Meeting of the National Working Group on WBL

The European Training Foundation (ETF) is a specialised agency of the European Union based in Turin, Italy. The ETF provides advice and assistance to the European Commission and 29 partner countries for the reform of human capital development policies under the European Union’s external relations instruments. The ETF helps transition and developing countries to harness the potential of their human capital through the reform of education, training and labour market systems in the context of the EU’s external relations policy.
To raise the overall quality and status of VET in the context of the Copenhagen process and to meet the ET 2020 strategic objectives, the ETF supports the EU candidate countries in implementation and monitoring of a new set of Medium Term Deliverables (MTDs) for the period 2015-2020 as defined in the Riga Conclusions 2015.
One of the five MTDs focuses on work-based learning in VET (MTD 1): “Promote work-based learning in all its forms, with special attention to apprenticeships, by involving social partners, companies, chambers and VET providers, as well as by stimulating innovation and entrepreneurship.”
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has chosen work-based learning as a priority MTD for ETF support. The ETF supported the identification of relevant policy options in the area of work-based learning (ex-ante impact assessment). The report is available at the Ministry of Education.
The Working Group on work-based learning was established in 2017 by a decision of the Ministry of Education and Science and includes key stakeholders in the country. The Working Group is co-ordinated and chaired by the VET Centre.
The overall objectives of the Working Group are to:
• provide support for realistic priority and objectives setting;
• identify the needs for WBL;
• identify/define institutions and key process for WBL;
• provide recommendations, advice and orientation for implementation.
The main result of the Working Group will be a concept paper on WBL in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
The ETF will support the Working Group through expertise in 2017-2018. The first meeting of the Working Group will be held on 28 March, 2017.
The expected results of the first meeting are:
• a common understanding of the demand and need for WBL;
• a common understanding of the current supply of WBL;
• the identification of priorities regarding the demand and need for WBL (e.g. sectors, regions, target groups etc.);
• an agreement on further steps.