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

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

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

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

The VET system has been restructured and made simpler. 12 existing access channels have been merged into four (care, health and pedagogy; office, trade and business service; food, agriculture and experiences; technology, construction and transportation. All VET programmes are now structured according to these four areas, giving learners a simpler first choice of specialisation.

A new study regime was established in compulsory school in tenth grade (EUD 10) to help learners prepare to meet...

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

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

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

eCollege provides online courses, including computer programming, data science, office productivity and web and graphic design. In 2015, eCollege awarded two major four-year contracts worth EUR 7.5 million to Cenit college and Enovation solutions. Cenit college is responsible for the management of e-tutoring and related support services, while Enovation solutions handles monitoring and reporting services. This eCollege partnership is to ensure that online education and training is...

The Law 92/2012 on the reform of the labour market defines for the first time in Italy the validation of non-formal and informal learning, as one of the key elements to ensure and implement lifelong learning in a comprehensive and systematic manner, establishing rules and regulatory requirements (standards) concerning the characteristics of the system and the stakeholders involved, ensuring transparency, usability and broad accessibility of validation/certification services (IVC).

In recent...

To enable learners to explore different vocational areas, MCAST launched in October 2016 the Skills kits programme, an introductory level programme at MQF/EQF level 1. The kits cover various vocational areas (such as art, hairdressing, beauty, basic web design, caring for others, animal care, sport, installation of low voltage devices, and cultures) as well as personal and employability skills. Each kit comprises 20 hours of instruction. Learners can choose the number of kits to study (up to...

Five-year action plans were launched in 2016 to address unemployment in the most vulnerable districts. Training centres and regional education centres, i.e. secondary VET schools, in originally 12 and gradually 20 districts (out of 79), identified as underdeveloped, were partially funded by ESIF.

The training centres are meant to provide practice-oriented training for the disadvantaged unemployed or low-qualified. The regional education centres are expected to address the specific needs of...

The education ministry has started an international project (with a budget of EUR 350 000) aimed at elaborating a National skills strategy for the Slovak Republic, in cooperation with the OECD. A launch conference was held on 29 January 2019 and a final OECD report is expected by the end of March 2020.

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

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

The 2016-20 ESF-funded project VET promotion, coordinated by the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for VET (CPI), promoted VET as an attractive education option and supported the young and talented in moving forward in their career. The project promoted vocational and technical education through the active participation of young people between the ages of 18 and 25, teachers, employers and other social partners.

The promotion is done mainly through the national and European skills...

The 2015-20 lifelong learning strategy addressed the acquisition and validation of key competences that help early leavers from education to find jobs. The measures included revision of the validation methodology, quality assurance and training of staff in assessment centres of prior learning. The allocated financing allowed 45 000 adults to acquire key competences.

In order to facilitate access to upskilling for low-qualified adults, the labour ministry introduced EQF level 1 qualifications...

Since 2016, the Youth guarantee implementation plan has put emphasis on initiatives that combine employment with training of the workforce, which gives young people the opportunity to improve their skills obtained during initial education and to acquire new skills through participation in apprenticeships and traineeships. The new Youth guarantee implementation plan for 2017-20 continues all the measures of its predecessor.

The Youth guarantee implementation plan for 2017-20 focuses on...

In 2018, the regulatory framework for validation and recognition was revised with a view to introducing QA measures for validation and recognition. Specific criteria for certification of evaluator and external evaluator competences and additional requirements for assessment and certification, organised by the assessment centres, were introduced in legislation. By 2019, there were 37 fully functioning local assessment centres that could validate prior learning of candidates, mainly in...

The strategy for education and vocational training in Romania for 2016-20 was adopted in 2016 (government Decision No 317 on 27 April 2016). It proposes the development of both an open-access and attractive and competitive system, offering quality education and training services in order to respond quickly and relevantly to the needs of people and the economy through efficient management of available resources. All individuals should benefit from the opportunity to acquire high-level...

Lifelong learning strategy 2015-20 was adopted in 2015. It addressed the need for strengthening partnerships between VET providers and enterprises, to increase the quality and labour market relevance of VET. Measures supported the take-up of apprenticeship contracts for people with low qualifications, with a target of 125 000 contracts to be awarded by 2020. Financial incentives (subsidies) were set to stimulate employers to engage in apprenticeship programmes, internships and job...

Since 2016, expanded measures for NEETs have been provided to a large extent through the activities of labour offices at national and regional level, including ESF co-funded initiatives. This includes individualised comprehensive support through diagnosis and needs identification, vocational counselling and guidance, development of individual plans, job placement and various forms of support adjusted to the individual situation.

