- 2019Implementation
- 2020Implementation
- 2021Implementation
- 2022Implementation
- 2023Completed
Background
The national project jointly financed by the ESF reacts to the Council recommendation of 19 December 2016 on Upskilling pathways: new opportunities for adults. The significance and importance of the project is related to the need to support the employability and adaptability of the workforce and to increase the quality of the further education system in the Czech Republic.
Objectives
The project aims to supplement elements enabling the deepening competences of adult in further education.
Description
The project is aimed at creating and coordinating a network of further education entities. Within the project, reorganisation of the National register of qualifications (NSK) should take place, consisting of adapting the offer of authorisations to the needs of the labour market and optimising the network of authorised entities that award qualifications, among which are also VET schools. An emphasis will be put on the development of digital competences: educational programmes for the acquisition of digital competences will be created and the PIAAC surveys will be implemented. To support the activities, a network of regional coordinators and platforms will be built in order to connect and support target groups (labour offices and their clients, employers and their employees, schools and education facilities) within the system of further education of adults.
Half of the approximately 1 500 vocational qualifications within the NSK do not have authorised persons and, therefore, it is not possible to obtain these qualifications. The distribution of authorised persons/institutions (awarding bodies) across regions is not optimal. The project seeks to achieve 200 new authorisations.
The project was planned to start in April 2019, but it was postponed until November 2019. 200 new authorisations for qualifications listed in the NSK were issued, and full-time and e-learning courses for digital jobs were created.
In the first half of 2020, a network of regional coordinators and platforms was created, which interlinks and provides support to the target groups within the system of further education of adults. The activities of the coordinators were on a large scale, interconnected with the regional offices of the National Pedagogical Institute. An analysis of information sources related to labour market needs in terms of qualifications (workers' qualifications) was carried out; trends in labour market development and their links to vocational qualifications were mapped, and recommendations were made to regional coordinators regarding the selection of schools as potential beneficiaries in the region. Information sources are used for rating vocational qualifications, on which the optimisation will build.
A working version of the methodology for the use of NSK as a tool for tackling the consequences of early school leaving was developed and multiple other studies were carried out; Identified overall trends in labour market development and their links to vocational qualifications, and Industry 4.0 requirements on occupations and links to the NSK vocational qualifications.
In 2020, the key actors were identified, and meetings of authorised entities took place in the regions. There was also a meeting of the platform of authorised entities at national level.
An analysis of employers in the regions was carried out and data collection was performed to identify the needs of employers (1 400 partial reports and a total of 14 summary reports), which will be used in 2021 to elaborate 14 recommendations for optimising the network of authorised entities in each region. The labour market requirements for qualifications and the supply potential in regions are mapped.
The implementation of the PIAAC pilot and main survey was internationally postponed by 12 calendar months due to the COVID-19 pandemic (the end of data collection is planned for March 2023, submission of data to the OECD is planned for autumn 2023). The research team, therefore, revised the PIAAC schedule and prepared an application for a substantial modification in the project in order to secure the collection and transmission of data to the OECD international contractor prior to its completion. The project has been extended until the end of 2023.
Since the end of 2020, works on the test tools and methodology, as well as pilot preparation, have been carried out.
A new website on PIAAC was developed.
In one of its activities, the project also focuses on non-transferable digital competences. The plan is to create, by August 2021, a total of 30 educational programmes in in-person (full time) and e-learning forms, which will focus on digital skills. Participants will be tested at the beginning and at the end of the programme. The pilot for the programmes is prepared, in the course of which 30 lecturers will train and test 180 persons. The programmes created will then be available to the general public. In 2020, 30 areas were selected to be processed into these programmes.
In 2021, a functional network of regional coordinators was established as well as platforms of awarding bodies and key actors on the labour market. The coordinators provide support to the target groups within the system of further education of adults and interlinks the platforms.
The regional coordinators were mapping employer demand, target groups (needs and potential of citizens) and also the offer of schools and other VET providers acting as authorised persons/institutions awarding bodies for NSK vocational qualifications. Based on the information received and on other regional and national analyses, draft recommendations for optimising the network of authorised entities for the national system of validation were gradually developed for each of the 14 regions of the country. In 2021, the team of the Upskilling project organised over 120 meetings for key actors, focusing on non-profit organisations and further education projects. Two national platform meetings of authorised entities took place.
A pilot field survey was carried out for the PIAAC survey, data was checked and cleaned and submitted to the international survey coordinator.
