Search results

The Baltic states, as newer members of the European Union (EU), have been involved in the process of developing vocational education and training (VET) that was initiated by the Lisbon Council in 2000 and built upon by the 2002 Copenhagen Declaration. This chapter contributes to a collection of readings that provide information about the reform and development of VET in these countries in light of this European activity. The chapter provides an evaluation of the various processes of the reform of the initial VET system in Lithuania. Up until 1990, the system developed according to a Soviet Union model. Twelve years of reform followed, out of which a stable VET system emerged. The system has met labour market demands and its priorities and characteristics have adhered to the unified European standard system. The initial VET system as it currently operates is outlined, followed by a detailed description of the vocational education reform process, including the general assumptions related to global factors underpinning it, the various stages, parameters and outcomes of the process, and the changes at the educational institution level, such as management, teaching and curriculum renewal, quality assurance, vocational teacher inservice training, accessibility of vocational education, social partner involvement, VET research, participation in, and self-financing through national and international projects, and the impact of VET institutions on regional development. Also examined are the changes in teaching and learning at the classroom level. The authors conclude that, despite the negative aspects of the process, such as the inherited centralised nature of management, the reform process resulted in many changes, including curriculum renewal, vocational education network optimisation, the involvement of social partners in vocational education planning, and the implementation of quality assurance measures.