Contract number 2003 NL/03/B/F/PP/157323 PACE Project: survey on VET systems and certification in Europe General Introduction This Survey Report contains the results of a survey in 6 European countries on national structures of vocational education and training and on the existing systems and procedures for job qualification and certification. The research was conducted as part of the PACE-project, a name that refers to: “Partial Certification for lower and medium level vocational training”. This project started on the 1st of October 2003 and will continue until the end of September 2005. The aim of the project is to provide suitable opportunities to people with limited learning capabilities to obtain a job qualification that will improve their chances on the labour market. The importance of the target group addressed by this project is considerable in terms of numbers and in terms of the difficulties experienced when attempting to find a job on the open labour market: people on lower and medium educational levels in need of suitable certification. This target group consists of the following subgroups (which may be partially overlapping): . People in sheltered work environments who are not in possession of an acknowledged job qualification . Unemployed people in disadvantaged positions: people with physical and/or mental disabilities . Young school deserters without a suitable job qualification . Adult learners who want to improve their job opportunities . Working people who want to improve their employability and present working skills . Immigrants needing new (partial) qualifications to evidence their skills and competences The project is carried out by 11 organisations (and their regional partners) in 6 European countries with substantial financial support from the Leonardo da Vinci Programme of the European Commission aiming at innovation in the vocational training sector. At this occasion the partners would like to express their gratitude for this support: Atrium Research & Innovatie BV (Geleen), the Netherlands; project coordinator FTB, Akamedia (Volmarstein), Germany COGAMI (Santiago de Compostela), Spain CESO (Maastricht), Trigos Support (Elsloo), ECABO (Amersfoort), all three in The Netherlands CAR (Timisoara), Romania Aisteda University (Alba Iulia), Romania BBJ (Ljubljana), Slovenia Second Chance School of Leeds, United Kingdom As a result of this survey the partners were able to identify gaps in the professional education and certification offer for which an effort in terms of development of new training programmes and partial certificates seems necessary and relevant. The results of this development will become available during the second year and will be presented to the educational sector in the participating countries and in other European countries. The prime and ultimate objective of the project is that people who are presently deprived of access to vocational training and consequently to job opportunities on the open labour market, will have appropriate opportunities in the near future for their personal development and full participation in social and economic life. Partial certification in combination with flexible and competence oriented approaches to learning, will most surely provide new opportunities to people who are threatened with lifelong exclusion from work. The authors expect that this Survey Report will pave the way for implementation of the project’s present and future outcomes in a broad European context. Drs. Joost Thissen, project manager Tel +31 46 4106374, project site www.pace-leonardo.org) 2 PACE Project: survey on VET systems and certification in Europe CONTENTS GERMANY 1. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... 8 2. THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN GERMANY.............................................. 8 2.1. Basic structure of Germany’s education system 2.2. Education levels pursuant to ISCED (International Standard Classification of Education) 3. THE VET & CERTIFICATION SYSTEM IN GERMANY........................... 10 3.1.Historical development 3.2.Legal framework 3.3.Financial framework 3.4.Organisations (accreditation bodies, national bodies, training providers, organisations with a specific interest) 3.5.Qualification systems 3.6.Quality standards / assurance in VET 3.6.1. Training Regulations (minimum standard) 3.6.2. Common Skeleton Curriculum 3.7.Assessment procedures & testing 3.7.1. Exam admission requirements 3.7.2. Assessment authority 3.7.3. Examination board 3.8.Practice of VET 3.8.1. Long term training programs 3.8.2. Short term training programs/ partial certification 3.9.Target group policies 3.9.1. Unskilled/ unemployed young people 3.9.2. People with disabilities 4. IT AND BA CERTIFICATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS.................. 19 4.1. Occupation profiles 4.1.1. Occupation profiles in the IT-sector 4.1.2. Occupation profiles in the BA-sector 4.2. Examples of partial certification at lower or medium educational level 4.2.1. Partial certification structuring or substituting fully acknowledged VET 4.2.2. Partial certification on the basis of qualification components 4.2.3. Other forms of partial certification 4.3. Chances at the labour market 5. REFERENCES......................................................................................... 