing education districts (académies) had been involved in Qualéduc. Two national conferences were organised in 2016 to promote the use of this tool among schools and inspectorate bodies. The tool has since been complemented with sections to guide on how to adapt the...

A strategic plan for technical and vocational education and training was approved in April 2015 (2015-20). It aims to reform the public VET system. The plan was set up by the Department of Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training (STVET) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth (MoECSY). It sets the further development of the quality and competences of VET teachers as a priority. Practical workshops were planned on modern teaching methods aimed at updating VET...

Following the elections of autumn 2017, the government announced its priorities on 14 January 2018. For upper secondary VET, they included:

1. flexible pathways;
2. continuing the process of increasing the number of apprenticeships through improved financial arrangements and closer cooperation with the county municipalities and the world of work;
3. public agencies and underlying establishments to have apprentices;
4. implementing the renewal of vocational programmes;
5. introducing new work-based and...

The VET system development programme 2016-20 provides the strategic framework for VET development and reform. The programme was adopted by the Croatian Government in September 2016 and a related action plan was adopted two months later by the ministry responsible for education. It is planned according to the following principles:

1. quality assurance, which will increase the transparency of VET, strengthen confidence in the system and lifelong learning;
2. partnerships, which will ensure and...

The Employment Service of Slovenia (ZRSZ) implemented a pilot project, Integration into the labour market, targeting the beneficiaries of international protection. It facilitated the integration of refugees into the labour market and into Slovenian society through workshops in which participants gained job-searching skills and information on the Slovenian labour market and employment legislation. Interpreters were involved in the project and participants were linked with employers. The...

The Youth guarantee implementation plan for 2016-20 (following the 2014-15 round) was adopted in May 2016. One of its activities, the Project learning for young adults (PUM-O) targets those aged between 15 and 26 who left education and training early or dropped out to help them complete their education and/or find a job. The activity consists of project work that combines work-related content with fun experience and encouragement for active job search, continuing education and achieving...

A 2014-17 Erasmus+ project, Cross-sectoral cooperation-focused solutions for preventing early school leaving (CroCooS), addressed the prevention of early leaving of education and training (ELET). Since 2017, the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for VET (CPI), a partner in the project, disseminated the project results through the in-service training of VET teachers. CPI also, in cooperation with the National Education Institute, proposed in its 2019 publication, 'Methodology for...

ESF projects coordinated by the National School for Leadership in Education also contribute to developing guidance: the 2016-18 project Leadership support programme for school staff, produced for staff in schools and kindergartens in order to develop knowledge and skills in lifelong career guidance; and the 2016-19 project Managing and leading innovative learning environments aiming to design a model of comprehensive support to head teachers in pedagogical leadership and management, including...

Slovenia also participated in Erasmus+ projects that refer to guidance:

1. the 2015-17 Erasmus+ project Guidance and orientation for adult learners (GOAL) to improve guidance and orientation for adult learners. The project focused on those aged 50+, immigrants, and low-qualified job seekers and employees producing recommendations for guidance practitioners and policy-makers. Project partners included the ministry for education, SIAE and CPI;
2. the 2015-17 Erasmus+ project LeadCareer in the scope...

Despite the lack of systemic approach, developments in guidance and counselling are continuing through ESF projects coordinated by the national coordination point for lifelong career guidance within the Public Employment Service of Slovenia (ZRSZ) and its branches:

1. the 2015-22 project 'Strengthening counselling work with young people' at the employment service of Slovenia (Krepitev svetovalnega dela z mladimi na Zavodu RS za zaposlovanje) aims at finding new ways to increase accessibility of...

The 2016 white paper, Skilled workers for the future, contained 48 measures on how to make post-secondary VET more attractive as a profession-oriented, fully equivalent alternative to higher education. Some of these measures were accepted by the Norwegian parliament in May 2017, including the right to be part of a student welfare organisation, better transitions to study programmes at universities and university colleges, a new national admissions system, new grant schemes, mapping and...