In 2022, the network of regional coordinators, as well as platforms of suppliers and key actors on the labour market was fully operating. Regional coordinators provided support to target groups within the adult education system and linked platforms of existing and potential awarding bodies.
The demand of target groups, employers, schools and other VET providers acting as authorised bodies/institutionsawarding bodies of the National register of qualifications (NSK) is mapped. In 2022 individual draft recommendations for optimizing the network of authorized entities in each of the 14 regions were finalised and discussed with relevant actors. The optimisation process started.
In 2022 the final version of training materials for interviewers was prepared and interviewers were trained. The second pilot field survey for the PIAAC survey was conducted. Main data collection started in September 2022 and will continue until July 2023.
In 2022 overall 30 face-to-face and e-learning courses (including 30 final tests) to acquire a qualification needed for digital jobs (overall 30 jobs) were created and promoted by regional representatives of the Upskilling projects. 30 lecturers were trained to provide these courses. Courses will be open in spring 2023.
The optimisation of the network of authorised entities, that award vocational qualifications, was completed, resulting in 220 new authorisations, bringing the total number of authorised entities to approximately 1174. To assess the functionality of the optimized network, 360 participants, including representatives from the branches of the Czech Labour Office's client base, conducted pilot activities. These activities included regional assessments that mapped employer demand for vocational qualifications, the supply of authorised persons/educators, and the potential of citizens to obtain qualifications. The pilot results helped the creation of 14 regional recommendations outlining concrete steps to optimise the network. Each recommendation reflects regional specificities and addresses employer demand, educator supply, and the potential of target groups to participate in vocational training.
Full-time and e-learning courses for digital jobs were developed, and 30 lecturers received training and certification to deliver them. Courses were launched for public in 2023. The final adjustments of the 30 educational programmes were carried out on the basis of piloting and recommendations were prepared for individual regions.
PIAAC main data collection concluded on July 31, 2023 along with 5 058 completed interviews. International data quality checks and interviewer reviews were conducted; the final data files and documentation were submitted to the international research coordinator, and outstanding questions were resolved. Data collection (1 September, 2022 - 31 July, 2023) concluded with the submission of national data for international processing on August 31, 2023 (after international control and cleaning, the final dataset contains 5 056 complete interviews). The national report,"International Research on Adults PIAAC: National Report from the Implementation of the 2nd Cycle," details the research project's implementation (questionnaire development, data collection, national data processing).
The project was concluded with a final conference on November 7, 2023.
Bodies responsible
- Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
- Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
- National Pedagogical Institute of the Czech Republic
Target groups
Learners
- Young people (15-29 years old)
- Adult learners
- Older workers and employees (55 - 64 years old)
- Low-skilled/qualified persons
Education professionals
- Adult educators
Entities providing VET
- Companies
Thematic categories
Governance of VET and lifelong learning
This thematic category looks at existing legal frameworks providing for strategic, operational – including quality assurance – and financing arrangements for VET and lifelong learning (LLL). It examines how VET and LLL-related policies are placed in broad national socioeconomic contexts and coordinate with other strategies and policies, such as economic, social and employment, growth and innovation, recovery and resilience.
This thematic category covers partnerships and collaboration networks of VET stakeholders – especially the social partners – to shape and implement VET in a country, including looking at how their roles and responsibilities for VET at national, regional and local levels are shared and distributed, ensuring an appropriate degree of autonomy for VET providers to adapt their offer.
The thematic category also includes efforts to create national, regional and sectoral skills intelligence systems (skills anticipation and graduate tracking) and using skills intelligence for making decisions about VET and LLL on quality, inclusiveness and flexibility.
High-quality and timely skills intelligence is a powerful policy tool, helping improve economic competitiveness and fostering social progress and equality through the provision of targeted skills training to all citizens (Cedefop, 2020). Skills intelligence is the outcome of an expert-driven process of identifying, analysing, synthesising and presenting quantitative and/or qualitative skills and labour market information. Skills intelligence draws on data from multiple sources, such as graduate tracking systems, skills anticipation mechanisms, including at sectoral and regional levels. Actions related to establishing and developing such systems fall under this thematic sub-category.
