North Macedonia

North Macedonia
Event

The event presented key findings for North Macedonia gathered through the European skills and jobs...

R.7

Improve the responsiveness of VET through better quality and involvement

R.7.1 The ETF recommends reconsidering the rules of recruitment of teaching staff in order to open more flexible pathways into teaching for practitioners from the world of work.

R.7.2 The conditions of involvement of employers in VET and specifically in the provision of practical training/work-based learning (WBL) should be reassessed to identify gaps and fill them with clear guidance described in appropriate legislation on how this priority should work in practice. There should also be an additional investment in system-level capacity to take part in delivering VET, such as WBL, internships, or contributions to qualifications system development.

R.7.3 A major part of the recommended package of measures is prioritising work on the national qualification framework as an instrument for establishing solid connections between education, training and the world of work.

R.6

Improve career guidance in schools

R.6.1 The ETF recommends that the authorities responsible for labour market policy mobilise donor support and partnerships for the development of capacity for processing of labour market data, in view of using it to inform career guidance services and make them more reliable and accessible.

In addition, access to career guidance services should be expanded specifically to secondary schools, where the need for orientation seems to be greatest.

R.6.2 The authorities should modernise the focus of career guidance by expanding the promotion of digital literacy and including digital entrepreneurship as a specific focus of career guidance. This is in line with existing national and regional priorities.

R.5

Prioritise pre-emptive action against youth unemployment

The plans for VET and education reform are comprehensive, but for the sake of feasibility, the ETF recommends prioritising those items which international best practice shows can be effective in preventing youth unemployment through education and training.

R.4

Capitalise on the existing knowledge and skills of the population

The ETF recommends sustaining and reinforcing the activity of the Council on Adult Education, which has initiated work on a system for the validation of non-formal and informal learning in the country.

R.3

Reinforce the quality and transparency of private provision of adult education and training

The European Training Foundation (ETF) recommends a stronger, more coordinated approach to the regulation of private providers of AET, strengthening of the institutional capacity for the coordination of AET, introducing baseline criteria for institutions (public and private) which wish to become providers, and upgrading the mechanism of verification into a system of licensing and external quality assurance for adult education.