- 2022Design
Background
Lack of skilled labour is an important factor hindering the development of Estonian companies. Occupation-specific and transversal employee skills need upgrading. Skill development enables preserving and promoting a technologically innovative and competitive economy and well-being. Mapping of skill needs, provision and recognition of skills are important measures for alleviating the shortage of skilled labour.
Reducing the number and share of adults with a low level of education and/or without professional education is one of the biggest challenges for adult education. The share of adults with professional education has been slowly increasing. In 2022, it was 74.8%, 1.3 percentage points higher than in 2021.
The process of amending professional qualifications is inflexible and does not permit sufficient rapid and efficient responses to changes in the labour market and society. Employers consider formal qualifications important in some areas, but in others work experience or general skills or other aspects play a much more important role. Acquired skills and knowledge are often not translated into productivity gains and wages.
Objectives
To support the systematic and flexible linking of education and the labour market by improving the system of labour market monitoring and future skills forecasting OSKA, reforming the professional qualifications system and integrating them into a system of labour market monitoring and future skills forecasting, OSKA as well as in the domains of systemising and description of skills, and matching, assessment and recognition of skills.
Development of the labour market monitoring and forecasting system focuses on the gradual shift from forecasting based on fields of activity and profession to skills- and sets of skills-based forecasting.
Description
The following measures are foreseen:
- development of the professional qualifications system, modernisation of professional standards and the creation and implementation of skills profiles;
- creating, developing and supporting the implementation of a skills classification and competences catalogue in VET;
- further development of the jobs and skills forecasting system OSKA, updating of the methodology for general analysis and sectoral surveys, extension of analytical capacity;
- supporting the implementation of Europass.
The framework (conditions for granting support from EU structural funds) for the reform of professional qualifications system was adopted. It focused on three areas:
- development of OSKA methodology (including shift to region-based forecasts), conducting surveys on sectoral and thematic labour force demand, disseminating research results and monitoring the implementation of proposals for ensuring the labour force;
- development of a comprehensive system of skills and professional qualifications, OsKuS;
- development of digital solutions and registers, and capacity building, to ensure the efficient functioning of skills and professional qualifications system OsKuS.
Bodies responsible
- Estonian Qualifications Authority
Target groups
Entities providing VET
- VET providers (all kinds)
Other stakeholders
- Social partners (employer organisations and trade unions)
- National, regional and local authorities
Thematic categories
Transparency and portability of VET skills and qualifications
European principles and tools, such as EQF, ESCO, ECTS, Europass and ECVET, provide a strong basis for transparency and portability of national and sectoral qualifications across Europe, including the issuing of digital diplomas and certificates.
This thematic category looks at how individuals are supported in transferring, accumulating, and validating skills and competences acquired in formal, non-formal and informal settings – including learning on the job – and in having their learning recognised towards a qualification at any point of their lives. This is only possible if qualifications are transparent and comparable and are part of comprehensive national qualifications frameworks. Availability of qualifications smaller than full and acquirable in shorter periods of time is necessary; some countries have recently worked on developing partial qualifications, microcredentials, etc.
This thematic sub-category refers to the application of EU transparency tools that allow recognition of qualifications among EU Member States (EQF, Europass, ESCO, ECTS). Among others, it includes linking national VET platforms and databases to Europass in accordance with the Europass Decision and EQF Recommendation and the use of the ECVET principles and tools, such as memoranda of understanding or learning agreements applied in mobility actions. The sub-category also covers measures on recognition of foreign/third-country qualifications for specific target groups, e.g. migrants or highly skilled professionals.
This thematic sub-category concerns all developments related to national qualification frameworks (NQFs). As in most countries NQFs are in place and referenced to the European qualifications framework (EQF), the thematic sub-category covers updating and expanding the frameworks, developing new qualifications and using NQFs as catalysts for other reforms.
European priorities in VET
VET Recommendation
- VET agile in adapting to labour market challenges
Osnabrück Declaration
- Resilience and excellence through quality, inclusive and flexible VET