General themes
Summary of main elements ( 1 )
Despite growing interest in general education, secondary vocational education and training (VET) remains a strong pillar of the education system. In 2020, 68% of secondary education students graduated from VET; 76% of them studied programmes enabling continuation in higher education. In 2020/21, 444 approved VET programmes could be offered by secondary schools; 25 of these were under the responsibility of the health and interior ministries. The education ministry has overall responsibility for initial VET (IVET). Secondary VET schools are usually maintained by self-governing regions and all schools including private and church-affiliated are financed equally from the State budget. 'Dual VET' has been offered since 2015. From 2018/19, school-based and dual VET are based on the same national curricula, opening the door for all secondary programmes to be offered as school-based or as dual VET. Schools can offer the following IVET programmes at secondary education level:
- 4-year school-based (occasionally 5-year) programmes (in total 155 programmes; ISCED 354). These are mainly theory-focused and lead to a maturita school leaving certificate confirming level of education and VET qualifications attained;
- 4-year (occasionally 5-year) programmes (60 in total; ISCED 354) with extended practical training. They lead to a VET qualification, certified by a maturita school leaving certificate, and to a certificate of apprenticeship, if they include at least 1 400 hours of practice;
- 3-year (occasionally 4-year) programmes (112 in total; ISCED 353). These lead to a VET qualification (nationally referred to as a certificate of apprenticeship);
- 2- or 3-year programmes (16 in total; ISCED 253) for low achievers without completed lower secondary education. In individual cases, a certificate of apprenticeship is awarded. These learners can also enrol in a 1-year bridging programme (ISCED 244), which gives access to upper secondary education.
Programmes at conservatories (20), specific art education programmes and a sports management programme are not regulated by the Act on VET, despite offering a VET qualification.
Special education schools also offer VET programmes tailored to students with special education needs.
Post-secondary non-tertiary VET programmes comprise:
- 2-year follow-up study programmes (ISCED 454) for VET graduates (ISCED 353) leading to a maturita school leaving certificate (33);
- 2-year qualifying programmes (ISCED 454) leading to a second VET qualification certified by a maturita and, in some cases, also to a certificate of apprenticeship (17 together with refresher programmes);
- refresher programmes (ISCED 454) with a minimum 6-month duration ending with a post-maturita exam;
- 2-year specialising programmes and 3-year higher professional programmes (ISCED 554) leading to a non-university diploma and title DiS (31); some of the latter are offered as dual VET.
Tertiary education currently does not include universities of applied science. Practice-oriented bachelor programmes are newly under development.
Continuing VET provision is semi-regulated: according to the Lifelong Learning Act, all programmes for adults without a relevant qualification who are interested in starting a business regulated by the Trade Licensing Act must be approved by the accreditation commission of the education ministry. Some qualifications are regulated by sectoral authorities. Many training programmes offered by companies, and adult education per se, are not regulated. The labour ministry regulates labour market training via the central and district labour offices.
Distinctive features ( 2 )
Combining provision of general education and developing key competences with vocational skills within a broad variety of upper secondary programmes, predominantly school-based, is a result of tradition and historical development. The characteristic pattern of the education system, featuring a high share of secondary education and a low share of tertiary, has changed dramatically since EU accession. The share of population aged 30 to 34 with ISCED 3 to 4 levels of education was 81.0% in 2004 and 52.6% in 2020, while the data for the same cohort and years for ISCED 5-8 levels were 12.9% and 39.7%.
Ties between VET schools and the business world loosened during the economic transformation in the 1990s. Since 2015, specialised legislation supports the involvement of companies in the provision of 'dual VET' via direct financing from the State budget; it explicitly sets the rights and duties of professional and employer organisations regarding VET. Stronger engagement of the business world in informing VET schools about skill needs via sectoral (skills) councils should help VET adjust better to a rapidly changing labour market.
A 10-year compulsory education generally guarantees that learners should attend at least 1 year of upper secondary education after completing 9-year integrated primary and lower secondary general education. Despite a negative trend, this contributes to preventing early leaving from education and training. There has been a slight improvement (7.6% in 2020) but this remains over the national benchmark of 6%. The improvement can be attributed to the provision of new programmes combining completion of lower secondary general and vocational education.
Deterioration compared to the past in many international indicators calls for action:
- a share of underachievers in PISA 2018 in all three domains reading, maths, science combined is with 16.9% above the EU-27 average; this negatively affects technical VET programmes, endangering the supply of technically skilled graduates in the labour market;
- early leaving from education and training in Eastern Slovakia has been above the EU 2020 target of 10% since 2015; this indicates the need to complement formal education with alternative ways of acquiring qualifications;
- participation in lifelong learning is well below the EU-27 average (2.8% compared to 9.2% in 2020); this led to the discussion on introducing individual learning accounts in support of adult learning.
The 2020 Council country-specific recommendations have advocated strengthening digital skills and ensuring equal access to quality education. This also corresponds to difficulties encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic hampering replacement of face-to-face education by distance learning. Therefore, the Recovery and resilience plan ( 3 ) indicated a focus on inclusive education and the acquisition of digital skills. According to the National broadband plan, schools will have access to gigabit connectivity by 2030. The expansion of digital services is expected to boost possibilities for distance learning.
The pandemic also confirmed the insufficient provision of digital educational content at all levels of education, particularly in VET. Well-organised repositories of open educational resources, appropriate also for individual offline learning, are urgently needed. Retraining of teachers to cope with the inevitable digital transformation of schools and with the increasingly diversified needs of individual learners is also an important challenge ( 4 ).
A new staff category school digital coordinator has been suggested by the amendment of the Act on Pedagogical and Professional Staff (138/2019) approved by the government in August 2021 in response to the challenges of digitisation of education arising from the pandemic and incoming digital transformation. Although not yet adopted by the parliament, schools are encouraged to apply for financial support and hiring a school digital coordinator whose responsibility is set as a synthesis of 'technically oriented activities and guidance concerning the usage of digital technologies as a teaching tool'. Professional standards for school digital coordinators have been developed by the project IT Academy and digital coordinators must complete training developed within this project.
Population in 2020: 5 459 781 ( 5 ).
It increased by 0.9% since 2013 ( 6 ).
As in many other EU countries, the population is ageing.
The old-age-dependency ratio is expected to increase from 26 in 2021 to 58 in 2070 ( 7 ).
Population forecast by age group and old-age-dependency ratio
Source: Eurostat, Eurostat, proj_19ndbi [extracted 7.5.2021].
Births fell significantly from 73 256 in 1993 to 50 841 in 2002, followed by a slight increase to 56 650 in 2020. Population decline resulted in a surplus of places in schools and caused intensifying competition among education providers. The number of secondary VET schools decreased from 506 in 2008/09 to 440 in 2020/21 (performing arts schools excluded).
A shift towards ISCED 354 programmes, permitting applying for higher education, to the detriment of ISCED 353, programmes has led to a lack of skilled workers in some professions, and craftsmen in particular: only 20% of upper secondary VET graduates completed ISCED 353 programmes, while 80% completed ISCED 354 programmes in 2020.
The population is composed of Slovaks (80.7%), Hungarians (8.5%), Roma (2%) and other minorities (less than 1% each) ( 8 ). About three quarters of ethnic Roma declared other than Roma nationality. The Hungarian minority is served by schools with Hungarian as the language of instruction, from kindergartens to higher education; provision of VET is limited compared to general education. In 2020, there were 440 VET schools, of which 385 had Slovak as the language of instruction, 23 had Hungarian and Slovak, 14 had Hungarian, 15 had English and Slovak, one had French and Slovak, and 2 had German and Slovak.
As of 31 December 2020, 242 927 out of the 258 813 companies registered in Slovakia were micro-sized (0-9 employees).
A quarter of the employees (25.8%) are employed in large enterprises, with 74.2% in other enterprises; 47.4% of employees are working in micro companies, 12.1% in small companies and 14.7% with medium-sized companies ( 9 ).
Main economic sectors:
- manufacturing;
- wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles;
- construction;
- health and social work activities;
- transportation and storage.
The Slovak economy is among the most open in the EU, heavily depending on exporting industry products, mostly automotive; the country is a world leader in manufacturing of cars per capita.
The strongest sector - manufacturing - grew by 20% in 2019 compared to 2010, while information and communication was the fastest growing sector (37%). It is the only one significantly growing sector also during the COVID-19 pandemic (21% in 2020 compared to 2019).
There are 298 professions in Slovakia, according to the EU regulated professions database ( 10 ).
The Trade Licencing Act (455/1991) is relevant for secondary VET. It stipulates preconditions for starting a business via listing the crafts requiring a certificate of apprenticeship (or fulfilling other prescribed requirements) and a list of trades requiring a variety of certificates of proficiency, often in addition to formal education certificates.
There is also a variety of sectoral legislation prescribing requirements for entering respective working positions, sometimes set in cooperation with professional organisations.
A full list of regulated professions is available (in Slovak) at the education ministry portal ( 11 ).
Total unemployment ( 12 ) (2020): 5.9% (6.2% in EU-27); it fell by 2.8 percentage points (pp) since 2016 ( 13 ).
Unemployment rate (aged 15-24 and 25-64) by education attainment level in 2010-20
NB: Data based on ISCED 2011; breaks in time series; low reliability for ISCED 5-8, age 15-24.
ISCED 0-2 = less than primary, primary and lower secondary education.
ISCED 3-4 = upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education.
ISCED 5-8 = tertiary education.
Source: Eurostat, lfsa_urgaed [extracted 6.5.2021].
Unemployment of the low-qualified is extremely high compared to the medium- and high-qualified. Compared to 2015, unemployment declined, with the exception of small number of high-educated young people; there was a turning point in 2019, even before the pandemic, with low- and medium-qualified young people being hit hard. The impact of the pandemic on unemployment in 2020 was stronger for medium-qualified young people (a deterioration of five pp compared to 2019) than for low-qualified young people (0.9 pp) who saw strong deterioration in the preceding year (9.7 pp).
Many low-skilled Roma living in segregated communities of low living standard struggle to escape the poverty trap without specific interventions. Emerging new VET programmes offering completion of lower secondary general education, together with VET qualification for early leavers from general education and social enterprises for adults, are policies now targeting disadvantaged groups.
Employment rate of VET graduates aged 20 to 34 increased from 73.8% in 2014 to 82.1% in 2018.
Employment rate of VET graduates (20 to 34 years old, ISCED levels 3 and 4)
NB: Data based on ISCED 2011; breaks in time series.
ISCED 3-4 = upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education.
Source: Eurostat, edat_lfse_24 [extracted 6.5.2021].
