Country example - The Czech Republic Promoting Life-long Learning - System of Recognition of Qualifications National System of Qualifications

- Life-long learning – only 5.6% (EU 27 – 9.6% in 2006) - Lisbon recommendation for the CR: „further modernise employment protection, including legislation and tax and benefit systems, improve efficiency and equity in education and training especially in their responsiveness to labour market needs, provide incentives to invest in training, particularly for older workers and the low-skilled, and increase the diversification of tertiary education supply“.

- life-long learning is one of the main priorities of the ESF Operational Programmes (OP Human Resource Development, Single Programming Document for Objective 3 Prague) - in the Programming period , Education for Competitiveness OP (allocation bil EUR) - priority axis on Further Education with the allocation of 289 mil EUR (+ app. 230 mil EUR for the entire educational system) - focused on the development of the systemsfor life-long learning and individual learning

- OP Human Resources and Employment (allocation bil EUR ) will focus on adaptability Operational Programme Human Resource Development ( ) - project “National System of Qualifications”

Basic components and bodies of the system of recognition of qualifications in the CR - Act on Recognition of Qualifications (2006-7) - National System of Occupations – description of occupations (system to be developed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs) - National System of Qualifications – description of qualifications requirements (system under development by the Ministry of Education, Youths and Sports) - National Institute of Vocational Education

- Sectoral councils – representatives of employers → their requirements into the descriptions of occupations and qualifications - Authorized persons – subjects entitled to organize the exams and award the certificates - Authorizing bodies – Ministries awarding the authorizations in their sectors and assessing the descriptions of the qualifications - Ministry of Education, Youths and Sports – coordinator of the whole system, final approval of the qualifications

System of Recognition of Qualifications - CR National System of Occupations ↓ National System of Qualifications↓ Complete qualificationsPartial qualifications ↓ Initial Education Life-long learning (Framework Educational (programmes, Programmes → Schools courses) Educational Programmes)

NSQ serves as a register of complete and partial qualifications recognized in the CR. Ability to perform specific occupation; usually coresponds to the particular education. - complete qualification Ability to perform specific activity or more activities at the labour market. - partial qualification

Qualification standard – will set what is necessary for acquisition of relevant qualification - Set of required competencies (qualifications) Evaluation standard – will set how to verify the requirements of the qualification standard - set of criteria and means of evaluation of particular competencies (qualifications)

Examinations according to the evaluation standards of the partial qualifications will be performed by authorized persons Authorization to these persons will be awarded by authorizing bodies (relevant Ministries)

Creation of the NSQ - by March 2008 in the scope of the ESF project - 1. phase – creation of the proposals of the qualification and evaluation standards in the expert’s teams – 80 complete and 280 partial qualifications have been created

- 2. phase – discussions, assessment and modifications of the qualification and evaluation standards in the sectoral councils, 22 complete and 105 partial qualifications already went through phase – evaluation and approval of the qualification and evaluation standards by the Ministry of Education and the authorized bodies – at present for the first set of qualifications.