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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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The is the sixth innovation report since the announcement of 'Backing Australia's ability', the Australian government's five year innovation statement. It provides an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of Australian government departments and agencies against the themes of 'Backing Australia's ability', along with their progress in addressing broader national goals through their implementation of the National Research Priorities. The report additionally presents the findings of the third Australian Innovation Scorecard, comparing Australia's innovation performance to that of other countries in the OECD. It thus provides a broader global context for Australia's innovation activities and a means of tracking the nation's progress in an increasingly competitive global economy. Finally, the report outlines the important role that key institutions and strategic planning processes are playing in informing the future of Australian science and innovation and ensuring that Australia remains well-placed to benefit from its investments in the future.

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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.

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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.

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

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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[This report] is designed to support international engagement by the Australian [vocational education and training] VET sector by articulating some of the opportunities available and also some of the challenges faced. It is designed to encourage a shared vision, and greater collaboration and partnerships, amongst the key stakeholders of the sector. [This report] provides an overview of the Australian VET sector as well as Australia’s international education and training engagement, in order to ‘set the scene’ for the operating environment of the sector. Some key issues in the international education and training arena for the Australian VET sector have been highlighted. [This report] then proposes a range of objectives and strategies to maximise the opportunities available in the period 2007-2011.

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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

This annual report for 2002-03 contains information about the Department of Education, Science and Training's (DEST's) role, its corporate governance arrangements and management accountability framework, and its performance against the outcomes and outputs framework set out in the 2002-03 Portfolio Budget Statements. The first two chapters contain the Department Secretary's review of the year and an overview of DEST. Chapters three to five report on DEST's performance in achieving the following outcomes: students acquire high quality foundation skills and learning outcomes from schools; individuals achieve relevant skills and learning outcomes from post-school education and training for work and life; and Australia has a strong science, research and innovation capacity and is engaged internationally in science, education and training to advance its social development and economic growth. Chapter six looks at management and accountability arrangements. Included as appendices are: Occupational health and safety; Freedom of information; Payments to advertising and marker research organisations; Discretionary grants; Consultancies; Ecologically sustainable development and environmental performance reporting; Commonwealth disability strategy; Financial statements; Glossary and acronyms; Tables and figures. Show less

This report presents vocational education and training (VET) policy developments in the Montenegro between 2015 and 2019. It covers all five Europe-wide priority areas or medium-term deliverables (MTDs) agreed at Riga in June 2015. The five MTDs are: (1) MTD 1 - Work-based learning with special focus on apprenticeships; (2) MTD 2 - Quality assurance mechanisms in line with European Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training (EQAVET) and continuous information and feedback loops to initial and continuing VET; (3) MTD 3 - Access to vocational education and training (VET) and qualifications for all through more flexible and permeable systems, guidance and validation of non-formal and informal learning; (4) MTD 4 – Key competences in both initial VET (IVET) and continuing VET (CVET); and (5) MTD 5 – Systematic initial and continuing professional development of VET teachers, trainers and mentors. The report has been drafted within the terms of the mandate given to the European Training Foundation (ETF) by the Riga Conclusions to monitor and analyse progress made by the EU candidate countries towards the MTDs. This document is based on the annual monitoring reports submitted by Montenegro to the ETF.

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