After an earlier steep increase, the employment of VET graduates aged 20 to 34 was almost stable in 2016-20 and higher compared to all graduates of that age. However, it fell again below the EU-27 average (78.9% compared to 79.6% in 2020).
Eurostat data show that in Slovakia the share of medium-level educated population in the age group 25 to 64 is the second highest in EU in 2020 (65.9% compared to 44.5% in EU-27), while the share of low-educated is the fourth lowest (7.3% compared to 21.3% in EU-27). Despite only a slightly lower share of young tertiary educated people in 2020 (39.7% compared to 41.8% in EU-27) and almost a fourfold growth in the share since 2000, the share of high-educated is the fifth lowest (26.8% compared to 34.0% in EU-27 in 2020) ( 14 ).
Population (aged 25 to 64) by highest education level attained in 2020
NB: Data based on ISCED 2011; low reliability for 'No response' in Czechia and Latvia.
ISCED 0-2 = less than primary, primary and lower secondary education.
ISCED 3-4 = upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education.
ISCED 5-8 = tertiary education.
Source: Eurostat, lfsa_pgaed [extracted 6.5.2021].
Share of learners in VET by level 2015-19
|
lower secondary |
upper secondary |
post-secondary |
|
|
2015 |
2.5% |
69.0% |
100.0% |
|
2019 |
2.2% |
67.5% |
100.0% |
|
Change 2015-2019 |
-0.2 pp |
-1.6 pp |
- |
Source: Eurostat, educ_uoe_enrs01, educ_uoe_enrs04 and educ_uoe_enrs07 [extracted 6.5.2021].
The share of learners in VET decreased slightly, but substantially compared to 75% in 2005. Due to a population decline, the numbers of both VET learners and general education learners fell compared to 2005. The fall was more severe in VET (53.2%) than in general education (73.7%). This translates to a gradual decline in the share of initial VET learners in the comparison across EU countries, to seventh place in 2019.
Share of initial VET learners from total learners at upper-secondary level (ISCED level 3), 2019
NB: Data based on ISCED 2011.
Source: Eurostat, educ_uoe_enrs04 [extracted 6.5.2021].
In 2019/20, 45% of VET learners in full-time programmes were females; in part-time programmes females accounted for 67% ( 15 ).
In textile and clothing, and teacher training (including child and social care) full-time programmes more than 90% of learners are females, while in healthcare and veterinary females are more than 80%. In technical studies, such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, wood-processing and ICT, more than 90% of learners are males, while in construction more than 80% are males.
74% of part-time learners participate in healthcare, teacher training and economics and organisation programmes, which are programmes that females chose more often. Professions related to these studies are also more strictly regulated compared to others.
The share of early leavers from education and training has increased from 4.9% in 2009 to 7.6% in 2020. Although it is still better than the EU-27 average, it is well above the national target for 2020 of not more than 6.0%.
Early leavers from education and training in 2011-20
NB: Share of the population aged 18 to 24 with at most lower secondary education and not in further education or training.
Source: Eurostat, edat_lfse_14 [extracted 6.5.2021] and European Commission (
16
) [accessed 14.11.2018].
Early leaver data deteriorate from West to East. In 2020, the figure for central Slovakia was 7.4%, exceeding the national target of 6%; for eastern Slovakia it was 12%, over the EU target of 10%. The share of female early leavers from education is a long-term problem in eastern Slovakia as it is permanently over the national target of 6% and over the EU target since 2014 ( 17 ).
Participation in lifelong learning in 2009-20
NB: Share of adult population aged 25 to 64 participating in education and training.
Source: Eurostat, trng_lfse_01 [extracted 6.5.2021].
Participation in lifelong learning in Slovakia has remained stable, but very low in the past decade, well below the EU average and EU target of 15%.
The education and training system comprises:
- pre-school education (ISCED 0);
- integrated primary (4 years, ISCED 1; EQF 1) and lower secondary general education (5 years, ISCED 2; EQF 2), (nationally referred to as basic education);
- lower secondary VET (ISCED 2; EQF 2-3);
- upper secondary general education (ISCED 3; EQF 4);
- upper secondary VET (ISCED 3; EQF 3 and 4);
- post-secondary non-tertiary VET (ISCED 4 and 5; EQF 4 and 5);
- academic higher (tertiary) education (ISCED 6 to 8; EQF 6 to 8).
Pre-school education starts at the age of three, with obligatory participation one year before entering primary education. The increased demand can be offered by regular kindergartens, via home schooling under the supervision of the kindergarten, or by those offering childcare services as regulated by the labour ministry, provided they registered with the education ministry confirming compliance with pre-primary education standards. A certificate on completion of obligatory pre-primary education will be awarded for the first time in the 2021/22 school year.
Compulsory education starts at the age of six and includes 9 years of basic education (integrating 4-year primary and 5-year lower secondary education) and at least 1 year of upper secondary education. This mechanism is intended to prevent leaving education early, as learners usually stay at upper secondary education after the mandatory first year.
Upper secondary general education can take the form of either an 8-year programme starting after completing grade five of basic education ( ) or of a 4-year programme after completing basic education (bilingual programmes are 5 years). Upper secondary general education graduates receive the maturita school leaving certificate allowing access to higher education.
Higher (tertiary) education comprises bachelor, master (or integrated bachelor and master) and PhD programmes. Labour-market-oriented bachelor programmes emerged, supported by the ESF. Professional bachelor studies in mechanical engineering started in 2017/18. Tertiary educational attainment in the age group 30-34 is rising steeply; it has almost tripled since entering the EU: from 12.9% in 2004 to 39.7% in 2020.
Special programmes cater for learners with special education needs.
The Slovak education and training system is still based on the 1970s model aimed at providing all learners with at least upper-secondary education, mainly through school-based VET. In addition to work-based learning backed by school-company contracts, 'dual' VET providing work-based learning in companies based on contracts with individual learners was introduced in 2015 ( 19 ).
VET at lower, upper and post-secondary levels is delivered by secondary VET schools (SOŠ, stredná odborná škola). VET schools, similarly to general education schools, are highly regulated through legislation and detailed curricula, although they are legal entities and are also obliged to adjust their curricula within the limits set by the national curricula. Most VET schools are public.
VET can currently be offered as:
- school-based programmes with practical training (mainly) in school workshops;
- dual VET, where learners (or their legal representatives) have contracts with enterprises for provision of in-company training, while companies and schools have agreements on provision of dual VET specifying in detail duties of both partners;
- mixed scheme, with school-based learning along with training provided by a company within the framework of school-company contract specifying numbers of trainees and a share of training performed by the company.
Most VET programmes are provided at upper secondary level. Most secondary VET graduates receive the maturita school leaving certificate, allowing access to higher education. There are programmes with extended component of practice that offer the maturita school leaving certificate and a certificate of apprenticeship.
3-year VET programmes, regardless of whether school-based or offered in cooperation with companies, offer a VET qualification (nationally referred to as certificate of apprenticeship). Graduates of these programmes can enter a 2-year programme to receive a maturita school leaving certificate.
4-year (occasionally 5-year) and 3-year (occasionally 4-year) upper-secondary programmes (ISCED 354 and 353 respectively) can be offered as school-based or 'dual VET'. From 2018/19 school-based and 'dual VET' are be based on the same national curricula.
Dual VET was introduced in 2015/16. Companies can sign individual training contracts with learners for in-company practical training, complemented by an institutional contract between secondary VET schools and companies. Learners are considered VET students and not employees. Training in dual VET is offered by company instructors in specific company training premises. It can also be complemented by training in school workshops or other companies' premises.
Companies participating in dual VET are expected to contribute to respective school education programme development. Although enrolment in dual VET has been gradually increasing, its overall share is still low: at the beginning of the 2020/21 school year, dual learners represented only 6.9% of all full-time VET school learners obliged to participate in practice, while 37.9% participated in other forms of work-based learning outside school and 55.2% in school premises ( ).
Participation in lower secondary VET and post-secondary programmes is low.
Institutions of VET governance
A new VET governance architecture was created in 2009 and revised in 2015 and 2018 ( 21 ). It consists of the following coordinating and advisory bodies:
- the National VET Council is the coordinating body affiliated to the government ( 22 ) that discusses VET policy, such as regional and sectoral strategies. 18 working groups covering selected study fields support adjustments in VET programmes, better matching them to labour market needs. A working group for the verification of labour market needs focuses on assessing self-governing regions' activities related to secondary VET regulation;
- regional VET councils are composed of representatives of State, self-government, employers and employees. They are advisory bodies to the heads of the eight self-governing regions; they prepare regional VET policy documents, discuss number of places to be offered in respective schools and programmes, etc.;
- sectoral (skills) councils ( 23 ) are voluntary independent associations of employers' representatives, trade union representatives, education institutions, State administration and self-government authorities regulated by the Act on Employment Services (5/2004). The Alliance of Sectoral Councils is their umbrella organisation ( 24 ). Sectoral (skills) councils provide expertise to policy-makers concerning labour market needs in terms of knowledge, skills and competences required in occupations; they cater for delivery of occupational standards for labour sector-driven information on the labour market ( 25 ), and support the creation of a national qualifications system (NQS) ( 26 );
- sectoral assignees â institutions of the world of work selected from chambers and employers' associations â represent employers' interests in each VET study field as professional counterparts to education authorities and experts. Sectoral assignees should play a prominent role in adjusting VET to labour market needs and in assuring its quality. The Employer Council for Dual VET ( 27 ) encompassing sectoral assignees involved in dual VET, coordinating their activities, was renamed Employer Council for Vocational Education and Training, based on the amendment of the Act on VET adopted by the government in August 2021;
- expert groups and ad hoc working groups affiliated to the State institute of vocational education covering respective fields of study focus on diverse curriculum issues and conditions of provision of VET (material, spatial and equipment-related requirements).
Schools are headed by directors appointed by school establishers for a 5-year term, based on a tender organised by a school board (rada školy). The school board can also have impact on development plans of schools and can also suggest dismissing the director. The board is usually composed of 11 members representing school staff, parents, school establisher, students, and, if requested, also sectoral assignees. The school director is not a member of the school board.
In 2020, there were 440 VET schools, out of which 83 private and 19 church-affiliated. The remaining schools are established by self-governing regions, with a few exemptions established by the State.
