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ERIC Number: ED587190
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 68
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Work-Based Learning in EU Candidate Countries
Thomas, Stefan
European Training Foundation
Work-based learning (WBL) and in particular apprenticeship have been high on the policy agendas of many countries and international organisations for several years. The five EU candidate countries--Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey--are no exception. Together with the EU Member States, they have agreed on a new set of medium-term deliverables that includes WBL. All five countries have also become part of the European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA). In the candidate countries, vocational education and training (VET) is mainly provided in three- and four-year programmes which are deeply rooted in the formal education system. The four-year programmes usually lead to certificates that allow learners to enter higher education. Very few of these three- and four-year programmes have compulsory WBL components. An exception is Turkey, where all four-year programmes include a small compulsory WBL part. Turkey is also the only country that has established an apprenticeship system. In most of the candidate countries, the regulatory frameworks provide the policy cover for WBL during formal three- and four-year VET. Curriculum frames usually include general subjects, vocational theory and vocational practice. The main goal of this paper is to provide a brief and clearly structured snapshot of WBL. The document will contribute to the international debate and support mutual learning among the candidate countries. The paper addresses the following questions: (1) Which national institutions and stakeholders are involved in WBL?; (2) To what extent is practical training, and in particular WBL, anchored in formal (upper) secondary VET programmes?; (3) Are there cooperation mechanisms for WBL in place?; (4) How is WBL financed?; and (5) Are there systems in place to prepare teachers and trainers for WBL? The analysis also covers the following two aspects of WBL: (1) Are learning outcomes or learning objectives specified for the WBL components of the VET programmes?; and (2) Are there assessment procedures or tools for WBL in place? Further, the annexes provide detailed information for each candidate country on the following issues: (1) How many and what kind of VET programmes (occupation, sector) are offered in the country?; (2) How many students are enrolled in those VET programmes?; (3) How many schools offer those VET programmes?; and (4) When were those VET programmes last reformed, and are there plans for future reforms? [With inputs from Linda Rama, Sirma Ilijoska Trifunovska, Armen Cekic, Jasminka Cekic Markovic, and Feyhan Evitan.]
European Training Foundation. Available from: EU Bookshop. e-mail: bookshop@publications.europa.eu; Web site: http://bookshop.europa.eu/en/home/
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative; Numerical/Quantitative Data
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Policymakers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: European Training Foundation (ETF) (Italy)
Identifiers - Location: Albania; Yugoslavia; Montenegro; Serbia; Turkey; European Union
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A