National Peer Review in Croatia

As part of the EQAVET National Reference Point project, the Agency for Vocational Education and Training and Adult Education underwent a national Peer Review activity in collaboration with three VET schools (Medical school in Bjelovar, School of Industry and Craft in Slatina and Vocational school Vinkovci) and nine teachers who acted as peers. The Peer Review was aimed at schools that are improving their internal quality assurance processes, are undergoing self-evaluation and wanted feedback from colleagues on the quality of specific areas they are working on. Visit the website for more information about the Peer Review.

Quality initiatives relating to VET at intermediate level in Germany

In Germany intermediate institutions, most prominently chambers of craft and chambers of industry and commerce, play a central role regarding the quality and implementation of VET. They have a legal mandate to fulfil as part of the governance structure of German VET, and they show further great commitment through a variety of activities in the field of quality assurance in VET. Those activities were the focus of the DEQA-VET study called ‘Quality initiatives of intermediate institutions – the offer of the chambers.’ The study looked at 192 quality initiatives offered by chamber organisations, covering 100 of the 132 chambers of craft and chambers of industry and commerce throughout Germany. It highlighted five types of initiatives that offer different approaches to quality assurance and development – award, training, consulting, networking initiatives and working aids. Such quality initiatives by intermediary institutions offer a range of support for successful training practices. Visit the National Reference Point website to read the study (the working language is German, an English version will be available at the end of 2022) or visit the webpage to read a report summary (the working language is English).

‘Models of consulting work in Poland and Europe’ – conference on best practices  

The international conference brought career counsellors together to share experiences, tools, and to look at the professional status of career counsellors in Europe. The conference, which took place online on 15 June 2022, highlighted the achievements of Polish career guidance and presented the role of EQAVET and the International Association of Education and Vocational Guidance. The event included contributions from Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Germany and Hungary who presented the career counselling system in their countries. Visit the Polish National Reference Point website to read more about the conference (the website's working language is Polish).

National camping health and safety challenge for secondary school health and social care VET students in Malta

In Malta and Gozo there are 20 secondary schools which offer the VET subject Health and Social Care to students aged 13 to 16 years. To make the subject more interesting and more age-appropriate, a Camping Health and Safety Challenge was organised on a national level for students. This was the first challenge to be organised for this subject since its initiation in 2011. The students who participated showed extreme creativity and amalgamated the leisure aspect of camping activities with the health and safety knowledge they learnt in school. Senior managers, teachers and students said that the activity was practical, useful and enjoyable. Visit the Government of Malta’s website for more information (the working language is English).