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Background
A minimum of three years of training leads to a certificate of apprenticeship. This has stimulated calls from non-qualified practitioners for the provision of shorter training leading to a formal qualification and/or to a recognition of prior learning and experience gained in the workplace. This is why the government advocated the creation of the so-called 'shortened studies' (ISCED 353). In addition to the efforts directly targeting formal VET, making the qualification system more flexible is advocated: the Slovak qualifications framework envisages the creation of 'smaller' qualifications reflecting labour market needs. This can also support 'segmentation' of current formal qualifications and modularisation of VET programmes.
Objectives
Making education and qualification systems more flexible.
Description
The so-called 'shortened studies' (ISCED 353) were put in place in 2015/16 in line with the Act on VET (61/2015). They target young people and adults who want to broaden or deepen their qualification or acquire another one to improve their employability. Based on the mainstream three-year programme, they focus on occupation-related areas and last either one or two years, depending on learners' previous field of study. Two-year studies lead to a certificate of apprenticeship; participants of the one-year programme are attendance and exam certified. As in other cases, per capita State funding applies. National statistical data suggest that this programme type has attracted few learners.
In September 2017, the education ministry published a Learning Slovakia strategy paper, based on a draft version from March 2017. Learning Slovakia included proposals for:
- a more flexible qualifications system that would allow for modular approaches and shorter programmes through 'small' qualifications, for instance by subdividing the current comprehensive ones;
- legislative backing for new qualifications (master of craft and licenced master) at EQF levels 4 and 6 for craftsmen, allowing an alternative career of skilled workers reducing the current hunting for mainstream maturita certificates and bachelor decrees;
- promoting higher VET: specialised tertiary VET aligned to the related programme at the upper secondary level as well as...
The so-called 'shortened studies' (ISCED 353) were put in place in 2015/16 in line with the Act on VET (61/2015). They target young people and adults who want to broaden or deepen their qualification or acquire another one to improve their employability. Based on the mainstream three-year programme, they focus on occupation-related areas and last either one or two years, depending on learners' previous field of study. Two-year studies lead to a certificate of apprenticeship; participants of the one-year programme are attendance and exam certified. As in other cases, per capita State funding applies. National statistical data suggest that this programme type has attracted few learners.
In September 2017, the education ministry published a Learning Slovakia strategy paper, based on a draft version from March 2017. Learning Slovakia included proposals for:
- a more flexible qualifications system that would allow for modular approaches and shorter programmes through 'small' qualifications, for instance by subdividing the current comprehensive ones;
- legislative backing for new qualifications (master of craft and licenced master) at EQF levels 4 and 6 for craftsmen, allowing an alternative career of skilled workers reducing the current hunting for mainstream maturita certificates and bachelor decrees;
- promoting higher VET: specialised tertiary VET aligned to the related programme at the upper secondary level as well as professionally-oriented bachelor studies.
National policies promote professionally oriented bachelor studies and introduce dual VET into tertiary education. While the first professionally oriented bachelor programme has been already introduced, focusing on the automotive sector, establishing universities of applied science, advocated by some experts, is not envisaged. No further developments took place to introduce dual VET into tertiary education.
A call for proposals on Developing sector skills was launched on 21 December 2017. The scheme invites projects aiming to provide adult learners with skills on demand in the labour market (including ICT) and immediately applicable at the work place. Projects should offer a maximum of 480 lesson hours, comprising a maximum of 30% theory and a minimum of 70% practice. Target groups include people in employment as well as jobseekers. Up to 2018, 51 projects were submitted within the first three rounds, of which 24, from a variety of sectors, were contracted and are in process of implementation. The total budget for this scheme is EUR 10 million.
A focus on the segmentation of existing 'large' qualifications that are appropriate for the development of 'smaller' qualifications can be addressed within the ESF project System of verifying qualifications.
Within the five rounds of the call for proposals on Developing sector skills, run between 21 December 2017 and 2 May 2019, 113 projects were approved and are in progress.
