Georgia 2024

Key takeaways

In 2024, VET in Georgia remains accessible for young learners and continues to support their progression and successful graduation. The system of initial VET is seen as an attractive option—more so than in many other countries. It allows learners to move smoothly from one level to the next, for example, from a basic to an advanced course in the same field. However, it is still relatively difficult to switch between different VET programmes or transition between vocational and general education, limiting overall flexibility. Access to learning is far more restricted for adults. Continuing VET and other lifelong learning opportunities remain limited due to a lack of capacity, even though demand is growing. While short-term training and retraining programmes have been introduced and some progress has been made through reforms, adult learners still face barriers to participation, especially in underserved regions.

Georgia’s VET system has strong ties to the labour market, thanks to work-based learning initiatives and employer involvement in programme design. These links help ensure that skills taught in VET reflect real workplace needs. Dual learning models have been introduced, and digital skills are now a required part of all programmes. Still, graduate employability remains a challenge. Many learners struggle to find jobs after finishing VET, in part due to a mismatch between training and labour market expectations. In addition, access to clear and up-to-date information about career pathways and training options is still limited, which may also affect employment outcomes. The system is gradually beginning to address green skills, but this remains an area for further development.

In terms of system organisation, Georgia has made progress in quality assurance and school leadership. Institutions regularly assess their performance, and external reviews are supported by updated standards that include stakeholder feedback. A new teacher policy promotes structured induction, evaluation, and professional development, while a performance-based funding model supports the recruitment of teachers with industry-relevant expertise. Human and financial resources are generally managed efficiently, but resource shortages remain a concern, especially in some regions. Although infrastructure upgrades are under way, additional investment is needed to expand access and improve equity. Also, there is room to strengthen international exposure for both students and practitioners.

Access to learning

Monitoring in the area of access to and participation to learning helps countries assess the extent to which initial VET, continuing VET and other learning opportunities are accessible and attractive to all learners, regardless of their individual backgrounds or reasons for participating. The data also reflects how well learners can expect to progress through and graduate from these learning opportunities.

Opportunities for lifelong learning: access and participation

In 2024, initial VET (IVET) in Georgia remains widely accessible and supportive of learners. The Georgian Law on Vocational Education guarantees that all citizens can enrol in initial VET after completing basic education. Public and private providers also receive state funding, especially for programmes aligned with the economic and social priorities of the country.

Learners continue to benefit from smooth progression between education levels. However, the system still offers limited flexibility when it comes to switching between vocational and general education pathways. To address this, midterm evaluations and extracurricular activities have been introduced to support learner retention and strengthen the overall learning experience. In 2024, new policies also support the recognition of non-formal and informal learning at the institutional level.

Access to vocational learning for adults remains much more limited. Adult education is still fragmented, and continuing VET (CVET) struggles to meet growing demand due to capacity constraints. While short-term training and retraining programmes have been introduced, they have not yet reached the same level of accessibility or impact as initial VET. There is also a need to improve lifelong learning opportunities more broadly, including better access to employment-related training and support.

In response, Georgia has taken several policy steps. Short-term training and retraining have now been formalised within the CVET framework, with greater involvement from private training providers to better meet labour market needs. The creation of the Skills Agency and other support institutions aims to improve coordination, strengthen data systems, and provide more structured support for vocational and lifelong learning pathways.

In 2024, Georgia continues to offer accessible and supportive initial VET, backed by legislation, funding, and learner-focused policies. Adult education, however, remains less developed and struggles to meet demand. Recent reforms, including short-term training programmes and institutional improvements, are promising steps toward a more coordinated and inclusive approach. To build on this progress, further investment in CVET and broader lifelong learning opportunities will be key to ensuring that all learners can access relevant training and skills development, regardless of their age.

The Torino Process is a regular review of national systems of vocational education and training as well as adult education. It is designed to analyse the ways in which national VET systems (including adult education) address the challenges of human capital development in a lifelong learning perspective. It was established by the European Training Foundation (ETF) in 2010 and has been carried out in partner countries in Southeastern Europe, Turkey, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean ever since.

Monitoring in the context of the Torino Process describes the extent to which countries deliver on their commitments to learners in support of their learning through life (lifelong learning - LLL) in three major areas of policy and system performance: access to learning, quality of learning, and system organisation.

Quality of learning

Quality and relevance of learning is the area of monitoring that identifies how successfully the VET system provides basic skills and key competences to both young and adult learners. It highlights the relevance of VET programmes to the world of work and how effectively VET graduates transition into the labour market. Additionally, it monitors efforts to promote excellence across key domains, including pedagogy, professional development, programme content, governance, and social inclusion, as well as the openness of the VET system to innovation in response to the evolving needs of learners and labour markets.

Lifelong learning outcomes: quality and relevance, excellence and innovation

In 2024, VET in Georgia continues to maintain a strong link to the labour market through reforms that support work-based learning and encourage flexible partnerships with businesses. The introduction of dual learning models—where at least half of the training takes place in real workplace settings—is an important step toward making training more relevant and hands-on.