Since 2009, the influence of employers on VET policy has been gradually increased in relation to school-based VET. VET schools must submit their educational programmes (autonomously elaborated school curricula reflecting and adjusting national curricula to local/regional needs) to sectoral assignees, unless they were devised in cooperation with companies participating in dual VET or discussed with companies offering practical training within the mixed scheme ( 28 ). In 2017/18, sectoral assignees, for the first time, checked assignments related to school leaving examinations. There is also strong engagement of sectoral assignees in dual VET in assessment and certification of companies offering practical training and in training of in-company trainers (instructors). The amendment to the Act on VET allows for the annual financing of the activities of respective sectoral assignees. Their involvement was expanded to cover all secondary VET, following the renaming of the Employer Council for Dual VET to Employer Council for VET. This enabled replacement of activities initially conducted by expert groups of the State Institute of Vocational Education by expert groups under the control of employers.
Regulation of secondary VET
Self-governing regions are responsible for maintaining public secondary VET schools and for regulating inflow of learners into respective programmes and schools in their territory. VET programmes and numbers of students are strictly regulated based on macroeconomic forecasting data and graduate tracking data, corrected by opinions of regional stakeholders. The education ministry supports schools by issuing national curricula and regulates conditions of provision of education, for example qualification and continuing professional development of staff. Some VET schools are under the responsibility of the interior and health ministries.
In relative terms, total public expenditure on education in Slovakia is lower than in EU-27. Substantial inflow comes from the European structural and investment funds.
General government expenditure on education in Slovakia and EU-27
Source: Eurostat, table gov_10a_exp; last update: 22.3.2021 [extracted 2.9.2021].
Expenditure on secondary education including secondary VET in 2019 (1.4% of GDP) was substantially lower than the EU-27 average (1.8% of GDP). Despite more generous support for dual VET, financing of secondary education, and particularly VET, remains critically low.
Initial VET
Initial VET, regardless of ownership, is subsidised from the State budget. In 2021, per capita contribution ranged from EUR 2 249.81 to EUR 4 321.18, depending on school category ( 29 ). This type of financing often forces VET schools to attract learners regardless of their capabilities and personal aspirations. Capital expenditures are covered by bodies that establish schools, and - in emergency - the State. Schools must attract additional funding to complement the State subsidy. Private schools can collect fees. Church-affiliated VET schools can benefit from parish community donations.
Continuing VET
Continuing VET is funded by learners, employers, public finances and EU funds. Cost per person is substantially lower compared to EU-27.
Cost of CVET courses (EUR)
Source: Eurostat Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS) [trng_cvt_17s], last update: 8.2.2021, [trng_cvt_18s], last update: 8.2.2021 [extracted 10.12.2021].
Labour market training
Labour market training for unemployed and employed job seekers depends heavily on European social funds.
Trends in training expenditure within labour market polices (million EUR)
(*) Expenditures on training per person wanting to work, in purchasing power standard (PPS).
NB: mill. = million; LMP = labour market expenditure.
Source: European Commission, LMP_IND_EXP, LMP_IND_EXP, last update: 17.6.2021 [extracted 2.9.2021].
In VET, there are:
- general subject teachers;
- vocational subject teachers;
- trainers in school (nationally referred to as 'masters of practical training');
- in-company trainers (nationally referred to as 'instructors'); from 2018, head instructors can also be employed by companies.
Teachers and trainers in VET schools
NB: Full-time teachers only, including (deputy) directors. Data on in-company trainers are not available.
Source: Slovak Centre of Scientific and Technical Information. Data as of 15 September. Calculated and tabled by ReferNet Slovakia.
The number of in-company trainers has been gradually increasing, though it is still limited as the share of dual learners is low: dual learners represent only 6.9% of all full-time VET school learners obliged to participate in practice.
Companies often employ former trainers from schools where there is a lack of own employees able to serve as in-company trainers.
General and vocational subject teachers are university graduates. Graduates from non-pedagogical programmes also need to complete pedagogical studies to obtain a full VET teacher qualification.
General subject teachers are trained and fully qualified for the general education stream. They are adjusted to VET learner needs within their continuing professional development and in-service training.
Trainers in VET schools are formally required to have a maturita school leaving certificate or completed pedagogical studies. However, many have a bachelor degree, which provides better remuneration.
The 2015 legislation amending the 2009 Pedagogical Staff Act has made qualification requirements more flexible to attract more people from business and industry to teaching and make it easier to change subject areas/positions:
- specialists in occupation-oriented areas are not required to comply with qualification requirements in pedagogy provided that they teach, at most, 10 hours per week; ensuring/assessing their teaching competences is the school director's task;
- those who would like to move to other areas/positions would only need to do the pedagogy part required for the new position.
In-company trainers are not considered pedagogical staff. Since the introduction of dual VET in 2015, in-company trainers are required to:
- have at least a certificate of apprenticeship in the respective study field;
- have 3-year experience as a fully qualified worker in the respective occupation;
- have completed an 'instructor training' offered by sectoral assignees ( 30 ) within 1 year of their first appointment.
Responsibility for teachers' continuing professional development (CPD) is with school directors and is based on annual plans. Provision of in-service training is very sensitive to European social funds. Traditionally, most of the training is provided by the Methodological-Pedagogical Centre; much of it focuses on pedagogy and general issues. There is a lack of training aimed at innovations and changes in the business world. Although it is not their responsibility, professional and employer organisations also provide CPD for teachers. Some offer places in courses for business and industry professionals for reduced fees or for free. Eligibility for public funding is linked to competence development in areas covered by the respective professional standards.
In April 2019, a new Act on Pedagogical and Professional Staff (138/2019) was approved by the government, replacing the Act on Pedagogical and Professional Staff (317/2009) ( 31 ). The new act speaks about professional development and financial bonus for completion of training specified by the law or passing the State examination in foreign languages. It abolished the heavily criticised credit system and the Accreditation Board responsibility for accreditation of continuing training programmes. CPD has again been reduced to traditional in-service training, also visible in renaming in-service teacher trainers to trainers of professional development.
Pre-service training of teachers and trainers also faces changes due to the transformation of higher education already in progress ( 32 ). New accreditation procedures interlinked with assessment of internal quality assurance system by a newly established independent Slovak Accreditation Agency for Higher Education are in the pipeline.
Gradually increasing difficulties in attracting qualified teachers and trainers to the service resulted in a call for applications for financing costs of pedagogical studies to obtain a full qualification for non-qualified teachers and trainers, as well as additional in-service training for qualified staff to expand their qualification to other subject matters.
Additional measures addressing the lack of staff are contained in a substantial amendment of the Act on Pedagogical and Professional Staff adopted by the government in August 2021. This supports hiring of student teachers, provision of teaching and training over regular teaching load by staff already employed, and hiring of professionals without a teaching qualification. While previous regulation allowed professionals from other sectors to be employed as teachers only part-time, now such professionals can serve as full-time teachers during the 6 months in classes with dual learners. Although these compensation measures are helpful, a risk of insufficient quality of teaching/training remains.
Responsibility for analysing and forecasting labour market development lies with the central labour office according to the Act on Employment Services (5/2004). In initial VET, as stipulated by the VET Act (61/2015), chambers and/or employer representatives, empowered as sectoral assignees ( 33 ), should support the central labour office in analysing and forecasting labour market development ( 34 ).
There are two models of macroeconomic forecasting available ( 35 ). The model supervised by the labour ministry forecasts additional labour market needs by ISCO ( 36 ) groups. The forecasting data are transformed into estimation of ceilings for each programme and each school, and used for further negotiation on regulation of the inflow of new entrants into secondary schools and secondary programmes. Analyses of job vacancy data from online job portals ( 37 ) and information on regional players can also influence decisions of self-governing regions' heads on VET entrants and, subsequently, graduate supply.
Detailed data on graduates from respective programmes (average wages, employment and unemployment rates, and estimation of prospects) regionally and nationally, have been available since 2019. These data are offered at a specialised portal ( 38 ) to inform students, education counsellors and career guidance counsellors about the prospects of respective professions and fields of study. They also contribute to corrections of ceilings for each programme and each school by regional authorities.
New lists of jobs have been developed by the labour ministry to indicate professions lacking labour force in five regions in Slovakia ( 39 ). This also indicates what kind of graduates from secondary VET and what kind of labour market training for the unemployed is needed.
In districts with very low unemployment, short-track procedures for employment of foreign labour force in relevant professions have been introduced.
Occupations requirement in main sectors until 2025
NB: ISCO-08 categories; Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community (NACE Rev.2) sectors in the legend.
Source: Trexima Ltd.
The most significant employment growth is forecast in manufacturing (51 587) and wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sectors (37 856).
See also Cedefop's skills forecast ( 40 ) and European Skills Index ( 41 ).
Three sets of standards are under development and/or further refinement:
- educational;
- occupational;
- qualification.
Educational standards were developed backed by the 2008 Education Act (245/2008) under the lead of the State Institute of Vocational Education and National Institute for Education ( 42 ) and predominantly driven by educator experience. Educational standards are composed of so-called content and performance standards, as stipulated by the Education Act (245/2008). Performance standards can be seen as learning outcomes that students are supposed to achieve during their studies and demonstrate when completing them. Assessment standards are considered a tool to help evaluate whether learners have achieved the performance standards. Assessment standards are to be developed by schools and set within school educational programmes (school curricula) specifying criteria and assessment procedures for achieving performance standards corresponding to the respective school environment.
Occupational standards were developed by the sectoral (skills) councils ( 43 ). Their development was initiated by the labour ministry, backed by the Act on Employment Services (5/2004). Development of occupational standards has been significantly affected by employers' representatives active in sectoral (skills) councils. Occupational standards have an important information function and contributed also to improved job seeker information within the information system on the labour market managed by the labour sector ( 44 ). However, occupational standards have no normative power for recognition of qualifications.
Qualification standards started to be developed under the supervision of the education ministry backed by the Lifelong Learning Act (568/2009) and supported by the European social fund (ESF) project Creation of the national qualifications system. Within this project, an online qualification register ( 45 ) and the Slovak Qualifications Framework (SKKR) have been created.
Qualification standards in the register should inform the education sector, and particularly schools, in updating their school educational programmes. Qualification standards and assessments manuals, to be developed within the national ESF project System of verifying qualifications, should be instrumental for piloting processes of validation of non-formal and informal learning.
Curriculum development
Since 2008, curriculum development has been decentralised. The State is responsible for developing national curricula, officially titled State educational programme (štátny vzdelávací program). These contain educational standards. Subsequently, schools prepare their own school curricula, officially titled School educational programme (školský vzdelávací program) based on a respective State educational programme. School educational programmes must be discussed with sectoral assignees and representatives of companies offering practical training. For dual VET, companies offering practical training directly participate as co-authors of respective school educational programmes.
