Ireland concludes its comprehensive review of quality assurance in Education and Training Boards

Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) announced the review of Ireland’s 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs) in February 2020. The review concluded in May 2022, and it sought to encourage the development of the quality culture within ETBs and improve public confidence in the quality of further education and training provision by promoting transparency and public awareness. This is the first time that such a review cycle is conducted within the sector, a process which has followed the internationally accepted methodology in a collaborative effort which has been supported by SOLAS and AONTAS. Following the recommendations of the reports by ETBs, action plans will be developed in the next phase, due in spring 2023, together with a follow-up report. Visit QQI’s website to learn more about the review.

France compétences and higher education evaluation institutions hold the annual conference on quality assurance

France compétences hosted the second edition of the annual conference on quality assurance in VET, in-person in Courbevoie (France) and online, on 7^th December 2022. The conference aimed to promote the consistency of the evaluation criteria used in the quality assurance of both VET and Higher Education. This year’s edition focused on the legal use of Qualiopi by French Higher Education institutions. It builds on the first edition of the conference which took place in November 2020, as it contributed to confirming the alignment of the evaluation frameworks of Higher Education institutions with the Qualiopi certification. The conference was organised together with the High Council for Evaluation of the Research and Higher Education (HCERES) and the Engineering Degrees Commission (CTI), with the participation of the relevant ministries. Read more about the 2020 edition of the conference here.

Slovak stakeholders involved in peer learning on quality assurance

Source: ŠIOV (State Vocational Education Institute), Slovakia

During October 2022, Slovak stakeholders have been involved in the discussion on quality assurance, a key element of the Slovakian National Reference Point’s (NRPs) activities. The NRP presented its view of quality assurance in adult education as a microsystem based on achieving a positive learning experience. Slovakia also launched learning mobilities focused on quality assurance in VET for policymakers and stakeholders, which led to meeting colleagues from the Spanish NRP in Madrid and visiting vocational secondary schools and Centres of Vocational Excellence in the Basque Country, Spain. Furthermore, in February 2023, the Slovak participants will explore the newly introduced graduate tracking system in collaboration with Croatian NRP.

Romania collaborates with the platform of the Centre of Excellence AGRIEdu

Romania is adapting its agricultural education offer to the competitive demands of today’s labour market by collaborating with the Centre of Excellence for Agri-Food Educational Resources and Sustainable Development’s portal, ‘AGRIEdu’. This portal is a platform that will bring together Romanian agricultural and food industry VET schools, universities, research institutes, companies, and local authorities. This will enable the exchange of best practices in professional training, which is already happening with different projects such as Talent for Romania, the Contest of Ideas for Circular Agriculture, or Technology Transfer Centres. Learn more about the platform by clicking on the following link: Acasă - Agriedu Portal (in Romanian)

The Czech Republic’s HR community is key to the cooperation of VET schools and companies

Source: Jiří Biskup, NPI Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic, cooperation between VET schools and companies is a growing concern within the HR community. The Czech labour market lacks qualified specialists, so companies are working with VET schools to invest in trainee programmes and develop VET internships. During September and October 2022, two main HR events took place -  a conference dedicated to the Y and Z generations ‘How to get them, how not to lose them’ and an HR experts´ fair. Both of the events discussed the changes in the labour market, including the digitalisation, flexibility and attractive job opportunities for young people. During the events, the  NRP delivered presentations on the cooperation between VET schools and companies, the obligations and benefits for both stakeholders. Tailored guidelines on cooperation with schools were disseminated, which included information on the EQAVET principles, quality cycle and on the European framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships. Find out about the Y and Z generation conference by clicking on the following link: Generation Y and Z conference (in Czech). Visit the following link to find out more about the HR experts’ fair: HR experts’ fair (in Czech).

Turkey organises self-assessment training sessions within the scope of the IQVET-3 project and the first Sustainability in Quality Practices and EQAVET Meeting

The first of the ‘Self-assessment training meeting’, organised to monitor the quality of schools, started in Ankara, Turkey. The meetings will be delivered in 25 provinces. During the meetings, information will be given on the updated self-assessment tools and processes within the scope of the IQVET-3 project. The IQVET-3 (‘Improving the quality of VET through establishment of sectoral centres of excellence operation’) project is delivered in the scope of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA II) and it is delivered in cooperation with the Directorate General of Vocational and Technical Education of the Ministry of National Education (the beneficiary), the Directorate of European Union and Financial Assistance of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (the operating structure) and the Delegation of the European Union to Turkey (the donor institution).

In addition, in Turkey the first ‘Sustainability in quality practices and EQAVET’ meeting was held in Ankara, and it will be held in 25 provinces in total. The aim of the meeting is to ensure the sustainability of quality practices in vocational and technical education and to increase participation in the EQAVET Network. The meetings will increase the quality of VET by developing knowledge, skills and competences in line with EQAVET via training teaching and administrative staff, improving learning environments and increasing cooperation between schools, social partners and the private sector through establishing Sectoral Centres of Excellence. Visit the following link to learn more about these events: Kalite Uygulamalarında Sürdürülebilirlik Toplantısı’nın İlki Ankara’da Yapıldı (in Turkish)

‘10 insights x four roles’: Collaborating on educational quality

Source: Nederland NRP EQAVET, The Netherlands

The Netherlands has developed the digital game ‘10 inzichten x vier rollen’ (‘10 insights x four roles’) which helps educational teams to reflect purposefully with people outside of their team, such as (educational) managers and support staff, on how they direct their work within the team's playing field. The aim of the game is to start the conversation about quality in educational teams. The game was developed by students of the Grafisch Lyceum Utrecht, based on the publications by the Expertise Working Groups of the Quality Assurance Network (KWN) and the EQAVET NRP. Educational teams at Graafschap College and a quality assurance core group at SOMA College worked with the game in pilot sessions. Both groups provided positive feedback on the game content. Participants were enthusiastic about the questions that came up and found the topics covered to be recognisable, relevant and current. Learn more about the game by visiting the following link (in Dutch).  

Digital Art Competition for students attending secondary schools in Malta and Gozo

The second 2022 edition of the Digital Art Competition, organised by the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation of Malta, took place with digital artworks submitted by the almost 100 students. The goal of the competition is to promote digital art among Maltese students, as well as raising awareness about the different forms of digital art. Students from aged from 5 to 16 years old could choose one of three themes – architecture, patterns, or people. They could choose to submit digital drawings, photographs, collages, and illustrations. The competition is a collaborative event between two vocational subjects, Media Literacy Education, and Information Technology, both of which are taught in various Maltese secondary schools. Visit Digital Art Competition 2022 - The Office of the Permanent Secretary to know more about this year’s competition, and view all the submitted artworks on the Maltese Facebook Media Literacy website.