On 22 November 2018, parties in the Danish Parliament concluded an agreement to increase the attractiveness of VET.

The main initiatives under the agreement were:

1. more professionalism in primary schools: students must also meet practical, creative and artisanal challenges in primary school;
2. a stronger foundation for choosing youth education: students must be challenged in their choice of youth education;
3. municipalities must have greater responsibility for young people's search for VET, which...

The new act:

1. makes it mandatory for VET learners to take a State vocational examination or a journeyman's examination as a condition of school graduation; it also changes the form of exams, the process of preparing examination tasks and the requirements set for examiners;
2. introduces, in cooperation with employers, apprenticeship as a new form of vocational learning for learners in upper secondary VET and first stage sectoral programmes, who are not juvenile workers;
3. introduces new options...

The legislation introduced in 2018 and amended in 2019, aims to promote inclusive education and enable schools to recognise and respond to learners' diversity, individual needs and capabilities. It established a flexible learning model, which addresses the unique needs of learners and targets the acquisition of common knowledge throughout their school paths, regardless of the specific education or training programme in which they are enrolled. This legislation offers learners opportunities...

In 2015, the National Agency for Qualification and VET (ANQEP) introduced a new methodology for designing qualifications based on learning outcomes. It applies to VET qualifications at levels 2, 4 and 5 of the NQF.

Since 2016, ANQEP has been organising and monitoring several training courses for coordinators and trainers from professional schools where qualifications will be developed according to this new methodology. It has also been carrying out training sessions for the different VET...

In education authority VET, the education community can find and create structured teaching material ready to be downloaded and used by teachers and learners in Procomún, the Repository of open educational resources (OER) of the ministry, operated by the National Institute for Education Technologies and Teacher Training (INTEF). Another initiative is the Educational Technology Observatory, which provides a virtual library with articles for teachers written by teachers about how to use...

In December 2018, the Council of ministers approved EUR 8.6 million (three times the previous budget), jointly financed by the European Social Fund, for VET teacher training, upskilling and mobility. The distribution criteria, agreed by the Autonomous Communities, take into account the number of teachers and the number of secondary schools and / or baccalaureate centres and / or VET centres. CPD training provision for teachers also encompasses guidance practitioners.

The framework for VET...

During 2017, discussions in relation to access to the teaching professions took place at a sectoral conference on education and a revision of legislation was agreed. The Educate for the 21st century forum was held on 6 November in which challenges and proposals on the teaching profession developed by experts over the last few years were presented. Agreement was reached on the need to moderate the recruitment of temporary staff (a consequence of the economic crisis). Greater stability in...

Since September 2017, several collaboration agreements between the State Public Employment Service (Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal, SEPE), the education ministry, and 11 Autonomous Regions have been approved. The agreements allow for implementing work plans of 25 national reference centres (Centros de Referencia Nacional, CRNs), of the 52 planned. CRNs are public institutions specialised in the different professional branches, in charge of carrying out innovation and experimentation...

In 2016, SOLAS and ETBI published a Strategy for technology-enhanced learning in further education and training 2016-19. The strategy examines ways of bringing technology into the further education and training sector to facilitate innovative teaching and learning practices. In 2017, the SOLAS corporate plan for 2017-19 outlined its goals, one of which is to support the Education and Training Boards in expanding delivery options, including the use of ICT and technology-enhanced learning to...

The Malta National Lifelong learning strategy 2020 consolidated ideas and processes that were already taking shape in different organisations and institutions in Malta, such as to ensure a single, coherent location to guide actions in lifelong learning. This strategy is not a stand-alone document but interrelates with other important national documents published in the same period whose recommendations dovetail with those in this strategy. It also builds on the recommendations of...

The 2015 National vocational education and training policy proposed measures to:

1. mainstream modular structures (as they allow for unit transfer) by 2017;
2. use ECVET for MQF/EQF levels 1 to 4 and ECTS for VET and academic qualifications at levels 5 to 8;
3. base validation processes and assessment on ECVET.

