Advanced search

Developing the framework was a collective and collaborative process by the whole of the FET sector, focussing on the needs of learners, who were also a key stakeholder and consulted during the process of drafting the framework.

A writing group was set up that included many different stakeholders in the FET Sector. This group was an important space to discuss ideas and challenges and was imperative for shaping the final content.

There was a 12-month development process, comprising four...

The project 'Development of Lifelong Career Guidance and Counselling in Higher Vocational Education' aims to enhance career counselling and support for students and graduates of higher vocational schools in Slovenia. Key activities include:

For students:

1. raising awareness of lifelong career guidance through workshops to develop skills for entering the job market;
2. establishing an e-learning platform for career counselling;
3. creating an online information hub, planning my career, aiming higher,
...

The National Career Guidance Network (NCGN) seeks to comprise the guidance offices of all institutions as to create synergies in the provision of guidance and information, securing a seamless experience to clients. The NCGN plans to:

1. work closely with the National Skills Council (NSC) and existing service providers to promote VET pathways and to align career guidance services with national strategies, including those developed by the NSC;
2. create an interactive online platform where...

Reflecting the LLCS 2030 recommendations the State Institute of Vocational Education prepared a comparative study focusing on new European policies, ILAs and microcredentials. The education ministry decided to cover ILAs and some segments of lifelong learning by new legislation and to pilot implementing ILAs making use of funding from Programme Slovakia 2021-27.

The education ministry initiated new legislation instead of the originally proposed law on lifelong learning, which was previously recommended by the Lifelong learning and counselling strategy for 2021-30 and approved by the government. Although the strategy suggested drafting a new act on lifelong learning, the education ministry decided to submit an act on adult education. Since the development of comprehensive lifelong learning legislation covering learning from cradle to grave would...

The National Plan for Labour, Occupational Safety and Employment 2021-2027, under the objective Strengthening workforce competences, defines the following measures relevant for VET:

1. mapping skills relevant to the labour market as a basis for developing educational programmes and awarding vouchers;
2. identifying workforce skills to support lifelong guidance and career development;
3. developing occupational standards in line with the Croatian Qualifications Framework to align education with labour...

The target groups of the Database include all the adults with links to the labour market (including students aged 18+ who are preparing to enter the labour market). The Labour Office has expanded its activities beyond unemployed persons to include those who are in employment and want to acquire the competencies needed to retain their current jobs. Additional target groups include persons on parental leave, self-employed persons and senior citizens with links to the labour market (working...

The strategy was developed with the support of EU funding (Erasmus+ 101051428-SNFA-ERASMUS-EDU-2021-AL-AGENDA-IBA).

During the design phase, the labour ministry consulted employers, professional training providers, social partners, regional employment agencies, and NGOs.

The cooperation pillar focuses on updating legislation and strengthening the role of partnerships in adult training, alongside capacity building for training providers.

The personalised learning pillar promotes flexible...

Law No 5082/2024, published in Government Gazette A 9/19.1.2024 and titled 'Strengthening the National System of Vocational Education and Training and Other Urgent Provisions', aims to further enhance the National system of vocational education and training (VET) established under Article 1 of Law No 4763/2020 (A 254). This objective will be achieved by:

1. expanding collaboration between vocational education and training institutions, and
2. strengthening synergies between different levels of the...

The programmes are designed to develop targeted skills that can be immediately applied in practice. Short in duration, they vary from 40 to 240 hours. Courses are provided by the National Centres for Continuing Vocational Education and Training (CNFPC), either in-person or through blended learning. Certification is issued upon successful completion, by the Ministry of National Education, Children and Youth's VET department and the CNFPC.

The new operational guidance for VET providers requires legislative changes and is prepared together with the reform of VET funding system to make sure that the new funding and guidance models create a coherent whole.

Approximately 40 VET providers will pilot the new operational guidance model in 2026-33. They will be able to provide qualifications more freely and without individual authorisations granted by the Ministry of Education and Culture. These VET providers will also be able to...

The Agenda for VET Working Together on Talent is a covenant signed in 2023 by eight key VET stakeholders: the education ministry, Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG), Association of Educators in VET (BVMBO), National youth organisation for VET students (JOB), Cooperation organisation for VET and the labour market (SBB), Council for private providers of education and training (NRTO), Council for upper secondary VET schools (MBO Raad) and the National association of employers...

To facilitate the introduction of individual learning accounts (ILAs) in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA), developed two pilot models for ILAs.