Currently there are 27 State educational programmes for VET prepared by the State Institute of Vocational Education ( 46 ). These documents are developed in cooperation with expert commissions comprising experienced practitioners from the world of education and the world of work ( 47 ). They are also discussed with sectoral assignees. A draft document is submitted for discussion to the respective tripartite working group of the National VET Council. Thus, State educational programmes are commented by representatives of social partners specified by law ( 48 ) before submission for final approval and issue by the education ministry. These programmes cover all major VET fields under the responsibility of the education ministry and include specific framework requirements for all relevant ISCED levels and educational standards for individual programmes. The ministries of health and interior are autonomous in programming initial VET under their responsibility.
State educational programmes also reflect all key competences set by the European reference framework ( 49 ). Originally, they reflected all individual competences separately; from 2013/14, only three overarching key competences are set and subsequently also reflected in school educational programmes:
- act independently in a social and working life;
- use interactively knowledge, information communications technology (ICT), communicate in Slovak, mother tongue and foreign language;
- work in heterogeneous groups.
In 2021, efforts to address all respective key competences separately are back and respective changes in State educational programmes are in preparation to reflect the 2018 Council recommendation on key competences for lifelong learning ( ).
To cover general education requirements in VET, the National Institute for Education responsible for national curricula for general education also develops educational standards for all relevant general subjects for VET programmes by ISCED level ( 51 ). Standards for foreign languages are set in compliance with the respective levels (A1 to C1) of Common European framework of reference for languages.
Since 2015, developing curricula for dual VET has been in progress based on requirements from chambers and employer representatives. From 2019, the same curriculum documents apply for school-based and dual VET.
The national/regional quality assurance approaches applied so far are traditional in terms of governance and methodology. Nevertheless, some improvement is visible. The State Institute of Vocational Education is also an active member in the European Peer Review Association and the European Peer review manual for VET has been translated into Slovak. The institute initiated piloting the peer-review methodology in one VET school in Bratislava and subsequently in the Trenčín region. Expansion to three other regions is under preparation. Support for implementing the European quality assurance in VET (EQAVET) principles is now more visible ( 52 ).
Regional schooling including VET schools
The State School Inspectorate is a main stakeholder that checks VET quality. It is an independent State administration body headed by the chief school inspector appointed for a five-year period by the education minister; its evaluation work is based on annual plans and results in yearly reports presented to the parliament.
According to the Act on State Administration and Self-governance (596/2003), directors are responsible for the quality of their schools' performance. They can be replaced by a self-governing region upon the chief school inspector's request based on justified severe failures.
The National Institute for Certified Educational Measurements is responsible for developing national testing instruments and implementing national and international testing. It details results and suggests improvements. It is responsible for monitoring and assessing education quality, as stipulated by the Education Act (245/2008). The institute develops, on an annual basis, tests in mathematics and languages that are used in maturita school leaving exams in grammar schools and ISCED 354 programmes of VET schools. Introduction of an online maturita school-leaving examination is envisaged from 2025, supported by the Recovery and Resilience Plan for Slovakia in response to the COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions.
Both institutions predominantly focus on general education subjects. Despite envisaged expansion of national testing and quality checking, both would require extra staff to cover respective VET fields. Employer representatives are expected to help more to check the quality of VET. They are, however, not assigned the ultimate responsibility for quality assurance in practical training and achieving qualification standards by individual learners due to lack of personal and financial capacities. Currently, sectoral assignees ( 53 ) focus primarily on input and process, such as on certifying company premises established for provision of practical training within dual VET, certifying instructors and head instructors responsible for practical training within dual VET, and awarding a title VET centre to outstanding VET schools according to their criteria ( ). Sectoral assignees only assist the State School Inspectorate, in quality checking of practice-oriented training provided by companies within dual VET, and schools in quality checking within final examinations.
According to the law, schools are still responsible for the quality of their graduates in both theory and practice, but with an increasing share of training in companies they have no sufficient control to guarantee it.
Continuing VET and adult learning
Detailed accreditation of further education programmes and authorised institutions for examinations are stipulated by the Lifelong Learning Act (568/2009). Despite addressing quality in its recent amendments, this legislation focuses predominantly on 'input' assessment. Evaluation processes are still under development. Assessing course provision by graduate rating was suggested by the education ministry, but has not been put in place so far. The new legislation is already under preparation, inter alia to address quality assurance in more detail and in the full range, as the current Lifelong Learning Act applies to programmes provided by the education sector only. Quality assurance in other sectors depends on sectoral authorities and is regulated in various ways.
There is no genuine and appropriately developed national model for validation of non-formal and informal learning. The Lifelong Learning Act (568/2009) created some preconditions for gradual progress but it refers only to certification of the ability to run a business originally restricted to certificate of apprenticeship holders.
The following are data indicating the trend in issuing qualification certificates 'verifying professional competence', entitling people without a certificate of apprenticeship (required by the Trade Licensing Act) to start a business.
Number of certificates of professional competences in 2013-20
NB: (*) Except 2 387 certificates issued by the National Lifelong Learning Institute within the ESF project targeting employed job seekers.
Source: Education ministry.
Qualification certificates 'verifying professional competence' are not equivalent to those from formal education. They substitute a 'certificate of apprenticeship' for the purpose of starting a business only. These certificate holders are entitled to start a craft regulated by the Trade Licensing Act (455/1991), but they are not allowed to progress within formal education based on these certificates, as they do not certify the respective education level.
The 2019-23 national European social funds (ESF) project System of verifying qualifications should create a fully fledged model of validation of non-formal and informal learning. Institutions and processes should be piloted for about 300 qualifications selected from the national qualifications system. By August 2021, manuals and methodologies were created to initiate processes of validation and establishment of their institutional backing.
The following incentives for learners are in place:
- performance-based state-funded motivation scholarships for learners in programmes related to occupations that are in high demand on the labour market. These equal 25%, 45% and 65% of the national subsistence minimum, depending on their school performance;
- company scholarships amounting up to four times the national subsistence minimum;
- remuneration for productive work during training, which has no ceiling to allow companies to better value quality performance of learners;
- State scholarships for socially disadvantaged learners who perform well to support completion of secondary VET;
- pregnancy scholarship: this came in force from 1 April 2021 for learners aged 18 and more from the 13th week of pregnancy to cover additional costs of living and to prevent dropping out from education. Currently, it is EUR 200 monthly and is subject to change.
The Government agreed to pilot individual learning accounts of EUR 200 annually for adults, and fiscal incentives in support of employee training. In total, EUR 15 640 000 had to be allocated between 2020 and 2027 in support of adult learning and CVET. However, implementation is pending and the new impetus is expected from the 2030 Strategy of lifelong learning and counselling, submitted for public discussion in September 2021 ( 55 ).
Incentives for unemployed learners (covering travel costs, meals, childcare during participation) can also be offered by public employment services. Currently, the most attractive and successful retraining schemes for the unemployed (RE-PAS and KOMPAS) can be considered as learning vouchers. Requalification passport (RE-PAS) entitles an unemployed person to attend a retraining course of his/her choice for free. The choice of training can be drawn from a list of accredited or some specific non-accredited courses (e.g. ICT-related) offered by public or private providers. The cost of the selected course must be approved by the labour office. The administrative burden lies with training providers who actively attract the unemployed and not individual learners. The KOMPAS (acronym for competence passport) scheme focuses on provision of courses aimed at strengthening key competences important for transition to the labour market. Both schemes are supported by the ESF under the responsibility of public employment services and currently operated as RE-PAS+ and KOMPAS+ schemes indicating further improvement of the original schemes. In 2020, the number of participants slightly decreased, but success in placement in the labour market increased ( 56 ).
Since 2015, the new Act on VET (61/2015) has introduced corporate tax reliefs for enterprises involved in dual VET; additional stimuli were introduced by the amendment of this act in 2018:
- a tax exemption for certified companies that train VET learners reduces training costs by 21%;
- companies also receive a 'tax bonus' of EUR 1 600 or 3 200 for each learner depending on the hours (200 or 400) of training provided per year;
- the remuneration for learners for productive work is equal to at least 50% of a minimum wage and exempted from levies up to 100% of a minimum wage;
- companies that offer 200 to 400 hours of training per year will receive a direct per capita payment of EUR 300, and those offering more than 400 hours will receive EUR 700. SMEs qualify for EUR 1 000.
In 2021, 865 companies, of which 727 were SMEs, received a total EUR 5.8 million to cover part of costs of dual VET for 7 065 learners. An ad hoc per capita contribution of EUR 1 000 per learner, covered from the ESF project Dual education and increasing attractiveness and quality of VET, was offered to companies to encourage them to sign contracts with learners to meet challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Up to August 2021, EUR 2.1 million in total was paid to 467 companies, of which 385 were SMEs.
Non-financial incentives were also introduced, simplifying administrative procedures or expanding the period for entering dual VET.
According to the Education Act (245/2008) guidance and counselling in the education sector is provided by:
- centres of educational and psychological counselling and prevention;
- centres of special education guidance and counselling;
- individuals directly employed in schools.
The services are provided by educational counsellors, school psychologists, school special pedagogues, therapeutic pedagogues, social pedagogues and prevention coordinators. They address learners at primary and secondary schools. Educational counsellors are regular teachers with specialisation gained through continuing training. They can offer information and some guidance, but not genuine counselling as they are not professional psychologists.
Positions of educational counsellors and specialised career counsellors were newly set in 2019 ( 57 ). In August 2021, the government adopted an amendment of the Education Act 245/2008 transforming the current system of guidance and counselling services. Instead of horizontal specialisation, a vertically structured system is envisaged composed of five levels of supportive services. The first level is offered in schools by individual specialists, the second level by newly introduced school support teams that can be created by the director of school encompassing specialists in support of inclusive education. The third and fourth levels are offered by centres of counselling and prevention, serving all children in need, and the fifth level by specialised centres of counselling and prevention offering highly specialised services. Support for activities of school support teams and creation of quality standards for respective activities of counsellors that should ensure quality service of all centres are offered by the Research Institute of Child Psychology and Psychopathology.
In the labour sector, offices of labour, social affairs and family offer career guidance and counselling for job seekers. In addition to internal counsellors, external counsellors are involved in developing personal portfolios for the unemployed. The 2030 Strategy of lifelong learning and counselling ( ) suggests the creation of an overarching system of lifelong guidance and counselling to overcome current institutional fragmentation of services and discontinuity in the provision of services.
Two institutions capitalise on international networking and guidance experience. Euroguidance Slovakia ( 59 ) focuses on guidance practitioners and policy-makers from both the education and employment sectors. The Association for Career Guidance and Career Development ( 60 ) has developed into an important professional body commenting and influencing policies.