All courses at EQF/MQF levels 1 to 4, including part-time ones, are modular-based on units and follow ECVET recommendations. Similarly, courses at EQF/MQF levels 5 to 8 are modular-based and...

In-company trainer training may be offered by various parties, provided that it is recognised by the professional or employer organisations in charge (nationally referred to as sectoral assignees). In 2015, the Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (the key player in this field) adopted its own regulation. In 2016, the Employer Council for Dual VET approved guidelines on training for trainers working with young people within the dual VET scheme. Guidelines for the training of those working...

According to the 2015 Act on VET, in-company trainers should have certificates that are equivalent to, or of a higher level than, certificates offered to learners by programmes they are involved in. These certificates must be in the same or similar field of study. In-company trainers must also have at least three-year experience as fully qualified workers in the respective occupation, and they need to complete a specific initial training programme. This training addresses: learners' rights...

For a long time ESF projects have been crucial in promoting teachers' in-service training regarding assisting disadvantaged learners, including Roma. In 2017, the implementation of the ESF 'Open school for all' project gave a new impulse to this effort. The project aims to further strengthen professional competences of teachers and teacher assistants in the provision of inclusive education to Roma within mainstream general education, an important prerequisite for provision of subsequent VET.

To familiarise VET teachers and trainers with dual VET, short credit-awarding courses were designed within the 2013-15 ESF project Development of secondary VET. The subsequent 2016-20 ESF project Dual education and increasing attractiveness and quality of VET also focuses on in-service training via three accredited programmes. The project aimed to train 600 members of pedagogical staff in curriculum issues, 200 directors of schools and other leading staff concerning the new role of schools...

The 2016 government manifesto also aimed at further changing the system of career development. It envisaged certification in line with professional standards for pedagogical staff and experts employed by regional schools. Implementation of the standards was a long-lasting and controversial process. The education ministry even hesitated to publish these standards. After some revisions these standards were finally published in 2017 despite doubts about their applicability. EUR 20 000 were...

The steps taken until 2018 focused on amending legislation and policy commitments for further continuing professional development (CPD) improvements. The newest and the most visible of such improvements is the abolition of the limited validity (seven years) of credits received within CPD. Staff can move from beginner to independent teacher status and then to attestation at first and second (advanced) level. Since the 2009 Pedagogical Staff Act, a wide range of in-service programmes/courses...

Pay rises were awarded in 2016 and 2017 (4% plus a further 6%). As the government claimed that highly qualified teachers were key to the delivery of its education and training agenda, it announced further increases - in its 2016 manifesto - averaging 6% per year from 2018 Yet, such a move was still considered insufficient by staff representatives as teacher salaries would remain lower than 70% of the average salary of professionals with higher education qualifications. The increase in...

The 2015 legislation amending the 2009 Pedagogical Staff Act made qualification requirements more flexible to attract (more) business and industry professionals to teaching and to facilitate changes of position or subject areas. Professionals teaching in occupation-oriented areas are not required to comply with qualification requirements in pedagogy provided they teach up to 10 hours per week (the responsibility for ensuring/assessing their teaching competences lies with school principals)....

Since October 2017, the Green education fund (GEF), managed by the Slovak Environment Agency and financed from the State budget and private companies, has been active in supporting environmental education. EUR 155 000 were earmarked for 28 NGO-projects at national (11) and regional (17) level. Grants of EUR 10 000 and EUR 5 000, respectively, with 5% joint financing by beneficiaries, supports the provision of class-ready materials and supporting actions (competitions, games, outdoor...

In 2016/17, in response to signs of increasing intolerance in the European Union, secondary education national curricula were supplemented by a document for teachers and counselling staff on how to prevent racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism and extremism.

A review of national curricula and textbooks concerning human rights and democratic citizenship education was initiated by the Government Council of the Slovak Republic for human rights, national minorities and gender equity as of 2016. The...