According to the first model employers may create individual accounts for their employees. These accounts record the qualifications and skills gained through training. It encourages' enterprises to invest in their employees by contributing to these accounts.

The second model envisaged sectoral funds or one state fund to...

In Poland, the activities of the EPALE platform are the responsibility of the Foundation for the Development of the Education System, commissioned by the Ministry of Education and Science.

The European EPALE platform has been operating since October 2014. From the beginning, it has been available in the Polish language. The current contract for the implementation of the project by the EPALE national office covers the period from April 2022 to the end of 2024.

Sectoral skills centres (branzowe centra umiejetnosci) are to be technologically advanced education, training and examination centres in a given industry.

This initiative comprises the following main activities:

1. announcement by the Foundation for the Development of the Education System (FRSE) of a competition for the establishment and support for the operation of 120 sectoral skills centres implementing the concept of centres of vocational excellence (CoVEs);
2. construction of a new...

In addition to the activities of schools and the Public Employment Service, the Chamber of Labour (AK) and the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKO) are important providers of services and tools for the vocational orientation of young people.

The Vienna Chamber of Labour (AK) has included the continuous development of its guidance services in the national implementation plan (NIP) 2022.

This includes the following measures.

Expansion and partial shifting of educational and career orientation offers...

In order to set up the action plan for the green transition in education and training, the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection (BMK) together with the Vienna Public Employment Service (AMS) and the Vienna Chamber of Labour (AK) initiated the 'Just transition working group on training and further education'. The Federal Ministry of Labor and Economics (BMAW) was involved in line with its responsibility in the area of ​​vocational training.

In several workshops, this...

The strategy was developed in a challenging economic time. It needs to support the recovery of the labour market after the COVID-19 crisis and continue the previously implemented policies, including Youth Guarantee actions.

It is based on social innovation, models of public and private services and partnerships to offer adapted solutions and comprehensively address the increased societal complexity of contemporary Romania.

The strategy proposes a multi-annual framework plan with measures to be...

In 2022, the Centre for Education and Training (ZAWM) in Eupen submitted a new ESF-project application to develop and implement flexible, low-threshold and shorter training pathways, targeting also migrants (including refugees) and learners with disabilities.

Concrete objectives are the development and implementation of:

1. the individualisation of support and guidance for youths and young adults with (multiple) placement obstacles;
2. flexible, low-threshold and shorter training pathways based...

With the Excellence Initiative for VET policy projects are combined into an overarching agenda. Individual activities will be launched successively during 2022 to 2026. Over EUR 750 million have been earmarked for this purpose.

In order to give new impetus to VET, the Excellence Initiative focuses on three central fields of action.

Improving individual opportunity support for talents in VET, to ensure that skilled workers and young people can develop their potential in the best possible way:

...

The development comprises several actions.

The expansion of initial vocational qualifications above 180 competence points need to be enabled, given they include more general upper secondary education studies, higher education studies and/or vocational qualification units. The possibility of expansion is set to be limited by 30 competence points. The expansion of a qualification is to be recorded in the learner's personal competence development plan and funded, regardless of the type of...

Individuals eligible for unemployment benefits (regardless of their origin, as the right applies to people with foreign qualifications according to applicable provisions) generally have the right to take advantage of this measure.

The right is extended to both skilled and unskilled individuals. Whether someone is considered skilled or unskilled typically depends on their completion of upper secondary education, either general or vocational. However, the key factor in determining a person's...

In 2017, a committee of experts was set up by the Danish parliament to address the declining number of applications to IVET and to rethink pathways that would facilitate the transition from compulsory schooling to IVET.

By 2018, the committee's recommendations were accepted by a majority in parliament, leading to the creation of the Executive Order of the Act on Preparatory Basic Education (FGU). This law provides the framework for education programmes targeted at young people under 25 who...

According to the requirements of the Employment Promotion Act, the national employment plans are prepared every year by a working group with the participation of experts from the responsible institutions, the social partners and the non-governmental sector. They are agreed by the social partners, members of the National Council for Employment Promotion and the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation and are adopted by a Decision of the Council of Ministers.

Priority target groups of the...

LLCS 2030 focuses on four thematic areas: the qualification system; basic skills and civic education; lifelong learning, counselling, and motivation of citizens for lifelong learning; and building a system of skills management and identification of lifelong learning needs. It proposes 51 measures divided into 13 thematic units corresponding to topics in need of urgent intervention:

1. second chance education and 'F-type programmes' (ISCED 253) for low achievers in lower secondary general...

