Search Results

This report belongs to a series of country analyses developed by the European Training Foundation (ETF) at the end of 2005 for all countries in the Mediterranean region, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. It contains an overview of the country's social and economical contexts, an analysis of the educational system and a short review of the main initiatives in education and training carried out by international donors in the country. With the overall aim of poverty reduction, and recognising the importance of sustainable skills development to achieve that goal, the ETF suggests concentrating donor assistance in Tajikistan in the area of education and training on the three levels of basic vocational education and training and technical and higher technical education.

Published excerpt reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.

The series of reports is indexed from TD/TNC 84.362 to TD/TNC 84.375. Show less

This document presents conclusions from the round table discussion organised jointly by the European Training Foundation (ETF) and the Slovenian Phare vocational education and training (VET) Reform Programme Management Unit, held in Bohinj, Slovenia from October 4-6, 1998. The three-day seminar enabled the exchange of experiences between countries to increase awareness among policy-makers and contribute to the development of VET initiatives to combat the social exclusion of school leavers without vocational qualifications. The seminar focused on the experiences of Slovenia and Hungary, examining the issue of school drop-out and providing some comparison with the experiences of other European Union (EU) countries. Common issues emerging from the discussions are listed and an outline is given of the areas in which the ETF was asked to provide support for partner countries in developing their own program of action. The discussion yielded three focus areas of action: to improve the quality and relevance of general education and the match between vocational education and labour market requirements; to develop specific approaches in initial vocational training for those groups with special needs; and to provide continuing training for young adults without qualifications.

The full report of the meeting in Slovenia is indexed at TD/INT 61.138. Show less

Since the last review carried out with the Torino Process in 2010, the situation in the economy registered a modest growth after the global crisis. However, the economic structure is still dominated by low productivity. Most of the workforce in Armenia is employed in labour-intensive sectors of the economy where low skills are required. Beyond the considerable waves of migration from the country in the past, Armenia is currently confronted with demographic challenges which influence the education and training policies within its lifelong learning perspective. There are few indications that the vocational education system managed to come closer to the labour market needs but reforms continued in the country aiming at increasing relevance and quality of [vocational education and training] VET.

Excerpt from publication. Show less

This document is based on outcomes of the round table discussion organised jointly by the European Training Foundation (ETF) and the Slovenian Phare vocational education and training (VET) Reform Programme Management Unit, held in Bohinj, Slovenia from October 4-6, 1998. There is increasing evidence, particularly in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, of growing unemployment among lower qualified young people. The development of national concepts of using VET as a means to combat social exclusion are important as an initial step towards a solution to this problem. This report is designed to provide a general overview of the challenges and raise awareness of the need to develop target group-specific policies and programs at both local and national levels to facilitate social exclusion. The three-day seminar focused on the experiences of Slovenia and Hungary, examining the issue of school drop-out and providing some comparison with experiences in other European Union (EU) countries. The report begins by providing some background information relating to school leavers without vocational qualifications in EU and partner countries. The following section summarises the situation in Slovenia and Hungary, developments in partner countries, experiences from EU countries, common issues emerging from the discussion, and initial steps towards the development of national concepts for VET against social exclusion. The next two sections provide more detail on the situation in Slovenia and Hungary and the experiences of the EU countries; Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom. Annex 1 provides detailed information about the situation of lowly qualified young people and measures being adopted to address the problem in several partner countries (Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Poland and Romania) and annex 2 contains a list of participants.

The conclusions from the meeting in Slovenia are indexed at TD/INT 61.137. Show less

This paper provides an overview of the development of democratic schools in Bulgaria. Establishing democratic schools in Bulgaria is aimed not only at students, but also at teachers, parents and members of different communities and organisations. The author points out that the main objective of education in Bulgaria is the successful realisation of personal development through the provision of quality education. The priorities are to develop education and incorporate the values of the civic society: access, high quality and high efficiency into it.

The full volume of papers is indexed at TD/INT 61.20. Show less

'Live and learn', the European Training Foundation (ETF) magazine, is a twice yearly publication which provides readers with an insight into the different areas of work of the ETF and the many topics it is involved in. This issue contains the following vocational education and training (VET) related articles: 'An advantage, not an obstacle' by Anne Jenson (p. 4-7); 'Everyone has a right to a better life: Italian minister Emma Bonino vists the ETF' (p. 8-9); 'Can VET institutions help to reduce poverty' by Eduarda Castel-Branco (p. 10-13); 'The new learning paradigm in Portugal: Novas Oportunidades' (p. 14-17); 'Involving ethnic groups in education' (p. 18-21); 'Understanding change' by Patrick Grabolle (p. 22-24); 'Dissecting the transition from education to work: highlights of a new ETF publication' (p. 25-27) [the full report is indexed at TD/TNC 91.249]; 'Annual Forum measures the progress of MEDA-ETE project in 2007' (p. 28-31); and 'The effect of ETF intervention' by Outi Karkainnen (p. 32-35). Show less

