The Government has approved the Draft Law on Vocational Education

The Government has approved the Draft Law on Vocational Education. Over the past year, the DECIDE project has been supporting its development, particularly by providing legislative drafting assistance and expert input—especially regarding new models of financing vocational institutions.

The draft law introduces a number of significant changes to the vocational education system. What will change:

– Reduced bureaucracy: there will be a single standard, and training programmes will be developed jointly by educational institutions and businesses;

– Abolition of institutional attestation;

– Grants for dual education will be available for workplace-based training;

– Simplified procedures for investment projects, including the possibility to invest in and lease vocational institutions;

– Supervisory boards will function as real decision-making bodies: together with employers, they will select the head of the institution, approve its strategy and financial plan;

– Educational institutions will operate as municipal non-profit enterprises, independently managing their funds and generating income through educational and other services.

Special attention is paid to modernising and adapting the content of education to the needs of the labour market. In particular, the modular structure of programmes will enable students to obtain professional qualifications through short-term courses.

There will only be two types of institutions left — vocational colleges and training centres — and learners will have official status as students or trainee officers.