A new national standard for financial literacy was approved in 2017. It replaces the 2014 standard and includes entrepreneurship competence. It also addresses areas like planning, income and labour; consumer protection; counteracting corruption and fraud through consumer financial responsibility; consumer decisions and financial management; loans and debts; savings and investment; risk management and insurance. The revision was based on the 2016 thematic assessment of learner performance in...

In 2016, the education ministry submitted to the government a Strategy for enhancing the level and continuous development of reading literacy. The 2016/17 school year was declared 'year of reading literacy', accompanied by diverse activities, including competitions. The State School Inspectorate published a report on monitoring reading literacy in basic and secondary schools. A survey on a sample of 3 863 secondary learners was conducted in February 2017. Grammar school learners achieved...

The ESF project Dual education and increasing attractiveness and quality of VET launched in 2016 and run by the State Institute of Vocational Education (ŠIOV) aims at improving career guidance and counselling services for learners in VET and those who consider entering this field. As part of this project an orientation centre was piloted in Nitra, targeting lower secondary pupils, teachers and educational counsellors.

VET teachers and trainers were targeted by in-service training offered by...

On 27 June 2018, the government approved the National programme for the development of education (NPDE). The NPDE was adopted, with 106 measures to be fulfilled until 2027. Some measures related to regional schooling and higher education are relevant also to VET. Measures directly aiming to align VET to labour market are as follows:

1. increasing the quality of dual VET through the funding of professional and employer organisations involved; they will receive approximately EUR 1 million annually...

In September 2017, the education ministry published the Learning Slovakia strategy paper, following a public discussion on a draft version from March 2017. The VET-related chapter of this strategy paper for the first time in the official documents clearly defines and distinguishes between the diverse forms of work-based learning: dual VET, as set in the 2015 Act on VET; work-based learning within VET school-enterprise agreements but without individual learning contracts; short-term...

According to the new rules on the selection and joint funding of further education and training programmes for education professionals (2017), there are two types of CPD programmes for teachers: additional training required for the teaching profession for those not having followed specific training during their initial studies or special tasks (e.g. for teachers that need to work with SEN students); and shorter (8-24 hours) courses on various topics that teachers can choose from a catalogue...

The 2016-18 ESF project 'Strengthening the competences of professionals' in the field of managing an innovative educational institute, targeted teachers and other professionals in upper-secondary vocational schools and higher vocational schools. The project strengthened their competences in promoting entrepreneurship, introducing innovative methods of teaching, working with special needs learners, acquiring pedagogical/andragogical skills of higher-education lecturers and supporting quality...

A programme improving the professional competences of teachers (2016-22) was launched in 2016, as part of an initiative of the Ministry of Education, jointly funded by ESF. It aims to improve teaching/learning quality by giving teachers and trainers in companies the opportunity to update and complement their knowledge, skills and competences through a form of job rotation: teachers of vocational modules and organisers of work-based learning spend two to four months in a company. During this...

A 24-hour initial training programme for trainers in companies was revised in 2016 to update the knowledge and competences required to plan, provide and assess workplace learning. This includes understanding the characteristics of adolescence, pedagogy and psychological aspects of learning and teaching, organisational issues/methods to include learners in team and project work, communication and conflict-resolution skills, education and occupational safety legislation, preparing learning and...

A 5-year project Reform of upper-secondary vocational education, funded by the European Social Fund (ESF), started in November 2016.

The project includes the following activities:

1. test and identify the tools and methods to create a sustainable system to match the needs of the labour market;
2. develop flexible and individualised teaching methods and learning pathways;
3. support companies to engage in work-based learning;
4. test and evaluate the apprenticeship system;
5. define learning outcomes for...

