Vocational education and training status review

The third VET system review, VET in Lithuania 2019 (Profesinis mokymas Lietuvoje 2019), was published in early 2020. The review was compiled by the Government Strategic Analysis Centre (STRATA); this was established at the beginning of 2019 by a government resolution (after the reorganisation of the former MOSTA) as an expert body that provides the government and ministries with independent, research-based information needed to make evidence-based public policy decisions. The 2019 report provides information on the state of VET in 2019, with the analysis carried out in line with the following criteria: success of VET for people; success in relation to lifelong learning; and success in implementing Lithuanian and EU education policy. The main findings of the review are summarised in five thematic groups.

1. VET reform - the most important changes concern the rationalisation of the network of (VET) providers and the creation of new training content (based on sectoral curricula) as well as the updated methodology for financing VET, which is more flexible and encourages the development of apprenticeships. The regulation of skills recognition (validation of NFIL), quality assurance and career guidance are delayed.
2. Attractiveness of VET remains a challenge, mainly due to structural changes in the general education system; most 16-to-17-year-olds who have enrolled in VET as part of the basic education programme continue their studies so they can acquire a VET qualification and the end of secondary education certificate; only 3% choose to study in the form of an apprenticeship, even though employment rates are best among this segment.
3. Access to VET: VET for people with special needs is not sufficiently comprehensive and equally developed as for other VET programmes; the total number of VET students is declining, with the number of people aged 25 and over increasing; although the number of students in short-term formal continuing VET programmes is increasing, the proportion in VET institutions is decreasing.
4. Quality of VET: almost eight out of 10 students who have completed a VET course receive a basic education certificate; approximately six out of 10 VET students pursuing secondary education obtain a secondary education certificate; the proportion of early school leavers from VET is declining, but still remains almost twice as high compared with dropout rates from general education; 95.3% of graduates who completed an IVET course in 2019 obtained the qualification.
5. VET implementation: implementation of the enrolment plan in 2019 improved by 5.6% compared with 2018 results; the employment rate of VET learners studying in apprenticeship was higher than that of those choosing school-based programmes (respectively, 75.6 and 57.85%); the employment rate of continuing VET graduates is higher than that for IVET; qualified IVET graduates find employment more often than those without qualifications, while there is almost no difference for continuing VET (CVET) students; the average employment rate of VET graduates aged 20 to 34 in some areas of education is less than 60% one to three years after graduation.

The fourth VET system review was prepared and published in 2021. The study explored topics related to the development of the VET system: the attractiveness, the accessibility, the quality, and the relevance of VET. The analysis showed that the main preconditions for positive change in quality assurance and efficiency of training were created when self-evaluation tools and external evaluation procedures had been developed and implemented in practice. This was achieved with the support of the social partners. Also reorganisation (centralisation) of the network of VET institutions had a positive impact on quality.

The fourth VET system review conducted in 2020 was published in 2021. The report showed that the main developments and initiatives in VET system were directly related with aims embedded in the VET Law (2017): accessibility, quality and effectiveness of VET and its compliance with labour market needs. However, the main VET system quality indicators did not change very much during the last three years. The reason for this could be the relatively short period of time since the beginning of the implementation of the actions of the VET Law.

In 2022, a feasibility study on possibilities of solving educational and skills challenges was released. This report assesses what changes are needed in education, training and skills to achieve the goals of education in 2050, and provides recommendations for changes, taking into account future trends, current state of education and skills and the desired future scenario for Lithuania.

The study analyses the most prominent challenges and opportunities for education, training, skills and global megatrends. The most important changes related to education are technological change and hyper-connectedness, directly related to the diversification of education. Furthermore, it is stressed that technological changes will create opportunities for new ways and methods of learning, but at the same time will raise the risk of insufficient quality assurance.

The report discusses how Lithuanian and foreign experts assess Lithuania's current achievements, what successes and failures are associated with children's learning, vocational training, lifelong learning and higher education.

Based on the four future scenarios described in the national strategy of the 'Lithuania 2050' possible forms of education are discussed, taking into account the current educational situation. The future scenarios of the state are formed according to democracy-autocracy and education breakthrough-educational stagnation axis

Based on the analysis, proposals for the transformation of the educational ecosystem are presented in the study. Institutionally and structurally, the currently existing divisions between formal and informal should be eliminated. Teachers in education, initial vocational training and secondary education, must receive much more modern knowledge of psychology and didactics. In order to promote lifelong learning, it is proposed to allocate a certain number of free education credits annually to every adult and to implement an open vocational or higher education school concept focused on credit accumulation and personalised learning. Proposals for change are also presented as detailed recommendations for education policy makers and providers.

In 2022, the VET system review was prepared and published, which presents the results of the VET monitoring. The information is divided according to the following criteria: the success of VET for people, the success of VET in terms of lifelong learning and the success of VET as part of the implementation of the national education policies and those of the EU.