ImproVET Opening Conference

The kick-off conference of the ImproVET project took place on Friday, 16 November 2018, in the Hotel International in Zagreb.

 The participants of the conference were project partners, representatives of companies, ministries and agencies, secondary vocational schools and other educational institutions.

Izvor: HGK ; Snimio: HGK.

Mr. Božo Pavičin, project manager, welcomed all the participants in the name of project consortium and pointed out the key role employers have in linking education to labor market needs, in process of qualification development which are defined on the basis of employers' needs for the skills and knowledge and job requirements. This project is a continuation of CCE efforts to contribute to the development of quality VET system and relevant programs with a strong work-based learning component.

Also in the opening part of the conference, Mr. Radovan Fuchs, Advisor to the Prime Minister for the coordination of the Expert Task Force for education reform and Ms Andreja Uroić Landekić, Head of Service for vocational education and training in the Ministry of Science and Education, addressed the audience and held the welcoming speeches.

"I am glad that in a project there is a symbiosis of science, profession and the needs of employers, but also because the project established the cooperation with Slovenia, because we share the same problems with regard to the workforce. We expect a lot from the results of the project and communication between employers and those who conduct education - vocational schools, which should be continuous and mutual, "said Mr. Fuchs.

; Izvor: HGK; Snimio: HGK.

Ms. Landekić also welcomed the cooperation of the two countries and expressed her belief that the new curriculum will be a valuable contribution to the overall reform of the education system. "The area of mechanical engineering is one of the priority areas of vocational education reform. It is important that students participate in the strengthening of the entire economy.”

Mr. Nino Buić, Assistant Director for European Affairs, International Cooperation and Projects at Agency for VET and Adult Education, project partner, held a presentation on the development of the curriculum in vocational education and promotion of student competences. "Inadequate work-based learning, low reputation of vocational education in society, and obsolete curricula are weaknesses of the vocational education system. The Agency for Vocational Education and Adult Education participates in the implementation of this and other projects whose value exceeds 40 million euro with the aim of modernizing the vocational education and training system, increasing its attractiveness, linking it with the labor market and strengthening the capacity of VET schools to implement contemporary vocational education.”

Ms. Urška Marentič, Deputy Director of the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Vocational Education and Training presented the main characteristic of the Slovenian Qualification Framework and its implementation in practice. The Registry of Qualifications is a publicly available information system, which provides a structured overview of all qualifications in Slovenia. The Registry is harmonized with the European system, thus enabling a comparison of qualifications achieved within very different qualifications systems in European countries. An additional qualification is a qualification that complements the individual's competence at the achieved level in a specific field of expertise and is related to the needs of the labour market. Additional qualification can be proposed by an employer, a group of employers or the employment office.

“We believe that a constant adaptation of knowledge, skills and competences from the field of mechanical engineering to the needs of fast technological development and goals of industry 4.0. and for this reason we will update the common qualification, "said Ms. Marentič.

In the final presentation of the event, Mr. Božo Pavičin presented ImproVET project facts and figures, planned activities and expected project results.