To enhance the cooperation at regional level between upper secondary VET providers (adult education programmes included) and companies providing work places, the State grants for companies were broadened through an amendment of the the Education Act and the Ordinance of upper secondary education in November 2015. The funding scheme covers initial VET programmes which can be followed as school-based VET and apprenticeship based pathways. Further, since 2016 enterprises that participate in...

The National Centre for TVET Development implemented several projects through which continuing teacher and trainer-in-companies training was offered.

One of the projects aimed to improve the skills and competences of teachers and trainers involved in work-based learning, through an Erasmus+ pilot training programme (DALIVET 2014-16). An accredited training course was introduced to increase the competences of 23 vocational education and training (VET) school teachers and 22 trainers. The...

In 2016, the Ministry of National Education changed the procedure for awarding the teacher confirmation certificate (Definitivat certificate). After completing a 1-year period of teaching, prospective teachers take a simplified teacher confirmation examination.

The written test consists of two parts instead of three: one part is focused on the subject in which the candidate specialises (60% of the total grade); the other is focused on the teaching methodology (30% of the total grade), while...

A master degree has been legally required as a condition for entering the teaching profession since 2011 (Education Law), but the implementation of this provision did not start in 2015-16 as planned, leaving it as an option.

The law was revised in May 2015, focusing on the organisation and implementation of a master of arts (MA) for the teaching profession: a 2-year programme including academic studies, practical training (throughout three semesters) and research (linked to the MA...

The National Centre for TVET Development registers new training firms and corresponding activities annually.

The Business plan competition is managed through it and is organised annually. Students together with teachers create a virtual company, just like a real one, perform virtual transactions (buy-sell, including international), make payments and make balance sheets.

The competition takes place based on the approval of the education ministry at local, regional and national levels.

The number...

The national qualifications system (Sistema Nacional de Qualificações, SNQ) aims (among others) to improve VET quality by promoting trainers' initial and continuing professional development (CPD) and enhancing their technical and pedagogical capacity. In this context, it was necessary to develop standards for initial and continuing training for trainers and tutors in the light of the new pedagogical approaches and technical developments.

In recent years, the country has developed and put in...

The Teaching career law for pre-school, basic and secondary education has been reviewed. Since 2016, the skills and knowledge examination (Prova de avaliação de conhecimentos e capacidades) has no longer been in force. The entry requirements for teacher training courses have been increased and the system for employing temporary teachers has been reformed, allowing an annual renewal of fixed term contracts for up to five years.

In 2017, legislation modified the selection, recruitment and...

A Regulation on practical vocational training introduced in February 2019 provides more flexibility in the requirements for in-company trainers on work experience and pedagogical training, as some of the previous regulations limited the possibilities for professionals to engage in VET.

It also sets:

1. the framework programme for a pedagogical course for trainers in companies, decreasing the required number of hours for pedagogical training from 80 to 45;
2. the scope of information included in the...

In October 2017, the Act on financing educational tasks was adopted. The Act made teacher CPD obligatory and to be conducted in line with the school's needs. Head teachers report annually on teachers' CPD. Changes in teachers' advancement procedures were also implemented, however, they were withdrawn in a subsequent amendment to the Teachers Charter in 2019.

The Act also allowed higher salaries to be paid to specialists employed at schools who are not teachers. Previously, such a salary could...

Begun in 2016, the aim of the first of these two ESF co-funded projects was to develop e-resources for vocational foreign language learning in 10 vocational areas and methodological resources for foreign language teachers. The budget for the project was EUR 4 million. At the beginning of 2017, 10 contractors were selected and contracts signed. The project finished in the second half of 2018. E-resources (multimedia materials) for vocational foreign language learning in 10 areas were...

In January 2016, the National Centre for Supporting Vocational and Continuing Education (KOWEZIU) launched the two-year ESF co-funded project 'effective educational and vocational guidance for children, adolescents and adults', aimed at creating an effective guidance system in education and training. In 2016, KOWEZIU was merged with the Centre for Education Development (ORE), which continued the implementation of this project. In 2017, testing of the newly developed educational and...