Labour offices are institutions providing vocational counselling...

Within the Youth unemployment action plan (Aanpak jeugdwerkloosheid) 2015-16, work agreements (werkakkoorden) have been concluded (75 in 2015; ended in 2017) between employer organisations, trade unions, large employers, and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. In these agreements, employers express their intention to support young people in finding a job by offering them a place to learn. Employers are also invited to open up jobs to...

In November 2016, a National Skills Council (NSC) was set up to establish the institutional framework for the anticipation of skills needs in Malta. The NSC is made up of representatives from:

1. the Ministry for Education and Employment;
2. University of Malta;
3. the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST);
4. Jobsplus (PES);
5. the Institute for Tourism Studies;
6. the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry;
7. Malta Enterprise;
8. lifelong learning entities and the civil society.

One of...

In February 2016, the Ministry of National Education, Children and Youth announced changes in the guidance process. To ease 5th Grade (third year of lower secondary school) learners' choice between the many vocational programmes offered, a new guidance procedure was introduced in 2016/17. In the new approach, decisions about possible career paths are only made after extensive discussions between teachers, learners and parents throughout the cycle and the analysis of a series of documents. A...

In 2016, to address the problem that non-formal training for unemployed adults organised by the public employment service (the Lithuanian labour exchange) did not lead to formal qualifications, the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport agreed to enable validation and recognition of learning outcomes gained through such courses. That year, the employment service also began working on using modern methods of testing (ProfileXT) and tests in native languages to...

A National strategy for competences/skills has been launched based on the education and training (Good school) and labour (Jobs Act) reforms. Both reforms aim to improve the competences of young people and adults, including NEETs, and to provide new competences for the (long-term) unemployed and employees. The strategy also links skills with the labour market demand. As a result of the National strategy for competences/skills, cognitive (including basic skills), professional and particularly...

Each SPA set out plans for the development and innovation of the VET system and include each ETB's contribution to the national FET system targets agreed with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS). Measures and targets can vary by ETB, and take into account their regional characteristics, such as educational attainment, unemployment rates, enterprise base. Every year, the SPAs are reviewed and necessary amendments are agreed.

The 2025 National skills strategy is targeted at ensuring relevance of education and training to the needs of learners, society and the economy. It is based on active involvement of employers and quality teaching and learning, with a perspective of lifelong learning and inclusion. The strategy points to the need for employers - especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs) - to provide work placement opportunities for learners.

The Action plan to expand apprenticeship and traineeship 2016-20 in Ireland focuses on the actions required to achieve some of the goals set out in the National skills strategy 2025, the current programme for government in which Ireland aims to significantly grow work-based learning using the apprenticeship and traineeship modes of learning and skills development, and the education action plan. The actions outlined in these plans are funded through a variety of sources, depending on the...

Since 2015, the National Office of Vocational Education and Training and Adult Learning has been responsible for the development and operation of the national careers guidance system. A careers orientation working group was set up in 2015 to survey and coordinate careers orientation in VET centres and to develop methodological guidelines. Based on its work, a nationwide careers orientation event was organised in 2016 (Night of the Professions) and since then it has been held annually....

The HQF was referenced to the EQF in 2015 but self-certification against the qualifications framework for the European higher education area (EHEA) remains a challenge.

In 2017, a ministerial decision on a quality framework for VET curricula was adopted. The content of the decision included the definition of learning outcomes, the connection with occupational profiles and issues regarding the design of VET curricula.

Moreover, as a consequence of Law 4485/2017 (Official Gazette...

The legal framework for a skills needs forecasting system was established in 2016. EIEAD was given the mandate to coordinate the development of the Mechanism of labour market diagnosis. A coordination committee was put in place, consisting of representatives from the ministries of labour, education and economy, EOPPEP, the regions, OAED and social partners. The Mechanism was established in 2016. In 2017, its methodological framework (data collection and processing, procedures for mapping...

The framework sets out 10 strategic intervention areas which, in turn, contain certain implementation measures. These 10 areas are to:

1. improve VET governance and adopt a mechanism that follows up implementation;
2. make visible the social role of VET and enhance VET's contribution to society;
3. improve and expand apprenticeship;
4. improve VET and its connection to the labour market;
5. improve quality in VET;
6. improve VET's efficiency;
7. enhance permeability and mobility;
8. improve VET's attractiveness;
...

