In Prague, the senior directors discussed vocational education, the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Czech Republic
Prague, October 11, 2022 – Yesterday and today, an informal meeting of senior directors responsible for the field of vocational education (DGVT) was held in Prague within the framework of the Czech Presidency. The main topics were changes in competences for the needs of the labor market and their impact on vocational training and the educational needs of Ukrainian refugees. The meeting was led by the director of the EU Department of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Martin Fatura, and the meeting was followed by the head of the Vocational Education Department of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Marta Stará. In addition to representatives of EU member states and waiting states, the event was also attended by representatives of the European Commission, the European Trade Union Confederation, the Confederation of European Business, SGI Europe and SMEunited.
The discussion of the directors of the twenty-seventh was focused on the challenges in vocational education caused mainly by the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine and also the energy crisis. A big topic was the question of the ability of educational systems to respond to them and their connection to lifelong learning.
“The covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis highlight the need for a Europe-wide discussion on the flexibility of our education systems. In the future, it will be appropriate for continuous education to become part of the life of each of us. The education system should provide us with the necessary foundation, especially in the field of vocational education, so that pupils and students have the opportunity to choose the direction of their focus, which they will further advance or deepen in their professional life according to their needs and the situation on the labor market. I believe that today’s discussion will help with the search for possible solutions,” said the director of the EU department at the beginning of the discussion Martin Invoice
During the meeting, the participants recalled the 20-year anniversary of the Copenhagen Process to strengthen European cooperation in the field of vocational education. This supports the use of different training opportunities in the context of lifelong learning, is through lifelong learning tools and is an integral part of the strategic framework “Education and Training” (ET 2020) to contribute to the fulfillment of the Europe 2020 strategy objectives in the field and training.
Director of the Department of Work and Skills of the European Commission Manuela Gelengová she praised the presented proposals for measures to improve the quality of vocational education by the Czech Republic and stated that they can be an inspiration for other countries as well.
The meeting participants further discussed measures to fulfill the recommendations of the Council for Vocational Education and Training 2020 and the outputs of the Osnabrück Declaration, while agreeing that in the field of vocational education, greater emphasis needs to be placed on cooperation with employmentteli when setting up competence models. At the end of the meeting, representatives of the European Commission presented the preparations for declaring the year 2023 as A year of competence.
The meeting of senior directors responsible for the field of vocational education was opened by the director of the EU department of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Science, Martin Fatura.
The meeting was led by Marta Stará, head of the Vocational Education Department of the Ministry of Education and Culture.
Meeting of senior directors responsible for the field of vocational education.
The topic was, for example, changes in competences for the needs of the labor market and their impact on vocational education.