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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 Armenian government needs to maintain the consistency of the current vocational education and training (VET) reform process and focus on the lifelong learning perspective across the system, which provides incentives to enrol in VET. Donor assistance is needed to support further development of the VET system within a lifelong learning perspective, and compliance with the Bologna principles. Key topics for donor assistance to VET include: revision of the qualifications system based on a new conceptual foundation in line with international developments; occupational and educational standards based on sound methodology; competence-based learning; quality assurance; and capacity building on information and analysis.

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

With Montenegro’s transition to a market-based, open and globalised economy, there is an explicit need for regular dialogue and partnership between education and the business sector. While the national policy papers and legal framework recognise this need and have already laid down the foundations of an enabling environment for it, the most feasible and beneficial modes for establishing intensive cooperation between the two remain to be found. The education and business partnership in Montenegro is a developing area, with a toolkit that is still ‘under construction’. The institutional landscape of education and business cooperation reveals a high level of involvement on the part of social partners in the consultation and decision-making mechanisms, as well as in the process of designing changes and innovations in the education system (new curricula, qualifications). This holds particularly true for [vocational education and training] VET, and to a much lesser extent for [higher education] HE. In spite of the lack of explicit incentives and of a tradition of cooperation, Montenegro has launched a wide range of topics and modes for education and business partnerships in the last decade. A great many of them have been inspired by [European Union] EU policy developments and EU Member States’ experiences, and have been backed with EU funds, and therefore represent pilot interventions rather than systemic measures. Yet the country has also demonstrated a capacity for critical assessment of imported patterns and for embarking on home-grown initiatives. The involvement of the civil society sector as a mediator in the dialogue between education and business is a remarkable finding of the current stocktaking exercise that not only resonates with the latest recommendations and guidelines at the EU level, but also brings hope with regard to the role of bottom-up innovations in this field in Montenegro. Finally, the report makes an assessment of the major challenges for education and business cooperation in VET and higher education, and formulates corresponding recommendations related to enhancing the capacities of education and business actors to engage in strategic partnerships while fine-tuning their modalities at both the governance and implementation levels.

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This study is one of a series of background studies on the employment and labour market situation in Central and Eastern European countries seeking accession to the European Union. The studies are indexed from TD/INT 61.293 to TD/INT 61.298.

The study is part of the preparations by Bulgaria for accession to the European Union and was prepared according to the guidelines provided by The Employment and Social Affairs Directorate-General (DG) of the European Commission, the European Training Foundation and European Union experts. Its major objective is to provide a description of the employment and labour market in Bulgaria as a basis for the employment policy reviews prepared by The Employment and Social Affairs DG of the European Commission on the accession countries. The study draws on official data sources to describe the current circumstances in Bulgaria in relation to the employment situation, the employment policy institutions, employment policy delivery mechanisms and the relationship between vocational education and the labour market. The study identifies key issues which emerge from the analysis and may be addressed prior to accession. Several tables containing statistical data are included in support of the text. 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 (HRD); 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 Jordan are: To prepare the ground for comprehensive VET (vocational education and training) reform and future sector support for EC (European Commision) intervention in the framework of ENPI (European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument) assistance.

Although considered one of the tools for facilitating HRD in a lifelong learning context in Jordan, TVET (technical and vocational education and training) has a low status in Jordanian society and continues to be perceived as a last-resort educational option; it thus lacks support that is sufficiently effective to enable it to adapt to rapid changes in the economy. Developed in the 1970s, supply-oriented and with a high level of centralisation, the current TVET system is fragmented, with programmes that are designed and implemented in the absence of an overall national strategy. The National Agenda launched by the Jordanian government in 2005 identifies proposals for employment and TVET that go a long way towards establishing a policy for this area, mainly in terms of governance and management. It recommends the establishment of an umbrella Higher Council on Human Resource Development, an Employment and Technical Vocational Education and Training Council, an Employment and Training Fund, and an independent Quality Assurance Agency, and also the remodelling of the Vocational Training Corporation as an autonomous body. Although these reforms are far-reaching and provide an excellent basis for TVET reform, they do not constitute a comprehensive sector policy embracing all training providers. The National Agenda moves in the right direction and provides many elements for a comprehensive national strategy, but more needs to be done to pull the various elements into a coherent national plan.

Excerpts from publication reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.

The series of reports is indexed from TD/TNC 90.820 to TD/TNC 90.844. 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 (HRD); EU (European Union) and other donor policies and interventions; Mid-term perspective ETF intervention strategies; Human Resource Development Council (IPA 07-01); Education and Training 2010: NQF (National Qualifications Framework) development; Social inclusion; Entrepreneurship learning; Work Programme 2007: objectives and indicators. The ETF objective for Montenegro in 2007 is: Enhanced EU support for employment and HRD by way of partnership, capacity building and regional cooperation.