The Skills Investment plan (Plan d'investissement dna les compétences, PIC) is a government initiative aimed at improving job related skills and employability of 1 million job seekers and 1 million young people. Launched in 2018, this 5-year plan focuses on providing training programmes to help people gain qualifications that match the needs of the job market. Its goal is to reduce unemployment and promote social inclusion by investing in the development of skills that are in demand,...

Any student who, at the end of compulsory schooling, has not attained a level of training recognised by a national diploma or a professional qualification registered and classified at or above level 3 of the national register of professional qualifications (RNCP) must be able to pursue studies to acquire a qualification. The State provides the means necessary, as part of its responsibilities, for the resulting continued schooling. Any young person leaving the education system without a...

The 2015 Success in apprenticeship initiative has put in place 142 projects in 20 regions, most involving the local youth employment and social integration centres (Missions locales) in partnership with apprentice training centres (Centre de formation d'apprentis, CFA). Programmes last 12 months and include guidance. The 2018 Law for the freedom to choose one's professional future sets up a mechanism to support those target group members who wish to enter an apprenticeship with a view to...

Within the framework of 2016 partnership agreement between the State and the regions to support employment and social inclusion, a strategy was set out to extend the range of qualifications that can be gained through apprenticeship. The aim is to support NEETS and low-qualified young people in access to training and acquire a qualification at EQF levels 3 and 4. At least 11 sectors have expressed interest in the approach, including the construction, temporary work, metalwork, plastics and...

The transformation of the vocational high school, which began in 2018, aims to improve the link between apprenticeship and the academic path. It is a systemic transformation (covering content and pedagogy, organisation of pathways, evolution of the training offer) in order to make vocational education more effective and more attractive; it aims to involve VET further in preparing learners for promising future jobs, especially in digital technology and the energy transition. Measures include:

...

Subsidised training for employment supports the acquisition of key competences, especially for those who left school without a secondary education certificate, so they can access professional certificate programmes at levels 2 and 3. In 2015 and 2016, the State Public Employment Service (Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal, SEPE) published calls for proposals which also offered key competences for adults and young people (within and outside the Youth guarantee programme), and early leavers...

The Reincorpora-T plan 2019-2021, approved in April, aimed at the long-term unemployed, is one of the measures implemented to contribute to the development of a new, more inclusive production model and is committed to intelligent, sustainable and inclusive growth as set out in the Europe 2020 Strategy. It considers and recognises, through active employment policies, the labour potential of the active population that is related to situations of long-term unemployment or precarious employment.

In the education system, the process towards an integrated vocational guidance system was initiated in 2018. A working group was set within the General Council for Vocational Training, with the aim of laying down basic principles and legal provisions. In guidance under employment authorities, the Action plan for youth employment (2019-21) foresees the hiring of 3 000 professional counsellors by the regional PES to provide guidance services in connection to the common services portfolio. The...

The new government, in power since June 2018, reorganised the administration. The change of name in the education administration state, now the Education and Vocational Training ministry (previously Education, Culture and Sports), reflects the new strategy to promote VET. In October 2018, the Government presented the Strategic plan for vocational training under education authorities. In February 2019, the Council of Ministers published the Agenda for change (Agenda del Cambio). The agenda...

Employment authorities have reflected the policy priority given to dual VET and apprenticeships, including them as structural objectives in the 2017-20 Spanish employment activation strategy approved in December 2017. The strategy takes into account recommendations made to Spain both within the framework of the National reform programme and by the European Network of Public Employment Services (SPE-UE Network). The strategy covers dual and alternance training, regarded as key elements for...

The Employment programme includes a package of measures for workers at risk of unemployment. The main target groups are:

1. workers with no professional or vocational education;
2. those whose skills are outdated;
3. workers whose knowledge of Estonian is poor;
4. those who are older than 50 years of age;
5. workers who cannot continue their present work due to health issues.

The VET and training-related measures include:

1. a study allowance scheme to support participation in VET and higher education;
2. people at...

In the Youth programme, measures and activities to achieve the overall goal of providing young people with ample opportunities for self-development and self-realisation are stipulated. For example, the programme offers services to (re)integrate young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) into education, and to improve their employability. For this, youth workers locate NEETs (for example, through networking), motivate them, and provide them with individualised support.

Since...

In April 2018 the government decided to connect the career services of Innove Rajaleidja centres with the career service system of Eesti Töötukassa (the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund). The objective is to offer career counselling and information to the whole population on a unified basis. Since January 2019, Eesti Töötukassa has thus been providing career advice and career information services for everyone, including schoolchildren. The Ministry of Education and Research is still...