24 6. APPENDIXES........................................................................................... 26 3 PACE Project: survey on VET systems and certification in Europe THE NETHERLANDS 1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................... 29 2. THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THE NETHERLANDS............................ 29 2.1. Initial education 2.2.Secondary education 2.3.Higher education 3. THE VET & CERTIFICATION SYSTEM IN THE NETHERLANDS.......... 31 3.1. Historical development 3.2. Legal framework 3.2.1. The right to education 3.2.2. The Adult & Vocational Education Act (WEB) 3.3. Financial framework 3.4. Organisations 3.4.1. Accreditation bodies 3.4.2. National bodies 3.4.3. Training providers 3.4.4. Umbrella organisations dealing with VET 3.5. Qualification systems 3.5.1. Two education and training pathways: college-based route and a work- based route 3.5.2. The four levels of qualification in vocational education and related courses 3.5.3. The qualification structure for adult education 3.5.4. Work experience as a compulsory component of vocational education 3.6. Quality standards and quality control 3.6.1. Board of examiners, biannual reports and the Teaching Inspectorate 3.6.2. CREBO, independent and approved examining bodies 3.6.3. Examining bodies combined in Excenter association 3.7. Assessment procedures & testing 3.8. Practice of VET, description of programs 3.9. Target groups policies 3.9.1. MBO and handicap 3.9.2. Trainings institutes for disabled people 4. IT AND BA CERTIFICATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS.................. 42 4.1. Qualifications in BA 4.1.2. Qualifications for secretarial work, company administration and automation 4.2. Qualification of the Administrative Employee 4.2.1. Job description 4.2.2. Main tasks of the Administrative worker 4.2.3. Job requirements 4.2.4. Partial certification for administrative worker 4.3. A new partial certification: Office Assistant 4.3.1. Lack of education for people with lower capacities 4.3.2. From ‘Administrative employee’ to ‘Office Assistant’ 5. REFERENCES......................................................................................... 45 6. APPENDIXES........................................................................................... 45 4 PACE Project: survey on VET systems and certification in Europe ROMANIA 1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................... 49 2. THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN ROMANIA.............................................. 50 2.1. Structure and organisation of initial education 2.1.1. Pre-primary education 2.1.2. Compulsory full-time education 2.2. Upper secondary and post-secondary education 2.2.1. Special needs 2.3. Structure and organisation of higher education 2.3.1. Structure and organisation of adult education - Lower and middle levels of VET in Romania 3. THE VET & CERTIFICATION SYSTEM IN ROMANIA............................ 55 3.1. Historical development 3.1.1. Establishment of Arts and Trades School 3.1.2. Establishment of completion year 3.1.3. Curriculum changes 3.1.4. Development of social partnerships 3.1.5. The current situation of the market of vocational training 3.2. The Legal Framework 3.3. The Financial Framework 3.4. Organisations Involved in VET 3.4.1. Accreditation Bodies 3.4.2. National Bodies 3.4.3. Training Providers 3.4.4. Other Organisations 3.5. The Qualification System 3.6. Quality Standards / Assurance 3.7. Assessment Procedures and Testing 3.7.1. Admission criteria 3.7.2. Final examinations 3.7.3. Certification 3.8. Practice of VET 3.9. Target groups policies 4. IT AND BA CERTIFICATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS...................... 67 4.1. AISTEDA’s fields of interest 5. REFERENCES............................................................................................. 69 5 PACE Project: survey on VET systems and certification in Europe SLOVENIA 1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................... 72 2. THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN SLOVENIA............................................. 72 2.1. Developments and framework structure 2.2. Structure and organisation of initial education 2.3. Structure and