The platform development project is carried out by three ministries: Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, Ministry of Economy and Innovation, and Ministry of Social Security and Labour. It is expected that the unified system will be operational by the end of 2022. It is funded by the Lithuanian economic recovery and resilience plan.

The unified adult education support system will be convenient for all users: learners, training providers, individuals seeking learning opportunities. Higher...

Under the Equal start initiative, the following developments are foreseen:

1. development of a network of regional career centres that would ensure provision of career guidance services starting from early years pupils and accessible to all age groups;
2. creation of a centralised system for the recognition of formal, non-formal and informal learning, facilitating transition from one level of education to another;
3. creation of a model for a joint lifelong learning system, including the principles...

The proposal was drafted in the framework of the project Social dialogue and society 4.0 (2019-22), It is implemented by the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions, the biggest trade union association in the Czech Republic, in partnership with the Confederation of Industry, the biggest employer organisation. The general idea of the proposal is to build a continuous learning culture and make it an integral part of not only social dialogue, but also society as a whole. A coherent public...

The Wallonia Recovery Plan, adopted in October 2021, includes more than 300 projects and programmes, structured around six strategic priorities:

1. investing in youth and Walloon talent (priority 1)
2. ensuring environmental sustainability (priority 2)
3. boosting economic development (priority 3)
4. supporting well-being, solidarity and social inclusion (priority 4)
5. guaranteeing innovative and participative governance (priority 5)
6. supporting the rebuilding and resilience of disaster-affected areas...

The initiative is a prolongation of an existing system for the use of role models in providing guidance on VET. The use of role models, i.e. using young people from VET as 'counsellors' in primary schools, has shown good results in this respect. The Danish organisation of VET students is responsible for activities such as campaigns and events on VET institutions.

In the Cabinet's response, 14 measures were announced that focus on tackling youth unemployment and preventing early leaving from education and training. The most significant measures that focus on employment are:

1. making explicit which bodies are responsible at a local and regional level;
2. supporting life coaching arrangements;
3. promoting guidance for young people after graduation.

The country's approach to tackling youth unemployment caused by the pandemic has a regional focus and primarily...

In October 2020, the education ministry presented to parliament (in a policy letter) the Improvement agenda for inclusive education in VET for 2020-25.

In this letter, the minister, based on the evaluation of inclusive education in VET (Passend Onderwijs in het MBO) and on advice from the Education Council (Onderwijsraad), both issued in 2020, concluded that although learners are mostly satisfied with the support provided by VET schools, there is still room for improvement. The importance of...

Euroguidance Slovenia activities include:

1. collecting information on careers, labour market, education and employment possibilities (these are available free of charge in Euroguidance Slovenia library and career centres around Slovenia);
2. establishing and maintaining careers database, video clips about careers and information on education possibilities and financial aid;
3. providing guidance tools such as the Where and How online guidance programme;
4. organising training of guidance practitioners,...

The process of designing the National recovery plan was managed by the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy (MFiPR). In February 2021, the document was submitted for public consultation, which influenced its final shape. In May 2021 the plan was officially submitted to the European Commission.

Its main areas of focus are:

1. resilience and competitiveness of the economy;
2. green energy and reducing energy intensity;
3. digital transformation;
4. availability and quality of the health care system,
...

Each year several measures and initiatives support employee education and training.

In 2015, the Federation of Craftsmen (Fédération des Artisans) launched skills/competence centres in construction engineering and building completion work (GTB-PAR) to help companies keep skilled employees abreast of developments in technology, management and economy.

In 2018, the Federation of Craftsmen, in collaboration with GTB-PAR and the Education and Training Institute in the Construction Sector (IFSB),...

In December 2020, Law 4763/2020 introduces a legal framework regulating VET and LLL and describing the organisation of each school type, the qualifications and the role of their staff (manager, teachers, career/vocational counsellors). The Law also establishes the structure of the Hellenic Qualifications Framework (HQF) and regulates qualifications for NQF/EQF levels 3, 4, and 5.

The law also establishes for the first time a two-year vocational training programme for lower secondary (basic)...

The programme to develop quality and equality in VET is mainly implemented through comprehensive development projects funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Finnish National Agency for Education. The projects are mainly wide-ranging network projects with one coordinator. This secures the efficient direction of the projects and the transition of the results as part of national development and VET provider everyday routine.

