VYTAUTAS MAGNUS UNIVERSITY

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VYTAUTAS MAGNUS UNIVERSITY Centre for Vocational
Education and Reserach THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
AND TRAINING SYSTEM IN LITHUANIA Vidmantas
Tutlys 12 November, Kaunas 2007
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Reform of VET System

• The 1st stage (1988-1992)
• A new vision of VET was created, VET policy
  and strategy were formulated and international
  cooperation was developed. Organizational
  restructuring of the vocational schools.
• The 2nd stage (1993-1996)
• It is a stage of decentralization. The renewal
  of teaching and learning curriculum, development
  of social partnership, etc.
• The 3rd stage of the reform started in 1997
• Main goal - to achieve a level of VET in
  Lithuania that would correspond to international
  standards to assess the quality of study
  programmes to work out teaching/study standards.
  

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Documents regulating Education in Lithuania

• 1991 Law of Education
• 1992- The General Concept of Education in
  Lithuania
• 1997- Law of VET
• 1998 White paper of Vocational Education and
  Training
• 2000 Law of Higher Education
• 2007 Ammendment of the Law of VET introducing
  the national Qualifications System of Lithuania
• Other Classification of levels of Vocational
  Education, the Structure of the National
  Vocational Standard, Law of Special Education,
  Law of Non-formal adult Education
• On-comming legal regultions in 2008 Law of
  Qualifications for the legal approval of the
  National Qualifications System and NQF

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VET Administration structure

• Ministry of Education and Science (SMM) is
  responsible for the development of a general
  policy and strategy of VET (http//www.smm.lt)
• Ministry Social Care and Work (SADM) is
  responsible for labour market vocational training
  (http//www.ldrmt.lt)
• The Methodological Centre for VET guarantees
  didactical provision of VET and develops
  vocational education and training standards
  (http//www.pmmc.lt)
• Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority
  (LDRMT) implements the policy of labour market
  vocational training and counseling, expertise and
  coordination functions through regional
  authorities and training centres
  (http//www.ldrmt.lt)
• Centre for Vocational Education and Research at
  Vytautas Magnus University (VDU PRSC) is an
  institution that performs VET research
  (http//www.vdu.lt/prsc)

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Vocational Education and Training

• Vocational schools
• Colleges
• Professional colleges

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(No Transcript)
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Vocational schools

• Teaching programmes
• I stage vocational training
• For children under 14 years of age. Duration
  - 2-3 years. Opportunities are created for those
  who desire to acquire basic education and obtain
  a vocational qualification. First stage curricula
  lead to a Level 2 vocational qualification (ISCED
  2)
• II stage vocational training
• For basic school leavers who wish to obtain
  vocational qualification. Duration - 2 years.
  This curricula lead to a Level 3 qualification
  (ISCED 3)
• III stage vocational training
• For young people from the age of 16 who have
  already acquired a basic education. It provides
  an opportunity to obtain both professional
  qualification and a secondary school education.
  Duration - 3 years . Vocational qualification
  correspond to a Level 3 qualification (ISCED 3)
• IV stage vocational training
• For secondary school or gymnasium leavers
  who wish to obtain a vocational qualification.
  Duration - 1 - 2 years. The studies lead to Level
  4 qualification (ISCED 4)

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VET financing
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Creation of the National Qualifications System of
Lithuania

• On 7 March 2005, the Lithuanian Labour Market
  Training Authority commenced the implementation
  of a national level project Creation of the
  National Qualifications System as financed by
  the European Social Fund of the European Union.
• The principal aim of this project is to create a
  uniform and transparent qualifications system
  which would cover all levels of qualifications,
  secure transition between the levels, ensure the
  variety of ways of acquiring a qualification, and
  provides a possibility to flexibly respond to the
  requirements of the changing environment.

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What is the contents of the national
qualifcations system ?

• The NQS is composed of the following
  sub-systems
• 1. National framework of qualifications
  
• 2. Processes
• - designing of qualifications
• - supply / acquisition of qualifications
• - evaluation and recognition of qualifications
• - management and quality assurance of the
  NQS.

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What are the basic principles of the NQS ?

• - Relations between the system of
  activities and system of education.
• - Consideration of the education system
  of Lithuania its structure, development,
  experience, traditions, development trends.
• - Methodological validity. There is
  established the unified theoretical understanding
  of the qualifications and qualifications
  framework. The concepts of qualifications and
  framework of qualifications match the European
  Qualifications Framework.
• - Social partnership.
• - Transparency and comprehensibility of
  qualifications.
• - Compatibility of the processes and
  measures composing the NQS.

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National qualifications system
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Role of the NQF in the processes of the System -
Designing of qualifications
National Qualifications Framework
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Role of the NQF in the processes of the
System - Provision of qualifications
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Role of the NQF in the processes of the
System Evaluation and Recognition of
qualifications
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Challenges of the implementation of the
integrated NQS and NQF System of Education

• Integration of the higher education
  qualifications (especially provided by the
  universities) in the common framework.
• Institutional improvement of the transition
  pathways from the IVET to higher education and
  from the IVET to CVET.