Modernising VET offer and delivery
This thematic category looks at what and how individuals learn, how learning content and learning outcomes in initial and continuing VET are defined, adapted and updated. First and foremost, it examines how VET standards, curricula, programmes and training courses are updated and modernised or new ones created. Updated and renewed VET content ensures that learners acquire a balanced mix of competences that address modern demands, and are more closely aligned with the realities of the labour market, including key competences, digital competences and skills for green transition and sustainability, both sector-specific and across sectors. Using learning outcomes as a basis is important to facilitate this modernisation, including modularisation of VET programmes. Updating and developing teaching and learning materials to support the above is also part of the category.
The thematic category continues to focus on strengthening high-quality and inclusive apprenticeships and work-based learning in real-life work environments and in line with the European framework for quality and effective apprenticeships. It looks at expanding apprenticeship to continuing vocational training and at developing VET programmes at EQF levels 5-8 for better permeability and lifelong learning and to support the need for higher vocational skills.
This thematic category also focuses on VET delivery through a mix of open, digital and participative learning environments, including workplaces conducive to learning, which are flexible, more adaptable to the ways individuals learn, and provide more access and outreach to various groups of learners, diversifying modes of learning and exploiting the potential of digital learning solutions and blended learning to complement face-to-face learning.
Centres of vocational excellence that connect VET to innovation and skill ecosystems and facilitate stronger cooperation with business and research also fall into this category.
This thematic sub-category refers to acquisition of key competences and basic skills for all, from an early age and throughout their life, including those acquired as part of qualifications and curricula. Key competences include knowledge, skills and attitudes needed by all for personal fulfilment and development, employability and lifelong learning, social inclusion, active citizenship and sustainable awareness. Key competences include literacy; multilingual; science, technology, engineering and mathematical (STEM); digital; personal, social and learning to learn; active citizenship, entrepreneurship, cultural awareness and expression (Council of the European Union, 2018).
Transparency and portability of VET skills and qualifications
European principles and tools, such as EQF, ESCO, ECTS, Europass and ECVET, provide a strong basis for transparency and portability of national and sectoral qualifications across Europe, including the issuing of digital diplomas and certificates.
This thematic category looks at how individuals are supported in transferring, accumulating, and validating skills and competences acquired in formal, non-formal and informal settings – including learning on the job – and in having their learning recognised towards a qualification at any point of their lives. This is only possible if qualifications are transparent and comparable and are part of comprehensive national qualifications frameworks. Availability of qualifications smaller than full and acquirable in shorter periods of time is necessary; some countries have recently worked on developing partial qualifications, microcredentials, etc.
This thematic sub-category concerns all developments related to national qualification frameworks (NQFs). As in most countries NQFs are in place and referenced to the European qualifications framework (EQF), the thematic sub-category covers updating and expanding the frameworks, developing new qualifications and using NQFs as catalysts for other reforms.
Supporting lifelong learning culture and increasing participation
Lifelong learning refers to all learning (formal, non-formal or informal) taking place at all stages in life and resulting in an improvement or update in knowledge, skills, competences and attitudes or in participation in society from a personal, civic, cultural, social or employment-related perspective (Erasmus+, Glossary of terms, https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/programme-guide/part-d/glossary-common-terms). A systemic approach to CVET is crucial to ensure adaptability to evolving demands.
This broad thematic category looks at ways of creating opportunities and ensuring access to re-skilling and upskilling pathways, allowing individuals to progress smoothly in their learning throughout their lives with better permeability between general and vocational education and training, and better integration and compatibility between initial and continuing VET and with higher education. Individuals should be supported in acquiring and updating their skills and competences and navigating easily through education and training systems. Strategies and campaigns that promote VET and LLL as an attractive and high-quality pathway, providing quality lifelong guidance and tailored support to design learning and career paths, and various incentives (financial and non-financial) to attract and support participation in VET and LLL fall into this thematic category as well.
This thematic category also includes many initiatives on making VET inclusive and ensuring equal education and training opportunities for various groups of learners, regardless of their personal and economic background and place of residence – especially those at risk of disadvantage or exclusion, such as persons with disabilities, the low-skilled and low-qualified, minorities, migrants, refugees and others.
This thematic sub-category refers to providing the possibility for individuals who are already in the labour market/in employment to reskill and/or acquire higher levels of skills, and to ensuring targeted information resources on the benefits of CVET and lifelong learning. It also covers the availability of CVET programmes adaptable to labour market, sectoral or individual up- and reskilling needs. The sub-category includes working with respective stakeholders to develop digital learning solutions supporting access to CVET opportunities and awarding CVET credentials and certificates.
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). System environment for deepening competences (Upskilling): Czechia. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/pl/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/36200