The project started in September 2017 and was completed in October 2020. It was coordinated in Portugal by the Vocational Training Centre for the Commerce and Services Sectors (CECOA), in cooperation with partners from Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK.

According to the intervention model report, the project promoted direct interaction among NEETs, employers and various local stakeholders (including local and regional authorities, SMEs, education and training providers, employment services,...

The expert group is led by the Ministry of Education and Research and Universities Norway (UHR), the National Council for Higher Vocational Training, the Norwegian Directorate of Health, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and student representatives. Students and the community council will also be involved in the work.

There have been regular meetings with all principals, students and organisations since March 2020 to map concerns, to discuss possibilities for improving the situation...

Work on the reform started in 2019 and will develop further in the years to come. The government has initiated several measures to reach the objectives of the reform:

Stimulating individuals and companies to invest in education and training through:

1. making it attractive to invest time and money in education and training;
2. flexible loans and scholarships;
3. flexible education and training schemes (providing a framework for other policy developments, such as grants for flexible continuing...

The targets presented in the roadmap and the measures needed to achieve it are based on the state of play in education and research as well as on key factors for changing the education and research environment. Finland's demographic trend is the most significant factor affecting the education system. The birth rate is dropping, age groups are smaller, and people live in growth centres in increasing numbers. The report (roadmap) outlines the guidelines for the future of the Finnish education...

In 2020, the Career check for young adults was introduced by the Austrian Economic Chambers and rolled out in five federal provinces. The career check is a combination of testing and counselling that supports young people in their career development. The development of the career check started in 2019 in cooperation with experts from the career centres of the regional Economic Chambers with the support of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber.

The career check includes a test and an...

The basis for this concept was the most comprehensive possible survey of the status quo of the career guidance offers and needs of young people and adults in the province of Salzburg, taking into account all subgroups and regions. Short-term and long-term proposals for measures were also included in the project.

First, the existing orientation and guidance offers in the province of Salzburg were surveyed and categorised with regard to their content, formats, target groups and regional...

This initiative consists of:

1. enhanced e-guidance for students and parents to deliver guidance on choices in secondary education;
2. webinars on the options for youth education;
3. info-letters to parents about the options for youth education (digital);
4. peer-to-peer guidance among students on the options for youth education.

Starting point was the innovation competition INVITE, initiated by BMBF within the National skills strategy and is implemented by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) with the support of an IT consulting company (VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH). The competition has had a two-stage structure (outlines: April-September 2020 / applications: January-March 2021). It addresses platform operators, continuing education providers, academic institutions...

In December 2015, the Government adopted regulations on career education. Within this framework, the State Education Development Agency (VIAA) launched a national ESF project Career support in general and vocational education schools (2016-20) to ensure accessibility of career education in all general and vocational education schools. New methodological materials were developed. In 2017-18, more than 20 seminars and two national conferences for schools' career guidance teachers/specialists...

In 2015, the National Organisation for Certification of Qualifications and Vocational Guidance (EOPPEP), in cooperation with social partners and responsible ministries, developed a career/vocational guidance practitioner occupational profile. It is based on the results of a scientific study on accreditation of career guidance counsellors. The career/vocational counsellor occupational profile sets the skills, knowledge and competences for career guidance practitioners in non-formal education...

The rationale for ITS international collaboration efforts and activities is that the cooperation with top international universities and institutions provides students with the possibility to graduate from a reputable institute and also get the opportunity to study for a period of time within these institutions in order to obtain wider experience and further develop their skills to meet international standards.

Hungary from the school year 2020/21 introduced the following IVET programmes, and changed the name (types) of the existing IVET institutions as follows:

Five-year technological programmes (Technicums)

The previous vocational grammar school (szakgimnázium) programmes have been renamed Technicums (Technikum) and will provide five years of combined general education and VET with the possibility of a preparatory foreign language year. At the end of the programme, learners acquire the secondary...

Starting in 2015, PIAAC, directed by OECD, measured the proficiency in key skills (literacy, numeracy and problem solving) of those aged 16-65; it used direct data collection on the basis of a representative sample in a ten-year cycle.

In Hungary, the realisation of the first wave of the survey started on 3 September 2015 and the results became public in November 2019. The implementing body is NOVETAL (National Office for VET and Adult Learning) in cooperation with the Central Statistical...