The National strategy for responsible development (Strategia na Rzecz Odpowiedzialnego Rozwoju - 'Morawiecki Plan' - SRD) was adopted by the Council of Ministers in February 2017. It addresses the challenges, which the country will be facing until 2030, in particular in the areas of social and regional development, reduction of poverty and social exclusion, as well as demographic challenges. In education, the following actions were prioritised:

1. promoting dual VET, further linking school...

In August 2015, the Ministry of National Education amended the Regulation on practical vocational training. The amendments came into force in September 2015, bringing important changes, including:

1. vocational schools are required to ensure the provision of work-based learning in their vocational programmes; the amount of provision varies by education level (basic vocational, upper secondary, post-secondary);
2. assigning different forms of practical training to different types of schools;
3. the...

The 2015 VET teacher promotion initiative also provides for VET teacher CPD. Measures include: giving vocational teachers the opportunity to develop their competences by creating new and more relevant courses; supporting VET teachers with a technological background who lack teacher training for upgrading their qualifications, through scholarships and increased supply of pedagogical training (one-year programme in education theory and practice).

CPD will be based on VET teacher competence...

The VET teacher promotion initiative was launched nationally in October 2015, aiming to attract new teachers to ensure sufficiency and quality of VET teaching staff. It builds on previous successful pilots. The programme is based on scholarships and flexible education pathways for skilled workers. A scholarship scheme for non-qualified VET teachers who want to complete VET teacher education has been set up and is managed by the Directorate for Education and Training. Since 2016, people who...

A digitalisation strategy for 2017-21 (Fremtid, fornyelse og digitalisering) was published by the government on 25 August 2017. The strategy identified overall perspectives, challenges, the main goals and key action areas, i.e. learners' learning, school content, competence, infrastructure and VET. For VET, the focus is on upskilling vocational teachers in line with technological change and schools' needs, and on cooperation with businesses. During the school year 2018/19, a total of 29...

In 2014, a revision of teacher requirements was proposed by the national teacher body Onderwijscoöperatie, which represents the teaching profession. The revised requirements were approved by the education ministry in 2015 and have become effective as of 2017. Formal requirements were divided into three categories:

1. subject content requirements;
2. didactical requirements;
3. pedagogical requirements.

Teachers in primary education, in secondary education and senior secondary vocational education are...

School-higher education partnerships have been encouraged nationally within the policy measure Reinforcement of collaboration between initial teacher training institutes and schools 2013-16. The partnerships aimed at collaboratively designing initial teacher training curricula and coordinating internships. In 2016, six upper secondary vocational education partnerships between initial teacher training institutes and (regional) schools were organised and granted a subsidy. The scheme ended in...

In February 2017, the education ministry published an action plan on teacher shortage. The plan is being implemented to encourage regional stakeholders to stimulate circular careers and hybrid teaching to tackle shortages of (technical) teachers.

The Teacher register bill, approved by the Cabinet in 2015, made enrolment of teachers in the register mandatory from 2017 onwards. By being registered, teachers are able to demonstrate that they have the right qualifications, keep their knowledge and skills up to date and keep abreast of the latest developments in their field. The register was an initiative by the teachers' forum (Onderwijscoöperatie), which represents the various bodies for the teaching profession. It has been possible for...

From 2016 onwards, teacher training colleges (higher professional education) have offered programmes for a VET teaching qualification at bachelor level. More specifically, the vocational education specialisation track has been introduced in teacher training bachelor programmes. The aim of this specialisation is to prepare teachers adequately for pre-vocational secondary education and upper secondary vocational education. Before the implementation of this measure, teacher training focused...

In 2017, the education ministry and the Association of VET colleges (MBO Raad), representing all VET schools, launched an agenda to strengthen civic competences of VET learners by updating VET curricula. In cooperation with the Knowledge point citizenship in VET, schools are being supported in implementing the Civic Agenda 2017-21.

