Slovenia: school leadership central to competence-based VET reform

In the plenary of the conference, the role of school management in implementing revised competence-based programmes and creating conditions for change was highlighted. Ministries, social partners and CPI stressed that modernisation is less about technical programme updates and more about mindset, culture and system-wide cooperation.

Why competence-based VET matters

The conference placed VET reform within a broader socio-economic context. The 2025 Quality of life report, prepared by the Institute for Macroeconomic Analysis and Development, shows that Slovenia performs well on composite indicators of quality of life, but modest productivity growth threatens competitiveness and income levels. The slowdown stems from low investment in intangibles (especially software, databases, skills, and organisational capital) and slow corporate restructuring still tied to incremental, Industry 3.0-type innovation. The economy must shift towards bold, disruptive innovation and high-value products.

This shift requires an innovation-oriented culture, stronger organisational support and forward-looking human resource development. Creativity – where Slovenia lags behind EU and OECD averages – should be strengthened in curricula, supported by greater teacher autonomy and wider stakeholder cooperation.

In this context, competence-based VET is seen as a key lever for linking learning more closely to real work, integrating vocational, digital, green and transversal competences, and making programmes more responsive to local and sectoral needs. However, this transition cannot be achieved through curriculum documents alone; it requires clear and strategic leadership at school level.

Pilot programmes driving school development

A central part of the conference focused on the pilot implementation of five modernised upper secondary VET programmes within the Modernisation project:

• three industrial mechanic programmes (vocational upper secondary, vocational-technical upper secondary and technical upper secondary);
• one pharmacist programme (technical upper secondary);
• one nursing assistant programme (vocational upper secondary).

The conference stressed that revised programmes provide schools with an opportunity to modernise pedagogy, strengthen teacher collaboration and develop into reflective learning organisations. School leadership plays a pivotal role by enabling collaboration, providing strategic direction and fostering a culture of innovation. Insights from schools and companies alike highlighted the importance of practice-oriented learning, strong partnerships and open curricula in supporting this transformation.

Lessons from schools and companies

In the second part of the conference, three vocational and technical schools and one company learning centre presented their experiences with competence-based approaches and open curricula. Key messages included:

Leadership as a collective effort: competence-based reform requires a shared vision and joint responsibility, with school management connecting programme development, timetabling, teacher cooperation and external partnerships.

Teacher teams at the core: competence-based teaching is most effective when teachers plan together around real work processes, coordinate across subjects and integrate new assessment methods, digital tools and green skills.

Strong partnerships with companies: close cooperation in apprenticeships strengthens professional and transversal competences and aligns school workshops with workplace expectations. The conference highlighted the long-term partnership between School Centre Škofja Loka and LTH Castings, intensified since apprenticeship was reintroduced in 2017. Teachers and company mentors jointly design learning outcomes and learning situations based on real production processes, combining professional, digital and soft skills. Apprentices alternate between school workshops and the workplace under coordinated mentoring, while competence assessment is planned and carried out jointly. The open curriculum allows the school to adapt content to company needs, supporting employability and a smooth transition into work.

Open curricula as a flexible tool: open curricula allow adaptation to local needs, support individual learning paths and enable piloting of new content and methods while maintaining national coherence.

Supporting leadership for learning

The conference concluded that school leadership is central to the successful implementation of competence-based VET. Priorities include targeted professional development for school management, clear national guidance, stronger regional networks and systematic use of evidence from pilot programmes to refine support measures. The event forms part of a longer-term process in which policy-makers, schools, teachers and employers jointly shape a VET system that equips learners with competences for work, further learning and active citizenship.

Read more

• Tretja tematska konferenca projekta Modernizacija poklicnega in strokovnega izobraževanja: Voditi spremembe, oblikovati prihodnost: načrtovanje in izvajanje kompetenčno zasnovanega poklicnega izobraževanja [Third thematic conference of the Modernisation of vocational and technical education project: leading changes, shaping future: planning and implementing competency-based VET]
• Kakovost  življenja v Sloveniji – Poročilo o razvoju 2025 [Quality of life in Slovenia – Development report 2025]
• Prva tematska konferenca projekta Modernizacija poklicnega in strokovnega izobraževanja:” Digitalno in zeleno ne padeta z neba” [First thematic conference of the Modernisation of vocational education project: “Digital and green don't just fall from the sky”]
• ReferNet Slovenia, & Cedefop (2025, January 22).  Slovenia: conference on competence-oriented learning and teaching. National news on VET.