A representative of the Economic Chamber participated in the ETF Quality Assurance Forum, hosted by our country, and shared the Chamber’s experience in the vocational education and training (VET) system with forum participants from EU member states and candidate countries.

“The Chamber’s role in the VET system is reflected in three segments: technical, professional, and quality assurance. The Chamber’s technical role involves networking companies with vocational schools for mutual cooperation in delivering students’ practical training and promoting vocational and dual education, which has contributed to an increase in the number of students enrolled in vocational programs. The Chamber’s professional role is evident in the preparation of annual and biannual analyses of companies' skill needs, submission of requests for new qualifications to be offered through the education system, and in developing:

1.    Occupational standards that describe the knowledge, skills, and competences required for a student to perform tasks, duties, and functions within a profession;

2.    Qualification standards that define the knowledge, skills, and competences a student should possess upon obtaining the qualification; and

3.    Educational programs that outline what students need to learn in order to acquire the prescribed knowledge, skills, and competences to perform specific tasks and duties.

In addition, the Chamber participates in the harmonization of legal regulations, the drafting of systemic documents (concepts, strategies, and methodologies), and the creation of enrollment policies. In the field of quality assurance, the Chamber organizes mentor certification training and verifies companies for delivering practical training. The Chamber maintains registries of certified mentors and verified companies, as well as a web portal for the promotion of vocational education and training,” emphasized Natasha Janevska, M.A., Project Manager at the Chamber

At the forum, Janevska presented some of the Chamber’s concrete activities in the field of vocational education, stressing that within the framework of the chamber pluralism established in the country, the Economic Chamber is the only one with the capacity and human resources to ensure functional and market-oriented vocational education and training.

Other speakers at the forum included representatives from the Ministry of Education and Science, the VET Center, the Adult Education Center, the State Education Inspectorate, the State Examination Center, and the representative of the “Education for Employment” (E4E) project, financed by the Swiss Embassy, which provides support for the VET segment.

The forum was attended by representatives of the ETF Quality Assurance Forum, accompanied by directors of national vocational education institutions from fifteen European countries. From 12 to 16 May, they will visit various institutions in Macedonia and engage in discussions with stakeholders involved in the vocational education system to gain deeper insights into the country’s comprehensive efforts in this area, with a focus on work-based learning and the strategic and procedural documents developed at the national level in the field of VET. Based on three days of discussions and analyses, the ETF Forum will prepare a report with findings and useful recommendations aimed at improving the vocational education and training system in our country.