Apart from drawing on EU developments in vocational education and training (VET), Montenegro has not yet addressed the issue on how the wider education system, curriculum reforms, teacher training and the contribution of university-based research and development should be shaped to meet the demands of key areas of the economy and of an evolving knowledge and entrepreneurship society. These issues need to be addressed if Montenegro is to participate in mainstream EU developments and benefit from its own human capital potential. ETF assistance to Montenegro will support the EC (European Commission) and a range of Montenegrin partners in implementing labour market reforms consequent to economic transition, focusing particularly on employment concerns and education and training.

Excerpts from publication reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.

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

Cooperation between the education and business communities is an issue to which significant attention is now being given in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, both in the political discourse and within the expert community. However, the lack of dialogue and communication channels between the stakeholders within education itself, and between education and business communities, frequently acts as an obstacle to cooperation. The state is now making efforts to enhance education and business cooperation through changes in the existing legislation and policies and the adoption of new ones, however implementation across the country remains challenging. Although the overall picture is mixed, there are good examples: some secondary vocational education and training (VET) schools are beginning, through bilateral agreements, to achieve intensive cooperation, not only in the area of student practical training, but also in mutual exchange of services. With support from enterprises and the authorities, other schools are slowly but gradually following suit. Education and business achieve more dynamic and strategic cooperation in higher education. Motivated by legal obligations and the challenging economic situation, universities are enhancing efforts for cooperation with the business community, in part to attract funds. This also includes the development of opportunities through which students will be introduced to the world of work and their employability will be improved. This report makes an assessment of the main challenges for education and business cooperation in initial VET and higher education, and identifies corresponding recommendations.

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Evidence-based policy making is widely discussed in many countries as a way of ensuring more transparent and robust policies, and making policy-makers more accountable for meeting the needs and expectations of the constituencies they serve. In 2010, the [European Training Foundation] ETF launched the Torino Process with a view to offering interested partner countries a framework and technical support aimed at supporting progress in the [vocational education and training] VET area. The exercise, which will be repeated every two years, is ultimately intended to respond to the interest in robust assessment and in resources for VET policy making. This report presents the main findings of the Torino Process 2010, consolidating the findings of the individual country reports along the different dimensions deemed relevant to assessing VET systems and measuring VET policy progress.

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The European Training Foundation (ETF) Peer Review is an initiative that was launched in the South Eastern European countries in 2002. It combines policy advice to individual countries with a regional dimension. The key objectives for the peer reviews are to: provide an external assessment of vocational education and training (VET) reform policy initiatives for national policymakers; improve mutual knowledge and understanding of VET systems, issues and developments in the South Eastern European countries; promote regional networking, the exchange of experience, and cooperation among VET experts, stakeholders and policymakers; increase awareness and facilitate transfer of VET reform experience from European Union (EU) Member States and future member states; contribute to the CARDS and Phare programming cycle; and intensify cooperation between the ETF and national authorities/experts from the region. The peer review model developed by the ETF for 2005 is a cross-country approach with a regional focus on VET reform implementation in four South Eastern European countries - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Serbia. This report presents a synthesis of the outcomes of VET specialists from these countries reviewing curriculum, policy and actual practice across their own region. It synthesises analyses, findings and recommendations and has been formulated on the basis of individual country reviews. Show less

This paper provides an analytical review of the current state of vocational education and training (VET) in the candidate countries in Eastern and Central Europe and the MEDA region (Cyprus and Malta). It is intended to form the basis for further discussion between representatives of the candidate countries and the European Training Foundation’s Governing Board, to support the accession process of the candidate countries through the definition of their human resource needs, and to support strategic planning of future work by the ETF in these countries. The paper is based on in-depth discussion with representatives from the countries and the experience and expertise gained by the ETF in the last five years.

The paper consists of two parts. The first part presents a cross-country overview based on the analysis of the development of VET in each individual country. This section draws together common key areas where further improvement is required. The second part contains the study of the current state of development of VET in Lithuania. The country study begins with an overall assessment and then examines initial vocational training and continuing vocational training. Elements such as the legal and conceptual framework, the administrative and institutional system, financing, human resources in VET administration and the key features of VET delivery, are described. The study concludes with an overview of key employment issues and identifies priority areas for future development assistance. The range of candidate country reports are indexed from TD/INT 60.291 to TD/INT 60.300 and from TD/INT 61.101 to TD/INT 61.102. Show less