Employers Participate in the Development of Vocational Programs

Minister of Education and Science of Georgia Tamar Sanikidze met with representatives of the private sector. The working meeting focused on the importance of employer involvement in the process of developing and implementing modular vocational programs.

With the aim of improving the quality of vocational education and preparing professional staff in accordance with employer demands, the Ministry regularly cooperates with employers and social partners.

For the development of the quality of vocational education, the Ministry is implementing the Program for Promoting the Development of Vocational Qualifications, which entails the review and updating of vocational standards, as well as the development and introduction of modular vocational programs. Employers are also actively involved in this process. The project is implemented within the framework of the European Union's 27 million assistance program, one of the priorities of which is the development and implementation of educational programs oriented towards labor market demands.

In order to increase the effectiveness of cooperation in vocational education, the social partnership model is being reviewed against the background of intensive communication. The goal of the project is to share the practices of European countries and involve social partners—employers, trade unions, and civil society—at all stages of the reform's implementation.

The Employers' Association expressed an initiative and readiness to coordinate employer involvement in the implementation process of the Program for Promoting the Development of Vocational Qualifications. The Ministry of Education and Science supported this initiative, which corresponds to the renewed approach towards social partnership and entails the co-implementation of actual projects.

Employers expressed their interest in participating in the aforementioned project and their readiness for further cooperation.

Within the framework of the "Program for Promoting the Development of Vocational Qualifications," the Ministry is carrying out training sessions for vocational teachers, involving 342 teachers from 70 public and private vocational institutions, as well as 127 representatives from the business sector, training centers, and professional associations. Participating teachers, experts, and employers are reviewing vocational standards and developing 60 modular vocational educational programs.

In 2014, within the framework of the program for promoting vocational qualifications, 100 vocational standards and 10 textbooks will be developed for 60 modular vocational programs in accordance with the methodology tested in Europe (DACUUM), and after consultations with colleges, the piloting of 50 modules will begin.