Vocational education and training system chart
Programme Types
| ECVET or other credits | No credits applied |
|---|---|
| Learning forms (e.g. dual, part-time, distance) | According to law, these programmes can be offered as:
In practice, it is school-based due to a specific target group, often not attractive for companies. Part-time (evening) and distance forms are envisaged and described within State educational programmes (national curricula). |
| Main providers | Secondary VET schools (stredná odborná škola) |
| Share of work-based learning provided by schools and companies | >=86.6% |
| Work-based learning type (workshops at schools, in-company training / apprenticeships) | Currently, practical training is offered predominantly in schools. It can also be offered within a mixed scheme, with school-based learning complemented by training provided by a company based on a school-company contract specifying numbers of trainees and a share of training hours performed in the company. |
| Main target groups | These programmes target low achievers, who have not completed lower secondary education. Programmes are available for young people and also for adults. Some programmes are also offered for special education needs learners within a special schools stream (e.g. technical services in car repair shops, textile manufacturing). |
| Entry requirements for learners (qualification/education level, age) | Incomplete lower secondary (basic) education due to repeating grades or insufficient performance in the final year of basic school. There are no age limits. |
| Assessment of learning outcomes | To complete a VET programme, learners need to pass a final examination composed of
Those who fail the examination can repeat it within a time period stated by law. |
| Diplomas/certificates provided | These programmes offer qualifications that allow performing simple tasks. In individual cases a certificate of apprenticeship (výučný list) is awarded. These certificates are officially recognised. |
| Examples of qualifications | Certificates do not usually indicate a specific profession. Thus, qualifications relate to performing simple tasks in respective sectors of economy of study fields. For girls the most popular qualification is garment worker, while for boys the most popular qualification is construction worker. |
| Progression opportunities for learners after graduation | Learners can also enrol in a 1-year bridging programme (ISCED 244) which gives access to upper secondary education that is often also offered simultaneously. They can also enter the labour market without completion of this bridging programme. |
| Destination of graduates | Information is only available for individual programmes/qualifications ( 61 ). |
| Awards through validation of prior learning | No |
| General education subjects | Yes General subjects represent 8.33% of study time in 2-year programmes and 6.67% in 3-year programmes. In addition, there are 8.33% and 6.67% of study time, respectively, left for school decision. A coming reform will increase the share of general education in order to harmonise entering ISCED 353 programmes without the need to start from the first class for learners interested in receiving higher qualification. |
| Key competences | Yes State educational programmes (national curricula) also reflect all key competences set by the European reference framework ( 62 ) within three groups of key competences:
These are adjusted to this education level and further detailed within individual school educational programmes (school curricula). |
| Application of learning outcomes approach | National authorities consider both State educational programmes (national curricula) and school educational programmes (school curricula) as learning-outcome based. Educational standards (in particular the component 'performance standards') in both national and school curricula are seen as prescribing learning outcomes. National curricula address key competences, vocational competences and personal competences for the field of study (group of similar programmes) at this level. Educational standards (composed of performance and content standards), universal for the field of study at this level and specific for each programme, are set in the national curricula and addressed in school curricula. The State School Inspectorate is responsible for assessing compliance of school curricula with national curricula. |
| Share of learners in this programme type compared with the total number of VET learners | ISCED 253 learners account for 3.67% out of all secondary and post-secondary VET learners ( 63 ). |
| ECVET or other credits | N( 64 ) |
|---|---|
| Learning forms (e.g. dual, part-time, distance) | These programmes can be offered as:
Since dual VET was introduced in 2015/16, it has allowed companies to sign individual training contracts with learners for in-company practical training, complemented by an institutional contract between schools and companies. Learners in dual are VET students and not employees. Final responsibility for assessment and certification lies with schools concerning both theory and practice. Part-time (evening and distance) forms are envisaged and described within State educational programmes (national curricula). Part-time forms are only offered as school-based. The so-called 'shortened studies' were introduced from 2015/16. Based on the mainstream 3-year programmes, they focus on occupation-related areas and last either 1 or 2 years. The 2-year study leads to a certificate of apprenticeship; participants of the 1-year study are attendance and exam certified. |
| Main providers | Secondary VET schools (stredná odborná škola) |
| Share of work-based learning provided by schools and companies | >= 50.5%, depending on individual schools, in a dual form it is usually over 60% |
| Work-based learning type (workshops at schools, in-company training / apprenticeships) |
Training in school-based programmes can be offered in school workshops/labs, but also combined with in-company training based on a school-company contract. Training in dual VET is offered by company instructors in specific company training premises, but can also be complemented by training in school workshops or other companies' facilities. |
| Main target groups | Programmes are available for learners who have completed lower secondary education and also for adults who want to acquire an attractive qualification in the labour market. Some programmes are also offered for special education needs learners within a special schools stream (e.g. machinery mechanic). Some might be slightly adjusted to take into account their challenges. |
| Entry requirements for learners (qualification/education level, age) | Completion of lower secondary (general) education (grade 9 of basic school equal to ISCED 244) and in some cases, specific requirements for skills or a state of health may apply. Drop-outs from lower secondary (general) education qualify after completion of a 1-year bridging programme. |
| Assessment of learning outcomes | To complete this programme, learners need to pass a final examination composed of:
Topics for the written part and the oral part of the final exam are elaborated by teachers of vocational subjects in cooperation with trainers. Topics for the practical part of the final exam are elaborated by trainers in cooperation with the teachers of vocational subjects, all must be approved by the school director. Topics are discussed with sectoral assignees. The written part of the final exam lasts from 45 to 120 minutes. The practical part lasts for a maximum of 24 hours and, if required by the nature of the exam, it can take up to 4 weeks. The oral exam lasts for no more than 15 minutes. The practical and oral examination is open to the public and an officially nominated employer representative can actively assess learners. Those who fail in the examination can repeat it within a time period stated by law. |
| Diplomas/certificates provided | These programmes lead to a VET qualification (nationally referred to as certificate of apprenticeship) and to a school-leaving certificate. The certificate of apprenticeship (výučný list) attests that graduates are qualified to work in the respective occupation, while the school-leaving certificate (vysvedčenie o záverečnej skúške) is considered as attesting the level of education entitling graduates to progress to subsequent formal education programmes. These certificates are officially recognised. |
| Examples of qualifications | Carpenter, cook, gardener, hairdresser, metal-worker, motor vehicle repairer – automotive electrician, plumber, shop sales assistant |
| Progression opportunities for learners after graduation | Those who complete these programmes can enter the labour market or continue their studies at post-secondary follow up programmes (EQF 4, ISCED 454). |
| Destination of graduates | Information is only available for individual programmes/qualifications ( 65 ). |
| Awards through validation of prior learning | No Validation of non-formal and informal learning does not allow for receiving a certificate of apprenticeship. However, it allows for receiving a qualification certificate 'verifying professional competence' (osvedčenie o kvalifikácii) ( 66 ). This certificate is not equivalent to a certificate of apprenticeship, but it is an equivalent substitute for a specific reason: entitling to run a business requiring a certificate of apprenticeship. |
| General education subjects | Yes General subjects represent 22.22% of study time in 3-year programmes and 18.56% in 4-year programmes: 11.62% and 9.47% of study time, respectively, are left for school decision. Thus, general education can be expanded, if considered relevant. |
| Key competences | Yes State educational programmes (national curricula) also reflect all key competences set by the European reference framework ( 67 ) within three groups of key competences:
These are adjusted to this education level and further detailed within individual school educational programmes (school curricula). |
| Application of learning outcomes approach | Yes National authorities consider both State educational programmes (national curricula) and school educational programmes (school curricula) as learning-outcome based. Educational standards (in particular the component 'performance standards') in both national and school curricula are seen as prescribing learning outcomes. National curricula address key competences, vocational competences and personal competences for the field of study (group of similar programmes) at this level. Educational standards (composed of performance and content standards), universal for the field of study at this level and specific for each programme, are set in the national curricula and addressed in school curricula. The State School Inspectorate is responsible for assessing compliance of school curricula with national curricula. |
| Share of learners in this programme type compared with the total number of VET learners | ISCED 353 learners account for 15.21% of all secondary and post-secondary VET learners ( 68 ). |
| ECVET or other credits | N( 69 ) |
|---|---|
| Learning forms (e.g. dual, part-time, distance) | These programmes can be offered as:
Since dual VET was introduced in 2015/16, it has allowed companies to sign individual training contracts with learners for in-company practical training, complemented by an institutional contract between school and companies. Learners in dual are VET students and not employees. Final responsibility for assessment and certification lies with schools concerning both theory and practice. Part-time (evening) and distance forms are envisaged and described within State education programmes (national curricula). Part-time forms are only offered as school-based. |
| Main providers | Secondary VET schools (stredná odborná škola) |
| Share of work-based learning provided by schools and companies | >=36.4%, depending on individual schools, in a dual form it is usually over 50% |
| Work-based learning type (workshops at schools, in-company training / apprenticeships) |
Training in school-based programmes can be offered in school workshops/labs, but also combined with in-company training based on school-company contract. Training in dual VET is offered by company instructors in specific company training premises, but can also be complemented by training in school workshops or other companies' facilities. |
| Main target groups | Programmes are available for young people and also for adults who have completed lower secondary education. Some programmes are also offered for special education needs learners within a special schools stream (e.g. computer network mechanic, digital media graphic designer, beautician). Some might be slightly adjusted to take into account their challenges. |
| Entry requirements for learners (qualification/education level, age) | Completion of lower secondary (general) education (grade 9 of basic school equal to ISCED 244) and, in some cases, specific requirements for skills or a state of health may apply. Drop-outs from lower secondary (general) education qualify after completion of a 1-year bridging programme. |
| Assessment of learning outcomes | To complete a VET programme, learners need to pass a maturita school leaving examination. It is composed of external testing organised by the National Institute for Certified Measurements (in foreign languages; language of instruction and literature; and the Slovak language and Slovak literature (where the language of instruction differs) and internal examination comprising general component (two subjects) ( 70 ) and vocational component (theoretical and practical part). Up to 15 topics for the practical part and 25 topics for the theoretical part and general component subjects are prepared, approved by the school director. Legislation only prescribes assessing relevant knowledge within the theoretical part and skills and abilities within practical part. It is left up to the examination commission (and partly also to examination topics) to what extent standards in State and school education programmes (school and national curricula) are followed and in what detail they are reflected. The topics for the theoretical and practical parts of the vocational component of the examination are discussed with sectoral assignees. An officially nominated employer representative can actively assess learners. The practical part of vocational component lasts for a maximum of 24 hours (33 hours in two specific cases), and, if required by the nature of the exam, it can take up to 4 weeks. The theoretical part of vocational component is open to public. Those who fail in the examination can repeat it within a time period stated by law. |