The orientation year aims at easing the transition from compulsory education to VET and/or to the labour market. It is a preparatory study programme for young people who lack the skills or readiness to choose a profession.

Vocational orientation is targeted mainly at pupils with difficulties in deciding their field of studies, learners with SEN, learners who have dropped out from VET or upper secondary general education, NEETs, learners with a migrant background, or those lacking the basic...

The Labour market and education cooperation programme includes measures for raising the attractiveness of VET by providing information about VET opportunities, including apprenticeships, awareness raising activities such as media campaigns and national skills competitions and participation in WorldSkills, regional and local career fairs.

For 2015-18, EUR 2.14 million was allocated from the EU (ESIF) and the State budget to improve the image of VET.

In 2016-17, communication and marketing...

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has been supporting countrywide pilots to ease access to VET for university dropouts to address predicted shortages of skilled workers. The funding volume of support has amounted to EUR 16 million for 2014-20. SMEs received support in hiring more young people from the target group.

The initiative focusses on:

1. bringing together university dropouts and companies that provide training places, especially SMEs. For example, a guide for SMEs,...

The 2015-18 Alliance for initial and further training was agreed between the Federal Government, Federal States, business and industry, the unions and the Federal Employment Agency at the end of 2014.

Within the alliance, sectors committed to providing 20 000 places annually for introductory training (transition programme), which has been implemented: 17 500 young people took up this type of training in 2015 and 21 000 in 2018. Evaluations showed that around 70% of young people moved into...

To provide young people with the best possible one-stop support in the transition from school to work, local alliances known as JBA have been established in many places since 2011 (first in Hamburg but ten years later widespread in Germany with more than 350 agencies). This is where the various players responsible for vocational guidance and social support coordinate their efforts at the regional and local level. The alliances that have been established vary greatly. It takes time to work...

Nationwide standard support measures anchored in the Social Code (e.g. SGB III) cover the transition from school to work, for example with various forms of vocational preparation and continuous support during training. The main measures are: vocational orientation, training entry and placement support, introductory training (internship placement), vocational preparatory measures, assistance during training and vocational training grant.

In 2016, measures within the Educational chains...

Given the increasing trend towards academic education, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs (BMWi) have set up a joint campaign to present dual VET (apprenticeship) as an attractive option. The campaign, You + your apprenticeship - Practically unbeatable! addresses more specific target groups. Its allocated budget is EUR 6 million per year. A motivational message is broadcast through various media channels such as cinema, press,...

The Pact for VET (Der Berufsbildungspakt) includes the following measures, partly addressing work-based learning:

1. modernising the framework conditions of VET, particularly in view of digitalisation;
2. improving permeability and transparency through provision of vocational guidance, designating equivalent qualifications and improved progression opportunities;
3. modernising infrastructure in VET schools and training centres, particularly in view of digitalisation;
4. continuing professional...

The mission of this programme was to support young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEETs) aged 15 to 29 and wanted to undertake entrepreneurship initiatives. The programme promoted the development of business culture among young people in Cyprus. Through this supporting mechanism, young people with limited knowledge and networks were given the opportunity to discover their business potential, develop viable businesses and create decent working conditions for...

Since 24 April 2018, fast-track initial vocational training programmes for the unemployed in technical professions are in place by the Cyprus Productivity Centre (CPC). Candidates undergo an assessment of their technical skills and a personal interview. Participation is free of charge. The activity is in full-scale implementation stage. However, a major issue is the lack of funding for establishing any sort of training allowance for the participants of the programmes. As a result, the demand...

From October 2016 to September 2018, the Erasmus+ project Apprenticeship helpdesk for small and medium sized enterprises in Cyprus (and Poland) aimed to build the capacity of key intermediary bodies to support those SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises) offering training places for apprentices. The need for this project derived from past experience, when the lack of support structures for enterprises deterred SMEs from offering apprenticeships. The main project goals were to:

• set up a...

Based on the 2015-20 strategic plan for technical and vocational education and training, a proposal for upgrading the apprenticeship system, in cooperation with the apprenticeship board, was approved in August 2015. The reform affects both the preparatory and core programmes;

• at preparatory apprenticeship level: to respond to the needs of students from different academic backgrounds, two different classes (A and B) are offered. Assessment criteria have been developed for students wishing to...

Following the 2015-20 VET development strategy adopted in October 2014 (and the updated VET strategy in Bulgaria for the period 2019-21), the VET Act was amended, introducing the legislative basis for validation of prior learning in VET. Validation, using the State education standards (SES), can be carried out by VET providers for professions included in the national list of VET professions (LPVET), and could lead to qualifications at EQF levels 2 to 5. The procedures for partial validation...