'Live and learn', the European Training Foundation (ETF) magazine, is a twice yearly publication which provides readers with an insight into the different areas of work of the ETF and the many topics it is involved in. This issue contains the following vocational education and training (VET) related articles: 'Arab women: making themselves at home in the workplace' (p. 5-7), which reports on how the number of Arab women in the labour market has been steadily increasing over the past three decades and outlines remaining obstacles to equality in the workplace; 'The European Qualifications Framework' by Vincent McBride (p. 8-9), which updates a major consultation currently underway about the possibility of a European Qualifications Framework and outlines the key features of the proposed framework; 'The European Agency for Reconstruction and the ETF: a successful partnership' by Richard Zink (p. 10-12), which reports on the cooperative work between the two agencies in addressing VET and labour market development issues in the various countries of the Western Balkans; 'It takes more than learning to read to reduce poverty' by Peter Grootings (p. 19-22), which examines how, in 2006, the ETF will dedicate some of its key activities and publications to education and training for poverty reduction; 'Skills and work in the informal economy in Albania: a case study from Tirana' by Eduarda Castel Branco (p. 23-27), which presents the key findings from a recent field study to analyse the skills and qualifications of informal sector operators, their motivations for working in the sector, and the role of skills and qualifications, with the results providing some directions for policies and measures to create pathways out of informal work and its associated insecurities. The ETF held a regional advisory forum for Mediterranean countries in Madrid from 28-30 September. The following articles report on aspects of the forum: 'Regional Advisory Forum: the clearinghouse for education and training reform' (p. 13-14), which provides a brief report on the forum in which the ETF informed participants of its activities in the region during 2005 and its plans for 2006, and participants provided feedback to the ETF on the effectiveness of its initiatives in VET in the region; '10th anniversary of the Euro-Mediterranean partnerships: Barcelona process produces mixed results' (p. 15-18), which reports on the contribution to VET and labour market reform of the initiative launched in Barcelona in November 1995 to build a 'common space of peace, security and shared prosperity around the Mediterranean'. Show less

This background paper has been prepared to report on the current situation in five key areas essential in terms of the partnership between education and the economy in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. These five key areas are identified as: the role of the state and the social partners in supporting the links between education and training, and the economy; the contribution of industry to education and training; education and training to underpin economic growth processes; supporting people at the interface between education and training, and work; and the role of teacher training in linking education and training, and the economy. The paper identifies key trends within each area and the major problems are discussed. Brief mention is made of some initiatives and practices in place. The paper concludes with a summary of human resource development strategies to complement employment strategies under these five areas. Show less

This report belongs to a series of country analyses developed by the European Training Foundation (ETF) at the end of 2005 for all countries in the Mediterranean region, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. It contains an overview of the country's social and economical contexts, an analysis of the educational system and a short review of the main initiatives in education and training carried out by international donors in the country. With the overall aim of improving economic growth and recognising the importance of human resources development (HRD) in Russia, the ETF suggests concentrating donor assistance in the areas of (1) tertiary education, (2) continuing training, (3) strengthening dialogue between education and social partners, and (4) addressing the social inclusion of marginalised groups. The most appropriate interventions could include more partnership and people-to-people schemes and a reduction of traditional technical assistance.

Published excerpts reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.

The series of reports is indexed from TD/TNC 84.362 to TD/TNC 84.375. Show less

The Roma populations of countries of Central and South East Europe have suffered a disproportionately negative impact on their living conditions over the last 10 years as a result of socioeconomic changes, ethnic conflict and war. Contemporary social conditions are extremely poor for this group of people for a number of complex reasons. However, providing better education and training for Roma people has a key role in improving their employability and their income generation potential, and promoting their social empowerment. The European Training Foundation (ETF) has undertaken two activities focusing on Roma people within its project ‘Vocational training against social exclusion’. The first activity was the organisation of a conference to examine the role of education and training in improving the living conditions of Roma people. The second activity involved a study on ‘the current practices across Europe to assist the social and economic inclusion of Roma populations through education and training and employment opportunities’. The main objective was to document current good practice and make recommendations for further action. This report documents this study. The study found that successful initiatives for increasing participation in employment of Roma youth and adults were difficult to find and that no systematic evaluation of actions undertaken to help the social situation of Roma people had been carried out. The chapters are: Executive summary: main findings; Introduction; Roma population in Europe: state of affairs; Overview of national actions to promote the inclusion of Roma population; Conclusions and policy recommendations. Show less