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Since independence in 1991, Georgia has faced a series of crises which have had a huge impact on the economy and migration patterns. Estimates put the unemployment rate at around one third of the population. Youth unemployment is also high and tends to be even higher among urban and better educated young people. Migration offers a solution to unemployment and underemployment. Around five per cent of households depend on remittances supplied by migrants. This survey examined both potential and returned migrants. It found that almost one third of the adult population of Georgia are potential migrants and nearly half of returned migrants expect to migrate again. A positive outcome of migration is that nearly 10 per cent of returned migrants received training whilst abroad, thus increasing the skill level. Show less

In view of the recent international trend towards rediscovery of work-based learning (WBL) and the current situation in partner countries given below, an in-depth examination of the literature on WBL would appear to be necessary at this time. A clearer understanding is needed of the great potential of WBL, the major benefits it can offer, and the obstacles that may hinder its implementation. The aim of this report is to help policy makers and social partners in the partner countries of the European Training Foundation (ETF) to engage with this type of learning for the first time or to improve existing WBL-related policies and practices in vocational education and training (VET).

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In 2012 the European Commission asked the [European Training Foundation] ETF to design a project to improve governance of vocational education and training (VET) systems in nine countries of the region. The ETF responded with its proposal for the project Governance for Employability in the Mediterranean (GEMM). The project ran from January 2013 to August 2016. The project was designed around three axes: (1) mapping and analysis of current VET governance systems; (2) capacity building for national and local stakeholders involved in multi-level governance; and (3) country-specific small action-oriented pilot projects addressing the quality and relevance of VET at the sub-national level. This publication looks primarily at the lessons learned from the pilot projects.

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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. The two main issues for the education and training sector in Lebanon are: (i) the low levels of efficiency and quality; and (ii) the weak public institutional, steering and management capacities. Future support from international donors in the field of human resource development (HRD) should include interventions dealing with the quality and sustainability of the education and training system. It should aim to (a) improve the quality of the education system by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of educational institutions, enhancing the training of teachers and trainers and improving the educational research and development function; (b) enhance the capacity for steering and evaluating the education system by supporting institutional development and implementing mechanisms to evaluate public and private institutions; and (c) promote continuing training by fostering well-designed co-financing arrangements and creating the structural preconditions for reaping the benefits of such training.

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

This edition of the Global Inventory of Regional and National Qualifications Frameworks maintains the role established by preceding editions, gathering knowledge and insight from the international range of contexts in which regional and national qualifications frameworks operate. This volume's (Volume I) thematic focus is evidence of the degree to which three core areas are dominating the direction of reforming policies; digitisation, recognition of prior learning, and outcomes-based approaches to managing education and training.

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The chapters in this volume are: (1) World Reference Levels for lifelong learning: a tool for comparison and recognition of learning outcomes; (2) Beyond qualifications as we know them today: digital credentials and interoperability; (3) The role of learning outcomes in governing and reforming education and training: reflections on strengths and limitations; (4) RVA that counts: what data do we need to nurture recognition, validation and accreditation of prior learning?; (5) Recognising prior learning experiences of migrants and refugees for inclusion; (6) Accessing and acquiring skills and qualifications: connecting people to national qualifications frameworks.

Volume II is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 139.638. Show less

This report belongs to a series of country analyses developed by the European Training Foundation (ETF). It covers: Socioeconomic background; Key policy issues and strategies in human resource development; EU (European Union) and other donor policies and interventions; Mid-term perspective ETF intervention strategies contributing to added value in national, EU and donor reform-support policies; Work Programme 2007: objectives and indicators. The ETF objectives for Ukraine are: To enhance the development of national capacities to design and drive a comprehensive VET (vocational education and training) report and to support the implementation of EU policies in the country.

Despite the fact that there is broad agreement on the general directions and principles that should govern education reform, the system remains largely in the grip of the past. An unstable political situation and insufficient capacities to implement modern reform initiatives have slowed down the anticipated progress in education sector reform outlined in recent policy documents. In the post-Soviet period, the VET system continues to struggle with the new realities of the labour market, focusing on specific occupation-based training rather than more competence-based approaches. Needless to say, the quality of education in Ukraine has been significantly jeopardised by a deterioration in funding, salaries, and infrastructures. While the structure of the system has remained largely unchanged, the quality of the services provided has declined. Closer cooperation between all stakeholders in the system at all levels and, in particular, with social partners, is required in order to ensure the success and sustainability of education and training sector reform in Ukraine. The ETF will continue supporting Ukrainian partners in reviewing options for a reform of qualifications, by providing access to European developments and by guiding the development of a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) strategy. Particular attention will be paid to the involvement of employers and social partners as driving forces in this process. A pilot project will be launched in a selected economic sector (tourism) to test and develop a sector qualifications framework that will serve as a model for an NQF in years to come.

