Improving VET and adult education in Slovakia
Vocational education and training (VET) and adult education (AE) in Slovakia face the challenge of modernisation and streamlining to respond adequately to the needs of the 21st century. The national project „Introduction of Quality Management in VET and Adult Education “ represents an ambitious step towards this goal Its implementation is expected to have a lasting and positive impact on the quality of VET and adult learning through a systematic approach to quality assurance processes that will influence the preparation of learners for the labour market, the creation of tools for the collection and better use of data at different levels of VET management, and the development of capacities in this area. The project will be implemented in three areas:
A1: Establishment of a comprehensive quality management system in VET
It aims at introducing a comprehensive quality management system in VET at all levels, from the Ministry of Education to individual schools as well as in adult education:
– A1.1 Quality management at the system level
– A1.2 Quality management at the regional administration level
– A1.3 Quality management at the level of secondary schools and employers
– A1.4 Quality management in adult education
The ambition is to increase the quality of VET and adult education provision and thus positively influence the employability of graduates on the labour market. The implementation of key activities will bring the expected shift of Slovak education towards modernisation and an inclusive and efficient future. Doors to new opportunities will be opened and educational institutions will be better prepared to cope with the professional challenges in preparing their learners for current and future labour market challenges. The national strategy will set up mechanisms and common principles for quality assurance in education based on institutional self-assessment and the principle of continuous improvement.
In the light of the new legislation, the certification of adult education institutions will be set up and the peer review method will be anchored in vocational education, which will be linked to the training of human captains in these segments of the education system.
Main activities:
- Development of a National Strategy of Quality in Education
- Design of quality assurance procedures for practical training at workplace
- Establishment of the peer review method as a quality assurance tool in VET
- Introduction of teams of quality at VET schools
- Analysis of existing quality assurance measures in VET at regional level and complementing regional strategies with quality assurance processes
- Introduction of quality assurance tools at schools and workplaces
- Establishment of a transparent system of certification of institutions in adult education
A2: Graduate tracking of secondary VET school graduates
The aim of this activity is to track career paths of VET graduates after their graduation and to complement the graduate tracking system in Slovakia with the collection of data on their further studies or entry into the labour market, the relevance of the choice of field, knowledge and skills acquired in education at secondary vocational schools and their application in practice. The analysis of the data collected will lead to informed policy-making at the system level, improved VET provision and better preparation of students for the labour market.
Main activities:
- Introduction of graduate-tracking processes for VET school graduates
- Introduction of an online national questionnaire for tracking graduates
- Enhancing tracking of graduates by VET schools
- Use of data collected to improve VET provision in Slovakia
A3: Capacity building for quality management system
This activity focuses on strengthening the capacity of educational institutions to put in place internal quality assurance systems and develop a quality culture. ŠIOV will offer training support programmes for different target groups and will also make its own efforts to introduce an internal quality management model (CAF).
Main activities:
- Creation of a permanent educational offer in the form of accredited courses
- Introduction of the CAF (Common Assessment Framework) model within the ŠIOV
General information about the project
Project name: Implementation of quality management in VET and Adult Education
Operational Programme: 401000 – SK – Slovakia Programme – SK – ERDF/KF/FST/ESF+
Co-financed by: European Social Fund plus
Priority axis: 401402 – 4P2 Quality and inclusive education
Total duration of the main project activities: 36 months
Specific objective: 401402045 – ESO4.5 Enhancing the quality, inclusiveness and efficiency of education and training systems as well as their labour market relevance, inter alia, through the validation of non-formal and informal learning outcomes in order to support the acquisition of key competences, including entrepreneurial and digital skills, and also through support for the introduction of dual training and apprenticeship systems (ESF+) – less developed.