A self-evaluation tool will be made available to schools by mid-2020. This instrument will enable schools to assess their starting situation and current approach...

The 2016 maths agenda, agreed by the education ministry, education providers and social partners, aims to improve maths education in secondary education and in VET. The agenda has introduced several initiatives to motivate, facilitate and stimulate teachers and learners to improve the quality of teaching, resulting in improvements in basic maths competence and language. In addition to EUR 52 million distributed to VET schools annually, the education ministry has provided extra funding for...

In 2015, within the City deals programme, the labour ministry concluded agreements with the Netherlands' five main cities: Amsterdam, The Hague, Eindhoven, Leeuwarden, Zaanstad (including: their municipalities, schools, the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV), employers and intermediate organisations). Measures already developed include awareness-raising meetings in schools and training courses for internship coordinators, teachers and students. A toolbox with methods to tackle the problem has...

The Making room for the region initiative, approved in 2018, will allow VET colleges (MBO schools) to draw up regional elements in national qualifications in cooperation with the (regional) business community. The new qualifications would be based on national qualifications (60% of the teaching time should be based on the national qualification) providing substantial room for addressing regional needs. A secondary aim of the initiative is to strengthen teacher ownership of programme...

Quality agreements centre on a (partly) performance-based funding scheme introduced in 2015. They were concluded between public upper secondary VET schools (MBO schools) and the education ministry and monitored by account managers (ministry officials). Employer organisations, the student organisation JOB, and the Professional Association of Teachers (BVMBO) have a consultative and supportive role. Based on quality agreements, public VET providers have set goals and make plans to improve...

An agreement between the education ministry and the Malta Union of Teachers was signed in December 2017, covering the years 2018-22. The agreement gives greater emphasis to continuous professional development. This new agreement envisages the creation of a community of professional educators (CoPE), providing a forum of professional discussion such as school development planning sessions, CPD and links with industry and society. Several training sessions for teachers of all mainstream...

Industry placements for teaching staff are presently taking place in following different forms:

1. a recently launched MVEAR, a CPD programme for MCAST industry;
2. Erasmus+ mobility programmes are offered to MCAST teaching staff, enabling them to visit industries abroad;
3. teaching staff voluntarily asks to carry out industry placements, particularly in the summer recess, to keep themselves abreast of developments in the industrial sector relative to their areas of teaching;
4. the activities of the...

In 2015, the Institute for Education was set up to be responsible for continuing professional development (CPD) and training of educators. It was also set up to create flexible and accessible initial teacher training qualifications The Institute also acts as a platform for sharing experience and promoting education leadership. Its activities, which include developing a wide array of accredited teacher training opportunities and establishing international partnerships, are financed by the...

The in 2018 Work-based Learning and Apprenticeship Act stipulates that the VET provider is responsible for identifying and supervising the suitability of sponsors and trainers and ensuring that trainers must have sufficient technical experience, technical qualifications and personal competences. The act specifies technical qualifications as a certification recognised by the Malta qualifications framework (MQF) or by international qualification structures recognised by industry in a technical...

Due to the requirement that teachers need to have completed a master degree to enter the teaching profession, several master degrees in teaching and learning (MTL) were introduced: in October 2016 the Faculty of Education at the University of Malta started a two-year Master in teaching and learning (MTL) for first-cycle degree graduates. From September 2017, the Faculty of Education introduced MTL initial teacher training courses in 11 vocational subjects. In order to ensure that it provides...

In order to improve basic skills in IVET, the National Literacy Agency (NLA) launched in September 2018 the Reading recovery (RR) training programme in collaboration with the university college London. The programme consists of 100 hours of individual sessions over 20 weeks. The sessions are provided by teachers trained specifically in the methodology of RR. The programme lends itself to adaptations to meet the individual needs of each student.

The programme includes the training of teachers...