| Diplomas/certificates provided | These programmes lead to a VET qualification, certified by a maturita school leaving certificate (vysvedčenie o maturitnej skúške), and to a certificate of apprenticeship (výučný list), provided that they include at least 1 400 hours of practice-oriented training (odborný výcvik). The maturita school leaving certificate is considered as certifying both level of education and qualification. In this case 'qualification' refers to the ability to perform professional activities covered by the curriculum; it is often called 'wider' qualification. The certificate of apprenticeship offers a more specific qualification related to an occupation in addition to the wider qualification. These certificates are officially recognised. |
| Examples of qualifications | Beautician, computer network mechanic, operation and economics of transport operator, plant and equipment mechanic, pharmaceutical production operator. |
| Progression opportunities for learners after graduation | Those who complete these programmes can enter the labour market or continue their studies at post-secondary programmes leading to a (second) VET qualification, specialising programmes or higher professional programmes; they can also progress to higher education programmes. |
| Destination of graduates | Information is only available for individual programmes/qualifications ( 71 ). |
| Awards through validation of prior learning | Validation of non-formal and informal learning does not allow for receiving a certificate of apprenticeship. However, it allows for receiving a qualification certificate 'verifying professional competence' (osvedčenie o kvalifikácii) ( 72 ). This certificate is not equivalent to a certificate of apprenticeship, but it is an equivalent substitute for a specific reason: qualifying to run a business requiring a certificate of apprenticeship. |
| General education subjects | Yes General subjects represent 34.85% of study time in 4-year programmes and 35.15% in 5-year programmes: 18.18% and 20% of study time, respectively, are left to school decision. Thus, general education can be expanded, if considered relevant. |
| Key competences | Yes State education programmes (national curricula) also reflect all key competences set by the European reference framework ( 73 ) within three groups of key competences:
These are adjusted to this education level and further detailed within individual school educational programmes (school curricula). |
| Application of learning outcomes approach | Yes National authorities consider both State educational programmes (national curricula) and school educational programmes (school curricula) as learning outcome based. Educational standards (in particular the component 'performance standards') in both national and school curricula are seen as prescribing learning outcomes. National curricula address key competences, vocational competences and personal competences for the field of study (group of similar programmes) at this level. Educational standards (composed of performance and content standards) universal for the field of study at this level and specific for each programme are set in the national curricula and addressed in school curricula. The State School Inspectorate is responsible for assessing compliance of school curricula with national curricula. |
| Share of learners in this programme type compared with the total number of VET learners | Learners of ISCED 354 programmes with extended practical training account for 23.47% of all secondary and post-secondary VET learners ( 74 ). |
| ECVET or other credits | N( 75 ) |
|---|---|
| Learning forms (e.g. dual, part-time, distance) | These programmes are school-based; they focus on VET theory and have a lower share of work-based learning, for example, in school labs, workshops and short-term internships. Expanding dual into this segment of VET is envisaged from the 2019/20 school year ( 76 ). Part-time (evening and distance) forms are envisaged and described within State educational programmes (national curricula). It is up to individual schools and learner demand whether these forms are offered. Data about part-time studies are collected, but data on a distance learning form are not distinguished. |
| Main providers | Secondary VET schools (stredná odborná škola) ( 77 ). |
| Share of work-based learning provided by schools and companies | These (non-bilingual) programmes have a prescribed minimum coverage of 4 224 hours, of which a share of general education is 36.36%, VET theory 22.73%, VET practice 19.70% and 21.21% left to school decision. These 'free' hours can be used for general education, VET theory or VET practice. VET practice is composed of hours of working in labs in schools or companies and internships. Lengths of internship differ across fields of study and the total VET practice depends on individual schools (and the decision of schools about 'free' hours). Thus, the share of work-based learning also differs depending on school educational programme (school curricula). |
| Work-based learning type (workshops at schools, in-company training / apprenticeships) | Usually, work-based learning takes the form of short-term individual internships in companies. Practical training in groups in companies can be agreed, but practical training in school (in school labs, specialised classrooms and workshops) is more typical and cannot be considered a genuine work-based learning. |
| Main target groups | Programmes are available for young people and also for adult graduates of lower secondary education. Some programmes are also offered for special education needs learners within a special schools stream (e.g. promotional graphics, social-educational worker, commercial academy), or exclusively for these learners (masseur for the visually impaired). Some might be slightly adjusted to take into account their challenges. |
| Entry requirements for learners (qualification/education level, age) | Completion of lower secondary (general) education (grade 9 of basic education equal to ISCED 244) and in some cases specific requirements for skills or a state of health may apply. |
| Assessment of learning outcomes | To complete a VET programme, learners need to pass a maturita school leaving examination. It is composed of external testing organised by the National Institute for Certified Measurements (in foreign languages; language of instruction and literature; and the Slovak language and Slovak literature if the language of instruction differs) and internal examination comprising general component (two subjects ( 78 )) and vocational component (theoretical and practical part). Up to 15 topics are prepared for the practical part and 25 topics for the theoretical part and general component subjects, approved by the school director. Legislation only prescribes assessing relevant knowledge within the theoretical part and skills and abilities within the practical part. It is left up to the examination commission (and partly also to examination topics) to what extent standards in State and school educational programmes (school and national curricula) are followed and in what detail they are reflected. The practical part of vocational component lasts for a maximum of 24 hours (33 hours in two specific cases), and, if required by the nature of the exam, it can take up to 4 weeks. The theoretical part of the vocational component is open to the public. Those who fail in the examination can repeat it within a time period stated by law. |
| Diplomas/certificates provided | These programmes lead to a maturita school leaving certificate (vysvedčenie o maturitnej skúške) confirming level of education and VET qualifications attained. These certificates are officially recognised. |
| Examples of qualifications | In these programmes, qualifications only rarely address one specific profession. They usually certify the ability to perform professional activities related to the respective studies in fields, such as agriculture, forestry and rural development, food-processing; mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, economics and organisation, retail and services, and healthcare. There are qualifications naming respective professions, such as healthcare assistant, and there are qualifications indicating areas of performance, such as mechatronics, tourism services, agribusiness – farming. |
| Progression opportunities for learners after graduation | Those who complete these programmes can enter the labour market or continue their studies at post-secondary programmes leading to a (second) VET qualification, specialising programmes or higher professional programmes; they can also progress to higher education programmes. |
| Destination of graduates | Information is only available for individual programmes/qualifications ( 79 ). |
| Awards through validation of prior learning | No |
| General education subjects | Yes General subjects represent 36.36% of study time in 4-year programmes and 54.55% (of which two thirds are Slovak and foreign languages) in 5-year bilingual programmes; 21.21% and 16.36% of study time, respectively, are left to school decision. |
| Key competences | Yes State educational programmes (national curricula) also reflect all key competences set by the European reference framework ( 80 ) within three groups of key competences:
These are adjusted to this education level and further detailed within individual school educational programmes (school curricula). |
| Application of learning outcomes approach | Yes National authorities consider both State educational programmes (national curricula) and school educational programmes (school curricula) as learning-outcome based. Educational standards (in particular the component 'performance standards') in both national and school curricula are seen as prescribing learning outcomes. National curricula address key competences, vocational competences and personal competences for the field of study (group of similar programmes) at this level. Educational standards (composed of performance and content standards) universal for the field of study at this level and specific for each programme are set in the national curricula and addressed in school curricula. The State School Inspectorate is responsible for assessing compliance of school curricula with national curricula. |
| Share of learners in this programme type compared with the total number of VET learners | Learners of school-based ISCED 354 programmes account for 43.62% of all secondary and post-secondary VET learners ( 81 ). |
| ECVET or other credits | N( 82 ) |
|---|---|
| Learning forms (e.g. dual, part-time, distance) | These programmes are school-based; they focus on VET theory, as learners already possess the certificate of apprenticeship (výučný list). Part-time (evening and distance) forms are envisaged and described within State educational programmes (national curricula). It is up to individual schools and learner demand whether these forms are offered. Data about part-time studies are collected, but data on a distance learning form are not distinguished. |
| Main providers | Secondary VET schools (stredná odborná škola) |
| Share of work-based learning provided by schools and companies | These are usually school-based programmes. All these programmes have a prescribed minimum coverage of 2 112 hours, of which the share of general education is 34.85%, VET theory 22.73%, VET practice 12.12% and 30.30% left to a school decision. These 'free' hours can be used for general education, VET theory or VET practice. Thus, the share of VET practice differs depending on school educational programme (school curricula). Internships or provision of some practice in companies can be agreed based on the school decision. |
| Work-based learning type (workshops at schools, in-company training / apprenticeships) | Practical training is usually offered in school. It is possible to agree some in-company practice depending on the school decision. |
| Main target groups | These programmes are designed for graduates of ISCED 353 upper secondary VET programmes (učebný odbor) who originally received a certificate of apprenticeship and wanted to deepen their theoretical studies in order to increase their employability and/or to open the option to apply for higher education. Some programmes are also offered for special education needs learners within a special schools stream: they include mechanical engineering - manufacturing, installing and repair of devices, machinery and equipment; wood and furniture manufacturing, entrepreneurship in crafts and services. Some might be slightly adjusted to take into account their challenges. |
| Entry requirements for learners (qualification/education level, age) | Learners should have graduated from ISCED 353 upper secondary VET programmes (učebný odbor) with a similar professional orientation. |
| Assessment of learning outcomes | To complete a VET programme, learners need to pass a maturita school leaving examination. It is composed of external testing organised by the National Institute for Certified Measurements (in foreign languages; language of instruction and literature; and the Slovak language and Slovak literature where the language of instruction differs) and internal examination comprising general component (two subjects ( 83 )) and vocational component (theoretical and practical part). Up to 15 topics are prepared for the practical part and 25 topics for the theoretical part and general component subjects, approved by the school director. Legislation only prescribes assessing relevant knowledge within the theoretical part and skills and abilities within practical part. It is left up to the examination commission (and partly also to examination topics) to what extent standards in State and school educational programmes (school and national curricula) are followed and in what detail they are reflected. The practical part of vocational component lasts for a maximum of 24 hours (33 hours in two specific cases), and, if required by the nature of the exam, it can take up to 4 weeks. The theoretical part of the vocational component is open to public. Those who fail in the examination can repeat it within a time period stated by law. |
| Diplomas/certificates provided | These programmes lead to a maturita school leaving certificate (vysvedčenie o maturitnej skúške). These certificates are officially recognised. |
