Graduate tracking – a new series of case studies in the Netherlands

The Netherlands NRP has published three case studies to gain insight into the current state of VET graduate tracking on VET provider level in the Netherlands and in other Member States. The series of three short papers will be translated into a longer research paper in 2023, where the overall conclusions will be presented. The goal of the longer research paper is to provide guidelines, best practices and lessons learned from the three case studies. Tracking graduates can provide insight in the quality of the qualifications and the programmes offered in VET and, to a certain extent, show how well the programmes meet labour market needs. In this way, graduate tracking can be used for different goals, which include keeping the curricula up to date to make sure students learn relevant skills for employability or to improve career counselling and guidance for current and future students.

Access the three case studies (in Dutch) at the links below:

• https://eqavet.nl/graduate-tracking-case-study-1/
• https://eqavet.nl/graduate-tracking-case-study-2-g4-vet-institutes/
• https://eqavet.nl/graduate-tracking-case-study-3-using-data-to-improve-the-quality-of-a-vet-program-in-the-netherlands/

Advancing Educational Quality in the Vocational Education: a developmental programme for leaders in quality assurance in Dutch VET

In January 2023, the Dutch NRP started a developmental programme for leaders in the Dutch Vocational Education. Over a course of four sessions, a group of around 20 educational leaders will work on enriching the educational quality of their own institutions, as well as the vocational education in general. During the first session, the NRP will work on setting a clear and reachable goal for the participating educational professionals from different vocational education providers in the Netherlands. The participants in the programme start by formulating their own development goals, together with considering the current challenges of educational quality. Sessions two and three will focus on mindset, setting up the right network, and the tools needed to reach the intended results. In the final session, participants will reflect on their set goals and how far they have come. The four sessions will take place in a period of four months and, between each session, participants will have the time to work on their network and put into practice the skills acquired from previous sessions. Due to a high volume of applications received, the Dutch NRP has set up a new developmental programme, which started in March 2023.

DEQA-VET publishes the ’Quality Initiatives of Intermediary Institutions’ study

The German Federal Institution of Vocational Education (DEQA-VET) published the English version of the study ’Quality Initiatives of Intermediary Institutions’. The study conveys how intermediate institutions do not only perceive an important legal mandate in German VET, and they also show a variety of activities targeting the quality of VET. Those activities were the main focus of the DEQA-VET study called “Quality initiatives of intermediate institutions (IHK/ HwK)”, which deals with quality initiatives developed and act out at the intermediate level using the example of the IHK and HwK. Read the study and look at the EQAVET case study for further information.

‘Career Counselling and Integrated Skills Strategy 2030’ webinar organised in Poland

On January 31, the Education and Guidance Counselling Department of the Education Development Centre, in Warsaw, Poland, organised a free online webinar entitled ’Career Counselling and Integrated Skills Strategy 2030 (ZSU 2030)’. The event introduced the concept and assumptions of ZSU 2030; outlined how career counselling is to be carried out in the context of the ZSU 2030; and it proposed practical solutions for the implementation of ZSU 2030.The event was aimed at career counsellors, including school career counsellors, employees of teacher training centres; psychological and pedagogical counselling centres employees; pedagogical library employees; and vocational training coordinators. During the webinar, the importance of design and implementation of a consistent policy for developing skills in line with the idea of lifelong learning was stressed. Emphasis was placed on professional development of career advisors, including the promotion of the use of various methods, tools and data sources to support related tasks to career counselling. Attention was also drawn to the need to develop national and international offers and to improve the quality of practices and internships for career advisors regarding staff development. Click on the links below to find out more.

Webinar information (in Polish): https://www.ore.edu.pl/2023/02/podsumowanie-webinarium-doradztwo-zawodowe-a-zintegrowana-strategia-umiejetnosci-2030-organizowane-przez-wdez/

Career counselling portal (in Polish) : https://doradztwo.ore.edu.pl/

EQAVET NRP Slovakia was inspired by Croatia for implementing graduate tracking measures

In February 2023, the Slovakian EQAVET NRP organised a learning mobility meeting in Croatia, focused on graduate tracking in VET for Slovak policy makers and stakeholders. EQAVET NRPs in Slovakia and Croatia discussed the implementation of graduate tracking measures with other stakeholders. The meeting was hosted by the Croatian NRP (AVETAE) in Zagreb. It provided a floor for discussing the development and piloting of the methodology and instruments for graduate tracking at providers’ level. The presentation by the Croatian NRP about implementation, benefits, challenges and plans for the near future will help enforce and promote this quality tool in Slovakia.

In addition, the Slovakian NRP had the opportunity to visit three vocational secondary schools which have been involved in graduate tracking since launching the NRP’s initiative. This allowed for the sharing of experiences and practical aspects of graduate tracking implementation in their institutions. Discussions with teachers and school managers were received with enthusiasm and a positive attitude despite the challenging tasks that come with graduate tracking and building conditions for feedback collection and its processing.

Greece launches the piloting of QA methodology for IVET programmes

The Greek EQAVET NRP, National Organisation for the Certification of Qualifications and Vocational Guidance (EOPPEP), is implementing the ’Towards an Enhanced Post Covid VET- EPOS VET‘ proposal. The main aim of the proposal is to develop and pilot an integrated quality assurance methodology for initial vocational training programmes. At this point, EOPPEP has developed three main documents. First, the QA methodology for IVET programmes; second, a guideline for the implementation of the methodology; and finally, a more specific implementation manual, addressed to initial vocational training institutions that will implement the piloting phase, which is now in progress. Currently, the piloting phase of the QA methodology for IVET programmes is being conducted by two public IVET institutions - the thematic (STEAM) public IVET institution (DIEK) of Aegaleo and the experimental public IVET institution (DIEK) of Glyfada. The two public IVET institutions have submitted the initial draft deliverables and the EOPPEP is closely monitoring the piloting and providing support and guidance to fine-tune the process.

PLA Webinar Benefits and mutual learning in Transnational Peer Reviews

Registrations are open for the 21 April webinar organised by the NRPs from Croatia, Estonia (HAKA), Finland, and Slovenia, on the importance of Peer Review by VET providers as a method to complement overall external evaluation and further develop transnational Peer Review process based on the experiences. This webinar is part of the EQAVET project to support quality assurance and help VET providers to assess and develop their own activities through international peer review. As such, the event will cover a range of topics, which include quality management in VET at the European level, the role and relevance of peer reviews, the benefits and challenges of transnational peer reviews, and the role of VET providers in the structure of the EQAVET framework. Additionally, the webinar will include the participation of keynote speaker Keith Brumfitt, who has assisted the EQAVET network since 2009. It is possible to register for the webinar until 12 April using the following link: https://forms.gle/Uat6gKp799Z13W4t7