On 27 December 2018, a call to support the development of professional bachelor programmes was launched with an allocation of EUR 13.5 million for less developed regions and EUR 1.5 million for the Bratislava region. However, progress is slow as there have been no projects implemented up to February 2020. Only EUR 4.1 million were requested by applicants after the second round of submission closed on 31 October 2019.
Within the call Developing sector skills, 93 projects were in progress in February 2021.
Within the national ESF project System of verifying qualifications, a fully-fledged system of validation of non-formal and informal learning should be developed and piloted regarding 312 qualifications. Awarding these qualifications opens the door to alternative and more flexible routes to qualifications compared to formal IVET.
Within the call Developing sector skills, 66 projects were in progress until February 2022. Implementation was hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic and led to the decision of the labour ministry to allow for prolonging project duration and to apply e-learning and other forms of distance learning during the pandemic restrictions.
The national ESF project System of verifying qualifications is in progress, focusing on recruiting national experts responsible for quality assurance of validation of non-formal and informal learning and authorised specialists responsible within respective sectors for the smooth progress of individual validation processes.
According to the Lifelong learning and counselling strategy for 2021-30, approved by the government on 24 November 2021, and the subsequent action plan for 2022-24, the qualifications system should be made more flexible by introducing 'smaller' qualifications and micro-qualifications (micro-certificates). The fourth sub-framework of the Slovak Qualifications Framework (SKKR) has been designed to cover appropriate segments of current VET qualifications: units of learning outcomes. New units of learning outcomes reflecting emerging labour market needs should be developed initiated by practitioners, such as Sectoral councils. The strategy also suggests introducing 'vocational maturita examination' (SKKR 4) and qualification 'technician-specialist' (SKKR 6) that can be achieved via validation of non-formal and informal learning.
In 2022, the ESF national project Don't lose your job - educate yourself, aims to train employed job seekers who are at risk of losing their jobs due to technological and social changes or who are unable to respond with their existing skills to the ever-increasing pressure of changes in the labour market. The training requested must also meet labour market needs, and the related education is, therefore, supported
- for the acquisition of skills necessary to practice a profession officially declared by the Ministry of Labour as a shortage occupation;
- to acquire or increase the level of digital skills, with digitisation and automation processes; technological changes and technological developments in the labour market;
- for the acquisition of skills necessary to practice green professions. e.g. working in the circular economy emphasising the efficient use, reuse and recycling of resources, supporting biodiversity and ecosystems conservation, reducing carbon emissions and overall pollution of air, soil and water.
The training requested must also meet the individual needs of the applicant. The result of passing the IT Fitness Test, which is available free of charge online, is, therefore, a recommended attachment to the application. Training participants receive a one-time financial contribution.
Within the call Developing sector skills, 64 projects were in progress and 55 were completed by the end of 2022.
An assessment of the impact of various types of training offered to adults through financial schemes operated by the labour or education ministries highlighted the need to rethink quality management, particularly in terms of accreditation of programmes and institutional accreditation. Consultations on new legislative measures took place to create a system that is both flexible and quality-assured. Unlike higher education, institutional accreditation has not been introduced. Instead, certification of adult education providers is a precondition for entering the accreditation process of individual educational programmes. Thus, it acts as an initial quality filter rather than a certification of overall high quality.
Reflecting the recommendations of the Lifelong learning and counselling strategy for 2021-30, the new Act on adult education (292/2024), adopted by the parliament on 30 October 2024, has introduced individual learning accounts (ILAs) and microcredentials to stimulate access to training and to make the qualifications system more flexible. At the same time, strong regulatory requirements are stipulated.
Certification of adult education providers is awarded by the education ministry after successful application of secondary schools and other adult education providers, that unlike higher education institutions, do not have an internal quality assurance system inplace.
To obtain certification, providers must conduct self-evaluation in five areas:
a. educational process;
b. personal provision of educational activities;
c. approach to learners;
d. external relations and membership in professional associations;
e. management of institution and quality assurance processes.