There have also been improvements in basic skills. Georgia has managed to reduce the share of students with low achievement in core competences across both general and vocational education. Among adults, ICT proficiency has increased – another sign of progress in foundational skill development.

Still, despite these efforts, VET graduates continue to face difficulties when entering the workforce. Employability remains below the international average, due in part to a continued mismatch between the skills provided in training and the needs of employers. Surveys also highlight gaps between employer expectations and graduate readiness. A contributing factor may be that students often lack access to clear, up-to-date information on available professions and education programmes.

At the same time, the VET system remains responsive to evolving labour market demands.

Ongoing reforms aim to close the employability gap. The alignment of the Skills Agency with the Global Skills Taxonomy and the active involvement of the private sector in developing qualifications are designed to make VET more relevant and demand driven. In 2024, efforts to engage employers in shaping new qualifications continue, supported by a strong focus on innovation, excellence in governance, and inclusive access to learning. However, while promising practices exist, many innovative approaches have yet to spread widely across the system.

Digital skills are well embedded in Georgian VET: all programmes include digital competences as a standard component, helping learners prepare for a technology-driven labour market. In contrast, the integration of green competences is still in the early stages, and the system has yet to fully reflect the growing importance of sustainability-related skills.

In 2024, Georgia has strengthened the connection between VET and the labour market through dual learning models, digital integration, and employer involvement in qualification design. Foundational skills have improved, and the system remains open to innovation. However, graduate employability is still below average, reflecting ongoing gaps between training content and labour market needs. Continued reforms focused on aligning programmes with employer expectations and expanding green skills will be essential for ensuring that VET prepares learners for both current and future challenges.

System organisation

System organisation is the area of monitoring that captures performance across various domains of management and administration. It examines whether practitioners and leaders have access to data and evidence to support informed decision-making, the level of stakeholder involvement in VET governance, the quality and capacity of staff in leadership positions, and the degree of internationalisation. Additionally, monitoring the allocation of human and financial resources to the VET system helps assess whether these resources effectively support teaching, training, and learning.

System organisation: management and resourcing

In 2024, VET in Georgia continues to make progress in areas like quality assurance and institutional accountability. External reviews and updated authorisation standards now include stakeholder feedback, helping to ensure that quality processes are meaningful and responsive. School-level quality assurance has improved since 2023, but some of the mechanisms that hold schools accountable have weakened, which could affect how transparent and responsive the system is overall.

Leadership across VET institutions remains a strong point. There are targeted efforts to attract and retain qualified professionals, particularly in remote areas. The launch of a national Capacity Building Programme, along with the creation of Skills Hubs and Centres of Excellence, has helped strengthen management across the system.

There is also renewed focus on improving teaching. A new national teacher policy now supports better induction, regular evaluation, and ongoing professional development. Funding is tied to performance, encouraging schools to hire teachers with up-to-date industry skills and support them as leaders in vocational learning. Human and financial resources are managed relatively efficiently under this system.

Georgia is also working to strengthen its use of data and support evidence-based decisions. Progress has been made in consolidating VET data and testing new approaches to research, but gaps remain. There is still limited data in some areas, and the involvement of external stakeholders in decision-making remains uneven. The Skills Agency plays a central role in addressing these issues and promoting more coordinated approaches.

The country is also making strides in internationalisation and infrastructure development. Reforms include aligning qualifications with European standards, introducing the Europass diploma format, and increasing participation in Erasmus+. Infrastructure upgrades are under way, but more investment is needed—particularly to expand VET provision in regions where adults have limited access to learning opportunities.

In 2024, VET in Georgia continues to build on strong foundations in quality assurance, leadership, and teacher development. Resources are managed efficiently, and infrastructure is improving, but gaps remain in stakeholder engagement and access to reliable data. The system also faces challenges in expanding provision to underserved areas. Recent reforms—such as the creation of Skills Hubs and the link between funding and performance—aim to strengthen responsiveness and ensure that vocational learning meets the needs of both learners and the labour market.

Promoting access and participation in opportunities for lifelong learning

Supporting quality and relevance of lifelong learning

Index of system performance

International comparability of performance results

Alongside findings on system performance, the Torino Process also provides insights into how internationally comparable each country’s results are, how much they might be affected by bias, and how critically countries assess their own progress. This is possible because the monitoring process tracks where each piece of data comes from, what type of evidence is used, and how results are calculated—including for Georgia.

In 2024, Georgia’s monitoring results were more internationally comparable than those of most other countries participating in the Torino Process. At the same time, these results were slightly more prone to bias, as many were based on self-assessments rather than external data. This combination suggests that while solid data is available in some areas, other areas still rely heavily on internal reporting. Georgia also tends to rate the performance of its VET system more positively than most other countries in this monitoring round, suggesting a relatively optimistic view of national progress.