In February 2019, a new agency was established, the Innovative Training Support Centre (Innovatív Képzéstámogató Központ Zrt., IKK). It also works alongside the National Office for Vocational Education and Training and Adult Learning (Nemzeti Szakképzési és Felnottképzési Hivatal) as a state administrative VET body. The IKK supports the implementation of the provisions of the VET Act of 2019 on innovation, digitalisation and related areas. IKK also implements GINOP (Economic Development and...

A new Act on VET was adopted in June 2017 and entered into force in January 2018. The focus of the implementation of this latest reform is on the following elements:

1. a single Act on VET, i.e. VET for young people and adults within the same framework;
2. a single licence to provide education and to award qualifications;
3. flexible application and admission systems;
4. a clearer range of qualifications that better meets the needs of working life;
5. a single competence-based approach to completing...

The reform of continuous learning, in line with the Government Programme for 2019-23, is prepared by a parliamentary group that includes members from all parliamentary parties. Labour market organisations, education providers and other key organisations and ministries are represented in the monitoring group.

Policy areas:

1. provision and financing of education;
2. identification of prior learning and students' income;
3. increasing opportunities for retraining, continuous professional development and...

Preparations to raise the minimum school leaving age to 18 years of age and introduce free upper secondary education help avoid discontinuing education due to the financial costs of attending VET.

A range of study and support options for completing compulsory education, such as voluntary additional comprehensive school education, folk high schools, workshops and rehabilitation and preparatory education may be included.

The strategic goals included in the Quality strategy are to be put into practice by using development measures. The development measures proposed for each VET actor have been set out for the next 3 years (2020-22). The actors are VET providers, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Finnish National Agency for Education, working life committees and the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre. The monitoring and the review of the quality management strategy will take place at the end of the...

Several measures have been developed by the education and labour ministries to stimulate enrolment in lifelong learning. The measures concern both the supply side and the demand side of the adult training market.

On the supply side, the education ministry has introduced three initiatives to stimulate the development of flexible VET and higher professional education courses, responding to the needs of (working) adults.

Through the Subsidy scheme for flexible vocational education third pathway...

Within the 30-month implementation period more than 47 000 students in 1 500 schools will be involved in career guidance activities through personality development support centres across the country. The individual and group activities will motivate students for continuing education and pursuing vocational and STEM careers and support their transition to the next level and to the labour market.

The Qualifica passport is a guidance instrument and personalised register of all qualifications, achieved learning outcomes and competences acquired or developed by an individual. It is a key instrument of the Qualifica programme, enabling the evaluation of everyone's training, as well as allowing the identification of possible missing components and aiming to build a tailored training pathway. It is an instrument available in electronic format that allows adults to list their education and...

This report contributes to the development of the evidence-based FET, in policy and practice, by providing the voice of the stakeholders, learners from some of the most vulnerable groups in society, educators, and employers.

In summary, the main challenges for reducing barriers to FET are: the lack of information and clarity around individual courses; the role of SOLAS and FET in general; addressing the negative socio-cultural attitudes towards FET; improved awareness of, and barriers to,...

The development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the lifelong learning strategy 2021-27 is under the authority of the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth, and is internally coordinated by the European and International Affairs, Lifelong Learning and Adult Education Office.

The monitoring of policies and actions included in the lifelong learning strategy are mandated to the national and the technical lifelong learning committees. Representatives from various stakeholders,...

Youth makerspace Larnaka is a venue of innovation, built upon the example of similar successful venues that operate in various cities around the world, following the international standards of equivalent makerspaces. It offers young people access to high-end technological equipment that may support them to develop and put into practice their business ideas. The wide variety of advanced technological equipment is available to young people free of charge. The makerspace helps children and...

The four pillars of action of the service are:

Personalised guidance from career counsellors and expert career guidance: each young person can arrange a personal appointment with a counsellor so that he/she can receive personalised counselling. Appointments are carried out at all youth information centres in all five districts in Cyprus;

Skills testing

This is an important tool that can lead young people to self-knowledge and guide them to the most appropriate choice of field of study and...

There are many issues being progressed by the different stakeholders involved in the sub-group and the group has served as an excellent mechanism to discuss ideas, share data and good practice that can influence relevant actions, while also providing a platform for considering opportunities for further work and collaboration. Set out below are the key policy areas that are being progressed by individual members of the sub-group, or which are being discussed as a collaborative response, for...