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The series of reports is indexed from TD/TNC 90.820 to TD/TNC 90.844. Show less

This paper presents a cross-country overview of the trends and challenges of labour markets and human capital employability in the six Eastern partners of the European Union (EU) - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova [hereafter Moldova] and Ukraine - over two decades of turbulent transition. It is based on a more extensive publication [forthcoming] and provides readers with a shorter version primarily focused on employment, education and training policies. Both publications are the outcome of the [European Training Foundation] ETF Black Sea Labour Market Reviews project implemented between 2008 and 2010. This project included six country background papers followed by a comparative regional study analysing the major developments of two decades of transition. The project aimed at improving labour market analysis and forecasting in the Eastern partners and at supporting evidence-based policy making processes in employment, education and training in the light of the New Skills for New Jobs perspective (European Commission, 2008a).

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This European Training Foundation (ETF) study of the Moldovan vocational education and training (VET) system outlines the political and economic situation in the country and describes various aspects of the VET system such as the legal framework, demographic changes and their implications for the sector, enrolments, types of vocational schools, human resources and teacher training, financing, curriculum, standards, certification and assessment, and research. The study then examines labour market issues and their implications for VET. These include labour force characteristics, employment and unemployment, the work of employment services, and social dialogue mechanisms and the role of social partners. The study reveals that the Moldovan VET system is undergoing radical change and that there is still no firm basis for a system that meets the needs of the current economic and social situation in the country. Three issues are considered vital to the restructuring of the VET system: policy development; a mechanism to involve social partners; and raising the status and visibility of VET schools and the occupations for which they prepare their students. Based on the findings, the study recommends: the need for analysis to underpin policy; involvement of social partners at all levels, particularly in labour market analysis and standards development; reform of the financial system; separation of VET and secondary education; and priority for rural schools. Show less

This report, commissioned by the European Commission Directorate-General Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities in collaboration with the Heads of Public Employment Services (PES) Network, examines career guidance services offered in the labour market sector, and specifically through the PES. The study, which covers countries included in the EU 25 together with Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, sets out to identify national-level activities and practices, as well as cross-national trends and examples of innovative approaches in providing guidance services. Show less

The Torino Process was launched by the European Training Foundation (ETF) in 2010 and is a biannual participatory analytical review of the status and progress of vocational education and training (VET) in the ETF partner countries. The aims are to acquire current knowledge about policies and their outcomes in a country, and to strengthen ownership, participation and the evidence base of policy formation.

This document provides a survey of Israel’s plans to increase the number of students in technological and vocational tracks, and in technological schools; and to invest in educational infrastructures, including advanced workshops and laboratories in schools, and regional technology centres. It also describes the ‘Technicians with Matriculation’ (Tech-Mat) programme, the ‘Springboard to Industry’ programme, programmes to develop a cadre of professional teaching staff for technological education, and refresher courses for teachers in cooperation with industry. It includes a proposal to offer special compensation to technology education teachers so that their salaries compete with those in the industrial sector. This would include remuneration for mentoring projects and developing innovative programmes. Furthermore, it describes plans to improve the image of vocational education and training (VET) by exposing students to the world of industry and by presenting VET as a quality alternative with opportunities for matriculation. There are also plans to establish a national council for technological education in Israel with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Education (MoE), academia, industry and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). This council will examine the suitability of study subjects and teaching methods in relation to the needs of the economy and the skills required by the employment market - skills that should be provided by the education system. The recommendations of the Manufacturers’ Association of Israel (MAI) for the academisation of practical engineering studies, which would enable students to accrue credits toward a degree in engineering, and the recommendations of the Eckstein Committee for closing the gaps between the levels of education in different sectors are also discussed. The report includes in-depth exploration of the plans to strengthen technological education in the national religious, ultra-orthodox and Arab sectors, as well as in new immigrant communities. There are also plans to advance the education of girls and to reduce the educational gaps between the peripheral areas and the urban areas in the more prosperous centre of the country.

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