OECD Reviews of Vocational Education and Training A Skills beyond School Review of the Slovak Republic

Higher level vocational education and training (Vet) programmes are facing rapid change and intensifying challenges. What type of training is needed to meet the needs of changing economies? How should the programmes be funded? How should they be linked to academic and university programmes? How can employers and unions be engaged? The country reports in this series look at these and other questions. They form part of Skills beyond School, the Oecd policy review of postsecondary vocational education and training. Acknowledgements 5 Table of contents 7 Summary: Strengths, challenges and recommendations 11 Strengths of the Slovak VET system 11 Challenges and recommendations 12 Chapter 1. Introduction 15 The policy review of The Slovak Republic and its place in the wider OECD study 16 The structure of the report 16 Snapshot of the education system 17 Strengths of the Slovak VET system 24 Chapter 2. Apprenticeship and work-based learning 33 Challenges: Lack of work-based learning 34 Recommendation: Developing work-based learning 40 Supporting arguments for point 1: General arguments for work-based learning 40 Supporting arguments for point 2: Establishing a full apprenticeship system 44 Notes 52 References 53 Chapter 3. Developing post-secondary vocational pathways 55 Challenges: Limited provision and increasing demand 56 Recommendation: Developing post-secondary vocational programmes 61 References 66 Chapter 4. Better data 69 Challenges: Lack of data on key labour market outcomes 70 Recommendation: Improving data on labour market outcomes 72 Notes 76 References 77 Chapter 5. Vocational teachers and trainers 79 Challenges: Little industry experience, ongoing skills updating, and aging teaching staff 80 Recommendation: Developing the vocational teaching workforce 83 Note 85 References 86 Chapter 6. Integrating groups at risk 87 Challenges: Disadvantaged groups and youth at risk 88 Recommendation: Using VET to achieve more social inclusion 92 References 96 Chapter 7. Preserving and improving general skills 99 Challenges: Increasing need for general skills, but insufficient provision 100 Recommendation: Tackling basic skills weaknesses 104 Notes 108 References 109 Annotation Higher level vocational education and training (VET) programmes are facing rapid change and intensifying challenges. What type of training is needed to meet the needs of changing economies? How should the programmes be funded? How should they be linked to academic and university programmes? Mihály Fazekas And Lucia Mytna Kurekova. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 107-109)