The project System of verifying qualifications, run by the State Institute of Vocational Education, started in 2019 and is expected to be completed on 1 February 2023. It aims to complement existing qualification standards of the National system of qualifications (NSQ) by developing assessment manuals and to suggest and pilot processes of validation of non-formal and informal learning concerning approximately 300 qualifications. 72 qualification cards placed in the national registry of NSQ...

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...

The Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) and the Federal Employment Agency (BA) joint initiative to provide initial vocational training for young adults Training will be something - late starters wanted (AusBILDUNG wird was - Spätstarter gesucht) started in 2013 and was initially scheduled for three years, before being further developed and continued as Future Starters (Zukunftsstarter) from August 2016 to 2020. The programme has been extended until 2025. Based on the...

The Perfect match programme (2015-20; funding volume per year: EUR 6 million including ESF funding) is designed to counteract matching problems on the training market. The programme is funded by the ESF and the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) budget as well as financial participation of the economy. The German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH) is the lead agency for the implementation of the programme. The Perfect match programme supports advisors at the...

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 Digital pioneers project is being designed and piloted by the Association Industry 4.0 Austria together with the Digital Campus Vorarlberg and the Chamber of Labour on behalf of the digitalisation fund of the Chamber of Labour. The project is being implemented together with central stakeholders and members of the network.

The first two pilot projects will start in the federal provinces of Vorarlberg and Upper Austria. These will be carried out at the Digital Campus Vorarlberg and in Upper...

The National Centre for TVET Development, together with the support of the education ministry, runs annual information campaigns to raise public awareness that initial VET can be a first option for young people. This can provide them with the opportunity to acquire competences (both general and professional) and attitudes and skills leading to a qualification at EQF level 3 or 4 that is recognised on the labour market as well as offering an option to continue to higher education.

The...

Based on the white paper, the Ministry of Education and Research published a public consultation on 29 August 2019. The consultation documents suggested that career guidance should be a county municipality responsibility and that the duty to provide career guidance be regulated in the Education Act.

Stakeholders provided their input the ministry processed the responses.

In February 2020, the education minister, along with the Federation of Icelandic Industries and of the Association of Local Authorities, introduced a strategy and priorities on how to strengthen VET in Iceland. Among the priorities introduced there were new policy (proposals) developments such as:

1. transferring the responsibility for finding workplace contracts for apprentices from the learners themselves to the VET schools. When the digital logbook is in full use, schools will be responsible...

A forecasting model was developed in 2015 under the supervision of the Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (COLSAF, public employment services authority). The labour ministry presents the forecast of labour market needs, structured by fields of study and regions, every year.

Sponsored by ESF and the labour ministry, two new tools 'odborogram' and 'profesiometer', focusing on human resource planning and career guidance and counselling, were developed and launched in 2019....

The 2016 Labour Law (Law No 2016-1088 of 8 August 2016 on labour, modernisation of social dialogue and securing career paths) created new obligations in terms of information to be provided by training institutions and apprentice training centres. It is now mandatory for them to provide information on participation and completion rates as well as the destination and employment rates of their graduates. These data will be aggregated at education district level and will be broken down according...

The 2015 action plan highlighted the importance of key competences. It provides small-scale training in career management skills and is expanding entrepreneurship education as a key competence through training (simulation) companies, young entrepreneur fairs and by establishing training enterprises in arts and sports VET schools. The 2016 action plan, approved in April 2016, provides for the further development of career guidance and planning for pupils, students and adults. The project...

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 Path for youth project was originally planned for the period 2016-20. It specifically targets last grade students in higher education, tertiary professional schools and secondary schools. Since 2017 the target group has been expanded to students of two last grades. On top of in-company practical training, participants benefit from soft skills courses and guidance interviews with HR specialists. The soft skills courses offer specific training in communication skills, stress management,...

The JOBHUB project was launched in 2016 to run until 2019. The project is carried out by the Further Education Fund (in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the General Directorate of the Labour Office). It should develop an integrated information system in support to career guidance. The system will provide professional guidance, diagnostic tools and labour market intelligence, and will create a shared online platform for career counsellors. This is expected to...

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 Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities is implementing the programme 'Career centres for youth', jointly financed by the ESF. The main goal of the programme is to support young people's integration into the labour market by better connecting the education process with the local environment and economy. The purpose of the programme is to provide better access to career guidance services for the young (6 to 19 years of age).

Two career centres are to:

1. provide...

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...