The self-evaluation report must demonstrate compliance with 14 standards and 44 criteria across these areas. Applicants must submit an online application via the education ministry portal, responding to questions related to the standards, and provide supporting documents along with an official Improvement Plan based on the self-evaluation report. Certification is valid for five years and requires compliance with legal obligations. As an alternative certification route, providers that have implemented an internal quality assurance system may receive certification automatically by presenting an equivalent certificate issued by a recognized quality assurance body.
VET schools must be certified to be authorised to apply for accreditation of adult education programmes, to issue microcredentials, or to provide training financed by ILAs. ILAs can be used to cover the costs of formal education only for accredited programmes according to procedures set by the Sector Councils Alliance. Additionally, adult education providers that are not secondary schools or higher education institutions must be certified and must receive approval from a school offering education in the relevant field or from a national guarantor responsible for quality assurance in validation processes, confirming the relevance of the respective programme.
Bodies responsible
- Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth
- Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family
- Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport (until 2024)
Target groups
Learners
- Learners in upper secondary, including apprentices
- Adult learners
Education professionals
- School leaders
Entities providing VET
- VET providers (all kinds)
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.
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.
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.
VET standards and curricula define the content and outcomes of learning, most often at national or sectoral levels. VET programmes are based on standards and curricula and refer to specific vocations/occupations. They all need to be regularly reviewed, updated and aligned with the needs of the labour market and society. They need to include a balanced mix of vocational and technical skills corresponding to economic cycles, evolving jobs and working methods, and key competences, providing for resilience, lifelong learning, employability, social inclusion, active citizenship, sustainable awareness and personal development (Council of the European Union, 2020). The thematic sub-category also refers to establishing new VET programmes, reducing their number or discontinuing some. It also includes design of CVET programmes and training courses to adapt to labour market, sectoral or individual up- and re-skilling needs.
The learning-outcomes-based approaches focus on what a learner is expected to know, to be able to do and understand at the end of a learning process (Cedefop, 2016). Learning outcomes can be defined at the system level as in national qualification frameworks (NQFs), most of which are currently based on learning outcomes. Learning outcomes can be defined in qualification standards, curricula, learning programmes and assessment, although the last one is still uncommon. This thematic sub-category refers to the use of learning outcomes in these contexts and to development and use of modules or units of learning outcomes in VET curricula and programmes.
This thematic sub-category covers all developments related to work-based learning (WBL) elements in VET programmes and apprenticeships which continue to be important in the policy agenda. It includes measures to stabilise the offer of apprenticeships, the implementation of the European framework for quality and effective apprenticeships, and using the EU on-demand support services and policy learning initiatives among the Member States. It also covers further expansion of apprenticeships and WBL to continuing VET (CVET), for transition to work and inclusion of vulnerable groups, and for improving citizens’ qualification levels.
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.
This thematic sub-category refers to the development and implementation of qualifications that are smaller than full qualifications (alternative credentials) or are acquired in a shorter learning experience. It includes microcredentials, partial qualifications, units of learning outcomes (ECVET principle), digital badges, etc. These are owned by learners and can be combined or not to get a full qualification.
This thematic sub-category refers to validation mechanisms allowing individuals to accumulate, transfer, and recognise learning outcomes acquired non-formally and informally, including on-the-job learning, or in another formal system. In case they are not automatically recognised, a learner can have these learning outcomes validated and recognised through a particular process with a view to obtaining a partial or full qualification. This thematic sub-category covers such provisions and mechanisms.
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 initiatives that promote VET and lifelong learning implemented at any level and by any stakeholder. It also covers measures to ensure and broaden access to information about VET to various target groups, including targeted information and promotional campaigns (e.g. for parents, adult learners, vulnerable groups). Among others, it includes national skill competitions and fairs organised to attract learners to VET.
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Flexible routes to labour market relevant qualifications: Slovakia. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/28570