In 2016, the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA) started the project Development of national competences assessment system - MyCompetence. The project is funded by the Operational programme Human resource development 2014-20, with the financial support of the European Social Fund (ESF). For the period from December 2017 to October 2019, BIA committed to extending the capacity and scope of the MyCompetence initiative and the supporting infrastructure. More specifically:

1. the sector...

Bruxelles Formation (BF), the French-speaking public service in charge of vocational training in the Brussels Region, has a training centre dedicated to language learning: BF langues.

BF langues provides training in French as a foreign language, Dutch and English for employment purposes at its training centre and at the vocational training centres run by Bruxelles Formation and its partners.

The teaching approach is skills-based, occupationally targeted and interactive and the methodology is...

The FPIE programme enables an employer to take on a qualified job seeker for a period of one to six months, to improve his or her skills according to the specific needs of the company. After the training period, the employer has the obligation to hire the trainee under an employment contract, at least equivalent to that of the duration of the in-company training. The training must be at least half-time. During the in-company training, the employer pays neither salary nor social security...

Several centres of excellence in guidance, entrepreneurship, working and training were set up, namely one Cité des métiers centre in Namur in June 2016 and another one in Brussels in 2018. Founded in May 2019 by the Government of the Walloon Region, the University of Liège and Le Forem, the non-profit organisation named Centrale des Métiers de Liège is responsible for the Cité des Métiers project in the city of Liège.

The Order of the Government of the French Community on work-study contracts was approved on the 17.7.2015 and introduced the single contact, which defines the roles and needs to be signed by the stakeholders involved in dual training, namely the apprentice, the training company and the VET provider. Since 2015, various guidance and promotion actions have been carried out, to communicate a positive orientation towards vocational education and training (VET). For these purposes, various offers...

Trade unions, employers and the Walloon government signed the first Pact for employment and training in 2016. The pact focused on six areas:

1. reorganisation of employment aids;
2. creation of training places for dual VET learners;
3. reinforcing lifelong guidance;
4. creation of integration contracts for young people;
5. financial incentives for adult CVET;
6. supporting social dialogue in Wallonia.

The Employment and training pact was discontinued at the end of 2017 due to the change of government. Some...

The Government of the Brussels Region adopted the 2020 Training plan in December 2016. The plan is an integral part of the major projects of the 2025 strategy for Brussels (Go4Brussels). It is also de facto part of the Belgian contribution to the objectives of the EU2020 Strategy and European cohesion policy. The plan includes the following measures:

1. organising coherent and adapted paths towards employment, promoting links between training and / or studies;
2. developing and reorienting...

In 2015, the CVET centre in Sankt Vith introduced the virtual enterprise Vithalit as a new learning scheme to allow a close-to-reality learning experience in a highly realistic training environment. From merchandise traffic to business relations, all procedures mirror commercial practice. The programme promotes integrated learning and aims at facilitating (re-)entry into employment. Since the launch of the programme, the trainees participated in various national and international fairs for...

The ADG and the Institute for Vocational Training in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (IAWM) exchange information on apprenticeships. Since mid-2016, ADG advisors have had access to weekly updated information on available apprenticeships, which enables them to plan measures to integrate jobseekers into the labour market.

As part of supported employment, jobseekers can begin in-company vocational training. This is one of the existing labour market policy measures. The main difference from...

To increase the attractiveness of apprenticeship, various measures have been taken in the German-speaking Community since 2015:

• an online apprenticeship exchange platform was set up to help learners find apprenticeship places;
• one-day tasters in companies were offered to pupils from secondary general education in the academic year 2016/17, to familiarise them with various IVET and apprenticeship programmes in different sectors (such as bank, health, transport and logistics). Different...

In October 2016, the federal government extended the training guarantee up to the age of 25. This is a special Public Employment Service (AMS) scheme that guarantees young unemployed people aged 19 to 25, who have only completed compulsory education, the right to acquire VET qualifications by attending AMS programmes. To that end, AMS already uses tried-and-tested instruments and funding approaches to offer this target group the possibility of apprenticeship training in companies, alternance...

The legislation introducing a training obligation until the age of 18 was approved by parliament in 2016 and came into force in the summer of 2017. Since July 2017, young people who would otherwise not continue education and training beyond compulsory schooling (age 15) or discontinue a programme they have taken up, will have to undertake some form of training until they have passed the age of 18. Those who do not get a place in a school or in a company to do an apprenticeship must either:

...