Since 2016, Lifelong career guidance centres have been continuously signing cooperation agreements with local-level partners so as to identify the needs of specific groups and offer tailored career guidance services. Local partners involve schools, colleges and universities, volunteer centres, Roma associations, public health and social welfare centres, youth associations, local stakeholders in trades, crafts and the economy, as well as development agencies. By the end of 2018, 337...

The e-Guidance portal, established in 2015, takes account of labour market analysis and skill needs anticipation and addresses a wide range of users, from pupils to the unemployed. It aims to provide easy access to information necessary to choose an education and training programme, look for a job, and achieve career objectives. It offers a Career compass (Kompas karijere), a tool that enables different user groups to find targeted information.

The strategy was adopted in 2015. It was developed by the Lifelong Career Guidance Forum (LLCG forum), a national body for stakeholder cooperation, with the aim to establish a systemic approach to lifelong career guidance and career development and its integration in education and training. The approach is that of a coherent institutional system based on a multidisciplinary partnership that supports employability and inclusion. It is seen as a framework gathering all key stakeholders for the...

In April 2016, a national committee for lifelong guidance delivered a report on increasing the quality and accessibility of career guidance in schools. The report suggested equal rights to career guidance for apprentices as for school pupils, and setting up an online platform for guidance in lower and upper secondary education. It also suggested opening career guidance centres for adults in all counties. In Norway, skills policy and career guidance are tightly connected. Skills Norway is...

On 19 December 2018, the Ministry of Finance presented a new policy action targeted at giving young people more room in choosing their education pathway or in changing pathways. Aspects of the initiative include:

1. a new subsidy and taximeter system: the current grant and taximeter system in youth education does not in itself motivate schools to focus on quality and has become too opaque. The government will therefore initiate a review to implement changes and simplify the system;
2. better...

In 2017, a new initiative was launched by the Ministry of Children and Education: the Portfolio of educational choice. The portfolio aims to strengthen thinking on educational choice at primary school (folkeskole). From the 2017/18 school year, students in the eighth grade of compulsory education must have their training plan attached to a personal portfolio showing how they have taken advantage of the guidance they have received. It must be clear from the portfolio how, following the...

A Regulation establishing a systemic approach to vocational/career guidance in schools was adopted in September 2018. The regulation defines the goals as well as the terms and manner of implementing and organising vocational guidance, including detailed programme content. According to the regulation, the basic goal of vocational/career guidance is to support students in making independent and responsible decisions concerning their educational and professional life, based on learning about...

Ordinance No 232/2016 consolidated the rules of RVCC, introduced Qualifica centres, described a simple process of creating and authorising them, strengthened the teams of professionals in these centres and expanded the network.

The RVCC process comprises two paths, education and professional, each based on a different set of standards:

1. the key competence standards (for education validation);
2. the professional competence standards (for professional validation).

The RVCC process also utilises a...

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...

The aims of the project Improving the quality and content of 21st century vocational training and adult education (GINOP - 6.2.4) include the review of the examination system, the development of a validation system and the preparation of a methodology for VET content development that is compatible with open and innovative learning settings as well as the demands of the economy. Uniform criteria were also developed to strengthen the external evaluation system in CVET. Criteria include...

Reference guides developing the common employment services portfolio were approved and published in 2018. These reference guides, developed jointly with the regions, comprise protocols for:

1. career guidance;
2. qualification and training for employment;
3. self-employment and entrepreneurship;
4. guidance and labour intermediation.

The qualification and training for employment protocol aims to promote training for up-skilling and reskilling and to facilitate transition to employment, in coordination...

In line with the national skills strategy, SOLAS prepared a further education and training (FET) policy framework for the skills development of employed people. It addresses provision for the skills development of the employed at levels 1-6 on the national framework of qualifications (NFQ) (levels 1-5 on the EQF). This policy framework outlines how the FET sector can ensure that employees' skills are current and relevant and thus contribute to Ireland's future growth. Drawing up the policy...

In early 2018, the education minister launched a review of the career guidance services available to learners across three of the four sectors of the Irish education and training system (second level schools, FET providers and tertiary level institutions). The review was carried out by independent consultants.

In June 2015, an inter-ministerial Decree (signed by the education and labour ministries) introduced an operational framework for the recognition of regional qualifications and related skills competences at a national level (National framework of regional qualifications, QNQR). The agreement was endorsed by an inter-ministerial decree signed in June by the education and labour ministries. Mutual recognition of regional qualifications and standard procedures (including the issuing of final...