| Examples of qualifications | Within this segment of VET, qualifications only rarely address one specific profession. They usually certify the ability to perform professional activities related to the respective field of study. Qualifications indicate areas of performance rather than specific professions: catering, entrepreneurship in crafts and services, electrical engineering – manufacturing and operation of machinery and equipment. |
| Progression opportunities for learners after graduation | Those who complete these programmes can enter the labour market or continue their studies at post-secondary programmes leading to a (second) VET qualification, specialising programmes or higher professional programmes; they can also progress to higher education programmes. |
| Destination of graduates | Information is only available for individual programmes/qualifications ( 84 ). |
| Awards through validation of prior learning | No |
| General education subjects | Yes General subjects represent 34.85% of study time; 30.30% of study time is left to a school decision. Thus, general education can be expanded, if considered relevant. |
| Key competences | Yes State educational programmes (national curricula) also reflect all key competences set by the European reference framework ( 85 ) within three groups of key competences:
These are adjusted to this education level and further detailed within individual school educational programmes (school curricula). |
| Application of learning outcomes approach | Yes National authorities consider both State educational programmes (national curricula) and school educational programmes (school curricula) as learning-outcome based. Educational standards (in particular the component 'performance standards') in both national and school curricula are seen as prescribing learning outcomes. National curricula address key competences, vocational competences and personal competences for the field of study (group of similar programmes) at this level. Educational standards (composed of performance and content standards) universal for the field of study at this level and specific for each programme are set in the national curricula and addressed in school curricula. The State School Inspectorate is responsible for assessing compliance of school curricula with national curricula. |
| Share of learners in this programme type compared with the total number of VET learners | Learners of ISCED 454 follow-up programmes account for 4.62% of all secondary and post-secondary VET learners ( 86 ). |
| ECVET or other credits | N( 87 ) |
|---|---|
| Learning forms (e.g. dual, part-time, distance) | These programmes are usually school-based and of two types: one focusing on theory and one including an element of practical training that can be offered also in a company. Part-time (evening and distance) forms are envisaged and described within State educational programmes (national curricula). It is up to individual schools and learner demand whether these forms are offered. Data about part-time studies are collected, but data on a distance form are not distinguished. |
| Main providers | Secondary VET schools (stredná odborná škola) |
| Share of work-based learning provided by schools and companies | Predominantly theory-focused 2-year VET programmes have a prescribed minimum coverage of 2 112 hours, of which a share of VET theory 33.33%, VET practice 21.21%, and 45.45% is left to a school decision. These 'free' hours can be used for theory or practice. 2-year VET programmes with extended practical training, offering also a certificate of apprenticeship, have a prescribed minimum coverage of 2 176 hours, of which a share of VET theory 32.35%, VET practice 64.71%, and 2.94% is left to a school decision. The share of VET practice differs depending on the school educational programme (school curricula). Usually, no work-based learning is offered, unless internships or provision of some practice in companies is agreed based on the school decision. |
| Work-based learning type (workshops at schools, in-company training / apprenticeships) | A share of work-based learning depends on the individual school's decision. It is usually higher in programmes offering both a maturita school leaving certificate and a certificate of apprenticeship. It can be offered in school workshops/labs, but also combined with in-company training. |
| Main target groups | Programmes are available for graduates of at least upper secondary (general or VET) programmes with the maturita school leaving certificate who want to obtain a VET qualification or other VET qualification than previously studied. Some programmes are also offered for special education needs learners within a special schools stream (e.g. social legal activities, public administration). |
| Entry requirements for learners (qualification/education level, age) | Maturita school leaving certificate is the only requirement, unless specific health requirements apply. Learners should have graduated from an upper secondary general or vocational education programme, a performing arts programme or a follow-up programme. |
| Assessment of learning outcomes | To complete a VET programme, learners need to pass a final examination that is composed of a vocational component (theoretical and practical part) of the maturita school leaving examination. Up to 15 topics are prepared for the practical part and 25 topics for the theoretical part, approved by the school director. Legislation only prescribes assessing relevant knowledge within the theoretical part and skills and abilities within the practical part. It is left to the examination commission (and partly also to examination topics) to what extent standards in State and school educational programmes (school and national curricula) are followed and in what detail they are reflected. The practical part of the vocational component lasts for a maximum of 24 hours and, if required by the nature of the exam, it can take up to 4 weeks. The theoretical part of the vocational component is open to the public. Those who fail in examination can repeat the examination within a time period stated by law. |
| Diplomas/certificates provided | These programmes lead to a school leaving certificate indicating a specific maturita vocational component (vysvedčenie o maturitnej skúške). Some of these programmes also offer a 'certificate of apprenticeship' (výučný list), provided they include at least 1 400 hours of practice-oriented training. These certificates are officially recognised. |
| Examples of qualifications | Some qualifications offered indicate a particular profession, such as dental technician; some indicate the ability to perform professional activities related to the respective field of study, such as economic informatics, social-legal activities or security service – basic police training. |
| Progression opportunities for learners after graduation | Those who complete these programmes can enter the labour market or continue their studies at specialising programmes or higher professional programmes; they can also progress to higher education programmes. |
| Destination of graduates | Information is only available for individual programmes/qualifications ( 88 ). |
| Awards through validation of prior learning | No |
| General education subjects | No |
| Key competences | Yes State educational programmes (national curricula) also reflect all key competences set by the European reference framework ( 89 ) within three groups of key competences:
These are adjusted to this education level and further detailed within individual school educational programmes (school curricula). |
| Application of learning outcomes approach | Yes National authorities consider both State educational programmes (national curricula) and school educational programmes (school curricula) as learning-outcome based. Educational standards (in particular the component 'performance standards') in both national and school curricula are seen as prescribing learning outcomes. National curricula address key competences, vocational competences and personal competences for the field of study (group of similar programmes) at this level. Educational standards (composed of performance and content standards) universal for the field of study at this level and specific for each programme are set in the national curricula and addressed in school curricula. The State School Inspectorate is responsible for assessing compliance of school curricula with national curricula. |
| Share of learners in this programme type compared with the total number of VET learners | Learners of ISCED 454 programmes leading to a (second) VET qualification account for 3.50% of all secondary and post-secondary VET learners ( 90 ). |
| ECVET or other credits | N( 91 ) |
|---|---|
| Learning forms (e.g. dual, part-time, distance) | These programmes can be offered in dual form or as school-based with internships or parts of in-company training. Part-time (evening and distance) forms are envisaged and described within State education programmes (national curricula). It is up to individual schools and learner demand whether these forms are offered. Data about part-time studies are collected, but data on a distance form are not distinguished. |
| Main providers | Secondary VET schools (stredná odborná škola) ( 92 ) |
| Share of work-based learning provided by schools and companies | These programmes have a prescribed minimum coverage of 3 168 hours, of which a share of VET theory 26.26%, VET practice 26.26%, and 40.40% is left to school decision. These 'free' hours can be used for theory or practice. The share of VET practice differs depending on school educational programme (school curricula). |
| Work-based learning type (workshops at schools, in-company training / apprenticeships) | The share of work-based learning differs across fields of study and individual schools. For dual VET, training is offered by company instructors in a specific contracted company but can be complemented by training in school workshops or other companies' premises. |
| Main target groups | These programmes target secondary graduates with the maturita school leaving certificate who prefer further studies outside higher education offering attractive training required by the labour market. |
| Entry requirements for learners (qualification/education level, age) | The maturita school leaving certificate is the only requirement, unless specific health requirements apply. |
| Assessment of learning outcomes | To complete a VET programme, learners need to pass an exam (absolventská skúška), consisting of defending a written paper, and a comprehensive examination corresponding to a respective field; for healthcare programmes, corresponding to the respective profession. Examination is open to public. Those who fail in examination can repeat the examination within a time period stated by law. |
| Diplomas/certificates provided | These programmes lead to certificate on passing examination (vysvedčenie o absolventskej skúške), documenting attaining a higher professional education level, and to a non-university diploma (absolventský diplom) certifying the achieved qualification, with the right to use the title Diploma specialist, DiS (diplomovaný špecialista). These certificates are officially recognised. |
| Examples of qualifications | Some qualifications offered indicate a particular profession, some indicate the ability to perform professional activities related to the respective field of study, such as computing systems, hotel and travel agency management, international business, and rural tourism. |
| Progression opportunities for learners after graduation | Those who complete these programmes can enter the labour market or progress to higher education programmes based on the maturita school-leaving certificate they received after completion of their previous studies. |
| Destination of graduates | Information is only available for individual programmes/qualifications ( 93 ). |
| Awards through validation of prior learning | No |
| General education subjects | No |
| Key competences | Yes State educational programmes (national curricula) also reflect all key competences set by the European reference framework ( 94 ) within three groups of key competences:
These are adjusted to this education level and further detailed within individual school educational programmes (school curricula). |
| Application of learning outcomes approach | Yes National authorities consider both state educational programmes (national curricula) and school educational programmes (school curricula) as learning-outcome based. Educational standards (in particular the component 'performance standards') in both national and school curricula are seen as prescribing learning outcomes. National curricula address key competences, vocational competences and personal competences for the field of study (group of similar programmes) at this level. Educational standards (composed of performance and content standards), universal for the field of study at this level and specific for each programme, are set in the national curricula and addressed in school curricula. The State School Inspectorate is responsible for assessing compliance of school curricula with national curricula. |
| Share of learners in this programme type compared with the total number of VET learners | Learners of ISCED 554 higher professional programmes account for 0.84% of all secondary and post-secondary VET learners ( 95 ). |
| ECVET or other credits | N( 96 ) |
|---|---|
| Learning forms (e.g. dual, part-time, distance) | These programmes are currently offered as school-based, with internships or parts of in-company training as set by school educational programmes (school curricula) of individual schools. Part-time (evening and distance) forms are envisaged and described within state educational programmes (national curricula). It is up to individual schools and learner demand whether these forms are offered. Data about part-time studies are collected, but data on a distance form are not distinguished. |
| Main providers | Secondary VET schools (stredná odborná škola) ( 97 ) |
| Share of work-based learning provided by schools and companies | These programmes have a prescribed minimum coverage of 2 112 hours, of which a share of VET theory 34.85%, VET practice 22.73%, and 42.42% is left to school decision. These 'free' hours can be used for theory or practice. The share of VET practice differs depending on school educational programme (school curricula). |
