The evaluation of social interventions, including training and human resource development activities, is considered very important by the Human Resource Development Authority of Cyprus (HRDA).
The HRDA has a comprehensive system in place for evaluating the impact of its activities. Evaluation studies – conducted regularly – include field research through telephone interviews with the participants. In this context, a study evaluating the impact of the system of vocational qualifications (SVQ) was recently conducted. The SVQ aims at upgrading human resources through assessment and certification of candidates’ vocational qualifications.
The study interviewed people who were certified during the period 2013-19. The views of enterprises whose employees have been certified and of Centres for Assessment of Vocational Qualifications (CAVQ) were also collected.
The total population of survey participants was 2 692, of which a sample of 1 954 was covered. Data were analysed by grouping the occupational standards for which people were certified (e.g. hotel occupations, technical occupations, retail operations and trainer of vocational training).
The study demonstrated that the vast majority of participants (93.7%) were employed at the time of the field research, 3.6 years after their certification. When certification took place, the majority of participants (93.3%) were employed and had remained employed in the occupation of their certification (92.1%). Moreover, 80% of participants continued working in the same enterprise (in which they were employed during their certification).
Participants reported as main benefits:
- improvement of professional knowledge and skills;
- improvement of personal knowledge and skills;
- personal development.
Some 88.6% of participants rated the knowledge and skills acquired as ‘very useful’ or ‘useful’, while 76.4% considered the experience regarding their employment prospects beneficial, to a very good or good degree.
Some 81% of enterprises were very satisfied from the participation of their employees in the SVQ. A total of 85.7% reported that employees who have certified their vocational qualifications (VQ) have better performance, and 66.7% reported that certification is taken into account during recruitment.
The CAVQ that participated in the survey expressed their overall satisfaction with both the SVQ certification process (69.2%) and their cooperation with the HRDA (84.6%). Nine out of 10 CAVQ rated their accessibility to the SVQ as ‘very good’ or ‘good’.
The study concluded that the improvement in knowledge and skills of those participating in certification is indisputable, and the value of the SVQ is evident from the participants’ high satisfaction rates. Finally, the study suggested actions to ensure the quality of the services provided. Expansion of the SVQ is expected to be achieved if, among others, the VQ certificates issued by the HRDA become one of the criteria for acquiring a licence to practice regulated occupations.
Read more: Link to the impact of SVQ assessment study.
| Please cite this news item as: ReferNet Cyprus; Cedefop (2021). Cyprus: evaluating the impact of the system of vocational qualifications (SVQ). National news on VET |