The Peer Review, held from 21 to 23 November, focused on the recently designed Slovakian system of validation of non-formal education and informal learning (VNFIL) in terms of quality assurance.

The seventh EQAVET Peer Review was hosted by the State Vocational Education Institute (SIOV) and Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport.

Seven EQAVET Network members from Belgium-Flanders, Czechia, Hungary, Portugal, and Slovenia acted as peers.

In recent years, Slovakia implemented several important measures to complement its national system of VNFIL. A pilot project has been in place since 2020 to develop and test the new system prior to its full implementation. The Strategy for Lifelong Learning and Guidance 2021-2030, adopted in 2021, also contributed to defining the system and foresees a new Act on lifelong learning which is currently under preparation.

The Slovakian hosts detailed the practicalities of the new system of validation, including its institutional components and their role with insights from selected representatives, the place of the candidates in the system of validation as well as actions from the State to ensure the success of the new system of validation of VNFIL.

The peers had the opportunity to discuss the set-up of the qualification validation processes of the new Slovakian system, as well as the elements of quality assurance to help improve the model before the pilot is scaled up and the legislation adopted.

Check out the flash report summarising the main outcomes of the discussion.

Another report with detailed feedback from the peer reviewers will be shared with the host country.