Dual System of Education and Training as a Pathway to the Labour Market

CONCLUSIONS The scientific monograph was focused on the current trends in the society and on the Slovak labour market with an accent placed on the growing lack of qualified workforce, which specifically occurs in certain professions and has an impact on the whole economy. We approached the presented field form the perspective of maintaining or increasing the Slovak economy’s competitiveness by means of vocational education and training taking into account the employers’ needs and requirements.

The era of the fourth industrial revolution characterized by emerging automation, digitalization or optimization of processes has brought significant changes to the labour market. Certain professions are gradually disappearing and new ones are emerging. For these, specific skills and competencies are required and the educational systems of all countries must be prepared for the new conditions and requirement related to the global competitive environment. New, potentially significant issues can occur in the field of preparation and further development of human resources, to which organizations - as well as the whole society and the educational system - must respond. All stakeholders’ cooperation and coordination of their work are necessary in order to have graduates well-prepared for the permanently changing needs and the requirements of the labour market.

The first chapter of the monograph was focused on the basic terminology of the dual system of education and training as a pathway of vocational training during the process of preparation for the labour market. Relevant key words from the field were discussed in that part of the publication with the aim to create a terminological basis for the elaborated topic based on up-to-date knowledge presented in most recent resources. The topical issues of labour market and qualified workforce were elaborated in the second chapter of the publication using up-to-date resources. The third chapter is focused on another key topic, which is vocational training and professional preparation for the labour market. The dual system of education and training from the aspect of the situation both in Slovakia and abroad formed the fourth chapter of our scientific monograph. We specifically focused on the characteristics of apprenticeship in selected EU countries and their comparison, the history of apprenticeship in the area of the Slovak Republic, as well as the legislative framework, and a description of the dual system of education and training in Slovakia with special