Increasing the role of stakeholders in the governance of VET institutions

Policy development
Regulation/Legislation
Lithuania
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Timeline
  • 2019Implementation
  • 2020Completed
ID number
28330

Background

A brief overview of the context and rationale of the policy development, explaining why it is implemented or why it is important.

After a long period of comments and suggestions from employers on their participation in VET management, the VET Law (2017), which entered into force at the beginning of 2019, opened up opportunities for stakeholders to participate in the management of institutions in this area. After the transformation of State-funded VET institutions into public ones, employers were able to get involved in the management of the activities of these institutions as shareholders. This allowed them to take joint responsibility (together with the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport) in areas including matching VET programmes to labour market needs, facilitating conditions for students to acquire quality practical training in companies, enabling work with the latest technology, enhancing professional development of VET teachers and their internships, and improving employment opportunities for graduates. Business associations and municipal administrations registered in Lithuania can participate in the management of VET institutions, as well as in shaping VET content and organisation of services.

Objectives

Goals and objectives of the policy development.

The goal is to allow enhanced and more intensive involvement of employers in the management of VET institutions and policy-making. A further aim is to balance the strategic development of particular VET institutions with regional and sectoral needs of local economies.

Description

What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.

The network of VET institutions was reformed, with the number of schools reduced to 67 at the start of 2019. In the same year, the model of governance for VET institutions was changed. From then on, the governance bodies included representatives from municipalities, businesses and VET schools with the aim of ensuring that the views of more stakeholders were taken on board when organising VET initiatives.

Following growth in the involvement of stakeholders at a strategic level in the management of State-run VET institutions, the next key step has been to form councils in each school to run at an operational level. In 2019, the Minister of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Lithuania approved councils in 47 VET schools, with the remaining 20 to be established in the near future. Such councils, which act as collegial governing bodies of the schools, consist of nine members, four of which are selected from representatives of the social partners. These may, for example, be people with impeccable reputation and experience in VET, specialist training or other similar areas. Other members are appointed by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, regional development councils and the schools themselves.

The participation of employers in the planning, organisation and quality management activities of VET institutions is aimed at helping make the relevant training services more effective and responding to the...

The network of VET institutions was reformed, with the number of schools reduced to 67 at the start of 2019. In the same year, the model of governance for VET institutions was changed. From then on, the governance bodies included representatives from municipalities, businesses and VET schools with the aim of ensuring that the views of more stakeholders were taken on board when organising VET initiatives.

Following growth in the involvement of stakeholders at a strategic level in the management of State-run VET institutions, the next key step has been to form councils in each school to run at an operational level. In 2019, the Minister of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Lithuania approved councils in 47 VET schools, with the remaining 20 to be established in the near future. Such councils, which act as collegial governing bodies of the schools, consist of nine members, four of which are selected from representatives of the social partners. These may, for example, be people with impeccable reputation and experience in VET, specialist training or other similar areas. Other members are appointed by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, regional development councils and the schools themselves.

The participation of employers in the planning, organisation and quality management activities of VET institutions is aimed at helping make the relevant training services more effective and responding to the specifics of the labour market in individual regions. The idea is that it also increases the transparency and accountability of VET institutions and the schools’ autonomy, helping them to accumulate the funds they earn and use them to improve quality: an example is through activities such as purchasing modern teaching equipment and raising teachers' salaries.

School councils are served by the VET school in which they operate; the councils are chaired by business representatives who are in charge of convening the council meetings, at least once a calendar quarter.

2019
Implementation
2020
Completed

In 2020, the reform was finished, all budgetary VET institutions were transformed into public ones and school councils were elected.

Bodies responsible

This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
  • Ministry of Education, Science and Sport
  • Association of Lithuanian Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Crafts
  • Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists
  • Lithuanian Business Confederation (LVK)
  • Lithuanian Employers' Confederation

Target groups

Those who are positively and directly affected by the measures of the policy development; those on the list are specifically defined in the EU VET policy documents. A policy development can be addressed to one or several target groups.

Education professionals

  • School leaders

Entities providing VET

  • Companies
  • Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
  • VET providers (all kinds)

Other stakeholders

  • Social partners (employer organisations and trade unions)

Thematic categories

Thematic categories capture main aspects of the decision-making and operation of national VET and LLL systems. These broad areas represent key elements that all VET and LLL systems have to different extents and in different combinations, and which come into focus depending on the EU and national priorities. Thematic categories are further divided into thematic sub-categories. Based on their description, policy developments can be assigned to one or several 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.

Engaging VET stakeholders and strengthening partnerships in VET

This thematic sub-category refers both to formal mechanisms of stakeholder engagement in VET governance and to informal cooperation among stakeholders, which motivate shared responsibility for quality VET. Formal engagement is usually based on legally established institutional procedures that clearly define the role and responsibilities for relevant stakeholders in designing, implementing and improving VET. It also refers to establishing and increasing the degree of autonomy of VET providers for agile and flexible VET provision.

In terms of informal cooperation, the sub-category covers targeted actions by different stakeholders to promote or implement VET. This cooperation often leads to creating sustainable partnerships and making commitments for targeted actions, in line with the national context and regulation, e.g. national alliances for apprenticeships, pacts for youth or partnerships between schools and employers. It can also include initiatives and projects run by the social partners or sectoral organisations or networks of voluntary experts and executives, retired or on sabbatical, to support their peers in the fields of VET and apprenticeships, as part of the EAfA.

Subsystem

Part of the vocational education and training and lifelong learning systems the policy development applies to.
IVET
CVET

Further reading

Sources for further reading where readers can find more information on policy developments: links to official documents, dedicated websites, project pages. Some sources may only be available in national languages.
Cedefop ReferNet Lithuania (2019) sectoral professional committees: strong voices in the Lithuanian qualifications system
Description of the procedure for selection and approval of members to the council of VET institutions (only in Lithuanian)

Country

Lithuania

Type of development

Policy developments are divided into three types: strategy/action plan; regulation/legislation; and practical measure/initiative.
Regulation/Legislation
Cite as

Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2026). Increasing the role of stakeholders in the governance of VET institutions: Lithuania. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2026). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2025 update) [Online tool].

https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/28330