„The OECD is a unique forum where the governments of 30 democracies work together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation”. „The Organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate domestic and international policies. The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Commission of the European Communities takes part in the work of the OECD.” Kis V. Encarta.msn.com / Hungary.

(Havlik and Holzner, 2008), cited by Kis V.

(Havlik and Holzner, 2008), cited by Kis V. Outdated curricula and teaching methods: vocational education programs are mainly theoretical, emphasising the transfer of information rather than the development of skills and experience. Teachers’ readiness to use modular curricula and to instill new competences is limited and their professional development opportunities are still not systematically addressed. Insufficient data in several topics: the labour market outcomes various funding sources use of funds

The first two elements are linked and should be implemented as a package. The last item: it should also collect and publish data about the total sum collected through the levy, its allocation to different functions and their respective outcomes. Establishment and management of a national qualifications framework for development, recognition and award of qualifications based on standards of knowledge, skills and competences to be acquired by learners; Establishment, promotion, maintenance and improvement of the standards of awards of education and training in both the secondary and the new alternative tertiary institutions as well as the older university-level institutions and existing universities; Promotion and facilitation of access, transfer and progression through the education and training system; Provision of new avenues for students in compulsory education to access educational opportunities at the secondary level and to continue at the tertiary level, in new and exciting occupational areas demanded by the growing knowledge economy. Promote development of an efficient, multi-purpose modern educational and training system that provides initial and further vocational training for young people and adults while adapting to changes in the labor market; Sustain regional integration of VET and its adaptation to regional labor demands, strengthening its regional scope and creating ties with the labor market through the involvement of key economic stakeholders; Improving territorial relevance of VET provision and the concentration of the invested resources in better clustered VET schools/centers (VET school network) ; Improving content relevance of IVET provision and thereby enhancing employability . Standardisation of the transition to all types of secondary school after the 9th grade, rather than the 8th grade; Starting practical training in the 10th grade rather than in the 11th grade as at present; Collecting information on the labour market outcomes of VET and publishing it on a school and programme basis; Adequately prepared advisers should provide systematic career guidance in all elementary schools about the secondary level programmes available and their respective outcomes; Comprehensive, impartial and reliable information on all the occupations available to the students in vocational training and vocational secondary schools;

Stoyanka Stancheva – Andrea Vida Bulgaria – Hungary

Current situation Needs Future trends 14. 06. 2009.. 2 Vocational education in Bulgaria and Hungary -- S. Stancheva, A. Vida

BULGARIA World Bank September 2008 Round table “Vocational education and training in Bulgaria – current state, challenges and prospects” HUNGARY OECD December 2008 „ Emphasis is placed on vocational training and on education in technical subjects.” (Encarta 2009) 3 Vocational education in Bulgaria and Hungary -- S. Stancheva, A. Vida 14. 06. 2009..

BULGARIA Regulatory basis (e.g. development, validation and certification of professions, professions standards, framework syllabi and curricula, VET Act) Institutional framework (e.g. managing tripartite based bodies, as NAVET, IVET and TVET providers, career counseling and information centers) HUNGARY Major reforms to reorganize the VET system. Strong national qualifications framework Sharply declining number of 15-to-19- year-olds ( = opportunity and a challenge simultaneously) „Hungary’s GDP per capita is expected to converge to the EU average (ECB, 2008), economy is expected to grow by around 4%” 4 Vocational education in Bulgaria and Hungary -- S. Stancheva, A. Vida 14. 06. 2009..

BULGARIA High cost of VET Low quality of VET Outdated curricula and teaching methods VET school drop-outs Strong centralisation and virtual absence of the private sector Restricted life-long learning opportunities and excessively early specialisation HUNGARY Strongly school-based VET system  weak connection with the labour market; The school system’s mechanisms potentially raise problems of efficiency and equity; Insufficient data in several topics: Too few of young trainers Relatively low status of VET Low employment rate by international standards; The economic inactivity rate of young people is particularly high, compared to other European countries 5 Vocational education in Bulgaria and Hungary -- S. Stancheva, A. Vida 14. 06. 2009..

BULGARIA Establishment and management Establishment, promotion, maintenance and improvement of the standards of awards of education and training Promotion and facilitation Provision of new avenues Promote development Sustain regional integration of VET and its adaptation to regional labor demands, strengthening its regional scope and creating ties with the labor market Improving territorial relevance of VET provision and the concentration of the invested Improving content relevance of IVET provision HUNGARY Standardisation of the transition to all types of secondary school Starting practical training in the 10th grade Collecting and publishing information on the labour market outcomes of VET Adequately prepared advisers should provide systematic career guidance in all elementary schools Comprehensive, impartial and reliable information on all the occupations available to the students Practical trainings in the workplace Regularly published information by the government about the rules of the levy in a form comprehensible to employers. 6 Vocational education in Bulgaria and Hungary -- S. Stancheva, A. Vida 14. 06. 2009..

Kis V, Ferreira ML, Field S, Zwick T. Learning for Jobs. OECD Reviews of Vocational Education and Training. HUNGARY. December 2008. www.oecd.org/dataoecd/24/27/41738329.pdf KPMG. Investment in Hungary. kpmghu.lcc.ch/dbfetch/52616e646f6d4956a1790c4f8c269b6a293bdc2caf7404b6906fa09123a764af/investment_in_hungary_2009_web.pdf Toth P: Changes and challenges in Hungarian vocational training. Hungarian Electronic Journal of Sciences. hej.sze.hu/VOC/VOC-010227-A/voc010227a.pdf World bank web page, http://www.worldbank.bg/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/ECAEXT/BULGARIAINBULGARIANEXTN/0,,menuPK:399259~pagePK:141159~piPK:55000050~theSitePK:399204,00.html Moreno, Juan Manuel, presentation during Round table “Vocational education and training in Bulgaria – current state, challenges and prospects” 7 Vocational education in Bulgaria and Hungary -- S. Stancheva, A. Vida 14. 06. 2009..

Stoyanka Stancheva – Andrea Vida Bulgaria – Hungary