| Work-based learning type (workshops at schools, in-company training / apprenticeships) | The share of work-based learning differs across fields of study and individual schools. |
| Main target groups | These programmes target secondary graduates with a maturita school leaving certificate in need of further specialisation in the field, for which tertiary education is not needed. |
| Entry requirements for learners (qualification/education level, age) | The maturita school leaving certificate in the relevant field is the only requirement. Learners can only enter a programme in a field related to their previous studies. |
| Assessment of learning outcomes | To complete this programme, learners need to pass an exam (absolventská skúška), consisting of defending a written paper and a comprehensive examination corresponding to the respective field. The examination is open to public. Those who fail in the examination can repeat it within a time period stated by law. |
| Diplomas/certificates provided | These programmes lead to a certificate of passing examination (vysvedčenie o absolventskej skúške), documenting attaining a higher professional education level, and to a non-university diploma (absolventský diplom) certifying the achieved qualification, with the right to use the title Diploma specialist, DiS (diplomovaný špecialista). These certificates are officially recognised. |
| Examples of qualifications | These qualifications indicate the ability to perform professional activities related to the respective field of study, such as quality management in chemical laboratory, special pedagogy, tax services. |
| Progression opportunities for learners after graduation | Those who complete these programmes can enter the labour market or progress to higher education programmes based on the maturita school-leaving certificate they received after completion of their previous studies. |
| Destination of graduates | Information is only available for individual programmes/qualifications ( 98 ). |
| Awards through validation of prior learning | No |
| General education subjects | No |
| Key competences | Yes State educational programmes (national curricula) also reflect all key competences set by the European reference framework ( 99 ) within three groups of key competences:
These are adjusted to this education level and further detailed within individual school educational programmes (school curricula). |
| Application of learning outcomes approach | Yes National authorities consider both state educational programmes (national curricula) and school educational programmes (school curricula) as learning-outcome based. Educational standards (in particular its component 'performance standards') in both national and school curricula are seen as prescribing learning outcomes. National curricula address key competences, vocational competences and personal competences for the field of study (group of similar programmes) at this level. Educational standards (composed of performance and content standards) universal for the field of study at this level and specific for each programme are set in the national curricula and addressed in school curricula. The State School Inspectorate is responsible for assessing compliance of school curricula with national curricula. |
| Share of learners in this programme type compared with the total number of VET learners | Learners of ISCED 554 specialising programmes account for 0.26% of all secondary and post-secondary VET learners ( 100 ). |
| ECVET or other credits | N( 101 ) |
|---|---|
| Learning forms (e.g. dual, part-time, distance) | It fully depends on the school decision; they can be part-time (evening or distance). |
| Main providers | Secondary VET schools (stredná odborná škola) |
| Share of work-based learning provided by schools and companies | It fully depends on the school decision. |
| Work-based learning type (workshops at schools, in-company training / apprenticeships) | It fully depends on the school decision. |
| Main target groups | Learners interested in innovation within their field of study or in better mastering a profession or respective professional skills. Legislation speaks about post-maturita innovative study (pomaturitné inovačné štúdium) and post-maturita improvement study (pomaturitné zdokonaľovacie štúdium). |
| Entry requirements for learners (qualification/education level, age) | Learners should have a maturita school leaving certificate in the respective field of study, as this study builds on previous education. |
| Assessment of learning outcomes | To complete these programmes learners have to pass a final examination specified as final post-maturita examination by law. |
| Diplomas/certificates provided | A certificate on final post-maturita examination (vysvedčenie o pomaturitnej záverečnej skúške) These certificates are officially recognised. |
| Examples of qualifications | Certification does not specify a profession. This certification is for attendance and meeting examination requirements rather than explicit qualification requirements. It indicates which study programme it relates to. The content of the study can be visible from the certificate supplement indicating details of the study. |
| Progression opportunities for learners after graduation | These programmes aim to update learners' knowledge and skills. |
| Destination of graduates | Data on these programmes are not collected and there are therefore no data on potential graduates. |
| Awards through validation of prior learning | No |
| General education subjects | No |
| Key competences | No |
| Application of learning outcomes approach | It depends on schools. There are no requirements stipulated by law concerning the design of these programmes. |
| Share of learners in this programme type compared with the total number of VET learners | <1% ( 102 ) |
| ECVET or other credits | N( 104 ) |
|---|---|
| Learning forms (e.g. dual, part-time, distance) | No part-time (evening and distance) studies are possible, according to law. An extraordinary form for extremely talented children combining a mainstream education programme with selected parts of a programme in a conservatory (in drama or music) is possible ( 105 ). |
| Main providers | Dance conservatory Music and drama conservatory |
| Share of work-based learning provided by schools and companies | Not applicable |
| Work-based learning type (workshops at schools, in-company training / apprenticeships) | Not applicable. Performing arts related training is regulated by individual schools, composed of training in school premises complemented by training through organised performance in school or agreed between schools and other players. |
| Main target groups | Children and young people talented and interested in performing arts. |
| Entry requirements for learners (qualification/education level, age) | Passing entrance examination including talent assessment |
| Assessment of learning outcomes | To complete these programmes, learners need to pass an exam (absolventská skúška), consisting ( 106 ) of:
The examination is open to public. Those who fail the examination can repeat it within a time period stated by law. In diverse music and drama conservatory programmes, students pass a maturita school leaving examination after first 4 years of a 6-year programme. It is composed of external testing organised by the National Institute for Certified Measurements (in foreign languages; language of instruction and literature; and the Slovak language and Slovak literature if the language of instruction differs) and internal examination comprising general (two subjects ( 108 )) and vocational components (theoretical and practical part). For the theoretical part of the vocational component and for general component subjects, 25 topics are prepared approved by the school director. The practical part of the vocational component contains prescribed artistic performance. Those who fail the examination can repeat it within a time period stated by law. Similarly, learners in dance conservatory pass a maturita school leaving examination in the final year of an 8-year programme. To allow participants of this programme to enter other upper secondary schools, e.g. due to health problems, a lower secondary education certificate ( 109 ) is offered after completion of the fourth year to all learners. |
| Diplomas/certificates provided | These programmes lead to a certificate on passing examination (vysvedčenie o absolventskej skúške), documenting attaining a higher professional education level, and to a non-university diploma (absolventský diplom) certifying the achieved qualification, with the right to use the title Diploma specialist in arts, DiS.art (diplomovaný špecialista umenia). They also certify qualifications for teaching in specific performing arts programmes. In music and drama conservatory, learners receive a maturita school leaving certificate (vysvedčenie o maturitnej skúške) after the first 4 years. In dance conservatory, learners receive a maturita school leaving certificate (vysvedčenie o maturitnej skúške), also in the final year, and a lower secondary education certificate (vysvedčenie) after the fourth year. These certificates are officially recognised. |
| Examples of qualifications | A dance conservatory programme offers three specialisations (classical, modern and folk dance) after 4 years of the first phase (ISCED 254). Performing arts studies at music and drama conservatory offer 18 programmes in total in four fields: music and drama, dance, singing, music (including composition, conducting, playing the piano). |
| Progression opportunities for learners after graduation | Graduates can enter higher education, teach in specific performing arts programmes and/or be active in performing arts. |
| Destination of graduates | Information is only available for individual programmes/qualifications ( 110 ). |
| Awards through validation of prior learning | No |
| General education subjects | Yes as specified in respective State educational programmes (national curricula) ( 111 ) |
| Key competences | Yes Key competences are reflected in a specific way in State educational programmes (national curricula) and further in school educational programmes (school curricula) of individual schools, not necessarily corresponding to the European reference framework ( 112 ), adjusted to respective conservatory programme needs. |
| Application of learning outcomes approach | Yes Learning outcomes are formulated in State educational programmes (national curricula). |
| Share of learners in this programme type compared with the total number of VET learners | Learners of 8-year dance programmes account for 0.18% and learners of 6-year performing arts programmes (singing, music, dance, music and drama) account for 2.07% of all secondary and post-secondary learners ( 113 ). |
| ECVET or other credits | No credits applied |
|---|---|
| Learning forms (e.g. dual, part-time, distance) | School-based with practical training at school or sheltered workshops |
| Main providers | Vocational school (odborné učilište) for special education needs learners, a component of special schools stream |
| Share of work-based learning provided by schools and companies | Depends on individual learners and individual schools |
| Work-based learning type (workshops at schools, in-company training / apprenticeships) |
|
| Main target groups | Mentally challenged children that are expected to at least partly meet standards set for achieving lower secondary vocational education, entitling them to perform simple tasks or work under supervision. Children with other challenges enter regular VET programmes slightly adjusted to their needs. Children and adults with severe mental challenges enter practical school programmes (praktická škola) ( 115 ). |
| Entry requirements for learners (qualification/education level, age) | Completion of the last year of basic school in any age. |
| Assessment of learning outcomes | To complete a VET programme, learners need to pass a final examination. Performance in practical component results in receiving different certificates and qualifications. Three levels of achievement are officially recognised by law (zaškolenie, zaučenie, vyučenie) and specified in school educational programmes (school curricula). All levels indicate qualifications, but only the highest level leads to a certificate of apprenticeship. |
| Diplomas/certificates provided | There are four certificates and three qualifications an individual can obtain depending on fulfilment of requirements:
These certificates are officially recognised. |
| Examples of qualifications | Auxiliary works in several areas: preparing meals, gardening, bricklaying, painting, pastry. |
| Progression opportunities for learners after graduation | Those who complete this programme with a certificate of apprenticeship can enter the labour market and be employed in companies informed about their challenges. Others can enter the labour market and be employed in the companies informed about their limits. Sheltered workshops are usually the best for their long-term employment. |
| Destination of graduates | There are no individualised data about graduates. These graduates do not progress in education to achieve a higher level of education, but they can participate in diverse training. |
| Awards through validation of prior learning | No |
| General education subjects | Yes |
| Key competences | State educational programmes (national curricula) ( 116 ) also reflect all key competences set by the European reference framework ( 117 ) within three groups of key competences:
These are adjusted to the special needs of mentally challenged learners and reflected within individual school educational programmes (school curricula). |
| Application of learning outcomes approach | Learning outcomes are embedded into assessment criteria or learner profiles in school educational programmes (school curricula) used for description of three performance levels of learners (zaškolenie, zaučenie, vyučenie). |
| Share of learners in this programme type compared with the total number of VET learners | ISCED 352 special education needs learners account for 2.55% of all secondary and post-secondary VET learners ( 118 ). Children who are mentally challenged to the extent that they do not qualify for entering this programme can enter practical schools (praktická škola). There are also learners with special needs in regular VET programmes that are only slightly adjusted to their needs and are therefore subsumed in the shares of respective regular programmes. |