Strengthening strategic approaches to the training of teachers:

1. annual identification of training needs for teachers based on evidence and using advanced teacher skills' assessment tools and methods;
2. targeted and needs-based planning of teacher training at municipal level, providing equivalent support facilities for all educators;
3. developing unified, coordinated and monitored VET by ensuring effective cooperation between stakeholders in teacher professional development;
4. support for...

In 2014, the Erasmus+ project National authorities for apprenticeships: Implementing work-based learning in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia (WBL-Balt)' was launched, led by the Latvian Ministry of Education and Science. The project partners were: the Ministry of Education and Science (Latvia), Employers' Confederation of Latvia, National Centre for Education (Latvia), Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia, Ministry of Education and Science (Lithuania), Qualifications and Vocational...

The 2016 amendment of the 2011 adult trainer regulation, which sets the conditions for:

• admission to the initial training programme,
• the organisation of the programme and
• the examination giving access to the function of adult trainers.

The amendment requests candidates to have passed tests in all three official languages, instead of only two, before being allowed to take the entrance exam (concours) for the induction phase. It also confirmed the change in responsibility for adult trainer...

The 2015 legislation establishing the Training Institute for National Education (IFEN) stipulates that IFEN offers mandatory teacher CPD schemes to develop and refresh the competences of teaching staff, these include training leading to certification, coaching, supervision, job shadowing and exchange networks. With the support of IFEN, a school may also develop optional CPD plans for their staff (Schulinterne Lehrer/innen-Weiterbildung) to align teacher training activities to the school's...

The project Teachers meet businesses, initiated by the Chamber of Commerce and the Training Institute for National Education (IFEN) in 2018, addresses secondary education teachers looking for insights into industry developments to help improve the training and guidance they provide to their students. The project allows teachers to discover a growing economic sector and become familiar with the corresponding qualifications and competences. The 2018-19 edition focused on start-ups and business...

In 2016, the Education IT Management Centre (Centre de gestion informatique de l'éducation, CGIE) published a mobile learning guide to help school leaders and teaching staff in secondary education and training, use ICT in a targeted and systematic way. The guide drew on extensive research and consultation as well as national and international experience and practices.

The CGIE also organised in 2017, in cooperation with the Department for Coordination of Educational and Technological Research...

Following the 2015 reform, a candidate for the teaching profession first has to take preliminary tests in the three national languages (German, French and Luxembourgish) followed by a competitive examination (concours) organised by the Ministry of National Education. Then an induction phase is obligatory; by law amendment of July 2019, the duration of the initial induction phase has been reduced from three to two years. During this phase, which combines theory and practice, participants...

Legislation in 2015 established the Training Institute for National Education (Institut de Formation de l'Education Nationale, IFEN) to organise professional induction and continuing professional development (CPD) for teaching and socio-educational staff, including VET teachers. Its tasks include advising and supporting schools in developing CPD plans for their staff. This reform made initial training (and CPD) more coherent and improved the quality of teaching by harmonising the induction...

The Ministry of Education, Children and Youth encourages and accompanies many projects and initiatives of educational interest through its Department for Coordination of Educational and Technological Research and Innovation (SCRIPT). Several websites providing digital teaching material for school teachers have been created: the portal Multi-script provides access to online and printed educational material and online applications for both primary and secondary education. It grants access to...

In 2015, the Digital Education strategy was developed, including five dimensions broken down into specific projects; the strategy's major focus is on IT infrastructure and equipment.

In 2015, the National Youth Service and Department for Coordination of Educational and Technological Research and Innovation (SCRIPT) developed the Bee Creative project. This contributes to developing digital literacy and creativity (programming, security, design, communication) and entrepreneurship, by...

The School development plan (Plan de développement de l'établissement scolaire - PDS) was introduced by the law of 15 December 2016. Within this framework, schools are requested to describe their curricular and extracurricular activities in the PDS to outline their profile and analyse their general situation. The plans are to be set by a school development committee (Cellule de développement scolaire, CDS). The CDS is coordinated by the school directorate and involves school staff appointed...