Shaping the future of VET schools
Kosovar Youth Council
Shaping the future of VET schools
September 2017
Contents
1. Introduction 2. Project Approach 3. Cooperation 4. Challenges faced by practical learning 5. Recommendaitions
pg. 5 pg. 6 pg. 8 pg. 10 pg. 13
1. Introduction In 2010, following the publication of the report "Stronger VET for better life" by the European Commission on youth unemployment in Europe and Vocational Secondary Schools, it was stated that an issue of education system is an imbalanced labor market and cadres of the VET schools. Since 2010, the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of Europe, all three of these legislative bodies in the European Union have set missionary goals to enhance the quality of Vocational Education and Training throughout Europe. Considering that one of the main objectives of the Kosovar Youth Council (KYC) is to increase the quality of education in Kosovo, and that was done based on the continuous work with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST), the Parliamentary Education Committee and the Student Council of Kosovo (KNK), also from the concerns that have been raised about the topic of vocational education by students at regular meetings of the KNK, Roundtables, Monitoring conducted over the years, KYC in co-operation with Solidar Suisse Kosovo started implementing the project "Shaping the future of VET Schools " in the municipality of Peja.
Kosovo’s main priority is to develop the quality of education in general, especially vocation education tending to regulate it under the drafting of educational Laws and Development Strategies such as the Law on Vocational Education and Training, the Strategy for the improvement of Professional Practice in Kosovo 2013-2020. Thus, KYC through this project will have the opportunity to present the challenges faced by vocational schools, especially the practical learning component. KYC has already begun the research on the applicability of the above-mentioned laws and strategies regarding the maintenance of professional practice and business cooperation and schools. The project addresses areas such as: Tourism, Information Technology, Food Processing, Metal and Wood Processing. These areas got the focus because of their importance in the market and the need for professional staff in the Municipality of Peja, therefore their worthy promotion is one of the key points in strengthening the link between businesses and vocational high schools. During the project implementation period through planned activities, it is expected to achieve a mutual cooperation and engagement of young people through professional schools to build their careers and by advocating the implementation of the school curricula.
1 - http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/publications/3067 2 - https://www.kuvendikosoves.org/common/docs/ligjet/Ligji%20per%20arsimin%20dhe%20aftesimin%20profes ional.pdf 3 - http://masht.rks-gov.net/uploads/2015/05/a-strategjia-e-pp-ne-kosove-2013-2020-shqip.pdf
2. Project Approach Peja is one of the regions of Kosovo in which KYC is committed to raise the quality of education in vocational secondary schools due to the potential it offers regarding the project objectives. Therefore, the need for capacity building in this place is essential. KYC to reach its goals has held meetings with Municipal Education Directorate (MED), the Technical High School "Shaban Spahija" and the High School of Economics “Ali Hadri�, businesses in the fields of: Metal Processing, Wood Processing, Technology Information, Tourism and Hotel and Food Processing; roundtables were organized with all the above-mentioned stakeholders who have an impact on Vocational Education. Meanwhile, a research will be implemented to get known with the Practical Learning situation through methods such as interviews, forms and Focus Groups with Teachers, Pupils and Graduates of the aforementioned schools.
Also, in the beginning, businesses that are involved in the areas covered by the project have been researched. Adequate businesses or companies were notified about the purpose of the project and the need for their involvement in this project during individual meetings with representatives of these businesses organized by KYC. Meetings were also held with the directors of vocational schools. After the end of the meetings, the roundtables took the place by gathering all the relevant and important stakeholders who contributed to the best understanding of the real situation of vocational schools and businesses in general. KYC organized 4 roundtables under the topic "Practical Learning and Professional Practice of Students: The Challenges and Needs of Collaboration between Businesses and Schools" separated for each of the already mentioned professional fields.
Through these methods and organized activities, KYC is getting embedded with the problems and challenges faced by all stakeholders involved in these areas, thus drawing the necessary information on the basis of which recommendations for improvement will be guided. Addressing such recommendations will enable Professional Practice to be implemented as provided by law and to prepare students for the structure of their professional career. In order to have fruitful discussions at the foreseen tables, KYC has met with businesses and students attending vocational schools in the following areas: food industry, information technology, tourism and hotels, and recently metal and wood processing.
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Representatives of Businesses, Teachers, Students and representatives of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the Municipal Directorate of Education participated in these round tables. Tables highlighted the recommendations that are highly needed to be reviewed and which are listed below in this document. The activities carried out so far brought another important conclusion that is the genuine communication between businesses and schools. Therefore, an Online Communication Platform will be established to assist this process, which is considered necessary by all stakeholder. This online platform will be a WEB based program through which companies (businesses) will be able to open calls for admission of high school interns, while school students will be able to seek practical work in their specifics. In addition to service as a communication portal between practice providers and intern seekers, the platform will also provide basic non-formal learning materials, where also they can learn more on how to write a CV, motivation letter, business ideas for providing services of practical work etc.
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3. Cooperation Considering that the cooperation between the Vocational Schools and the influential stakeholders in this field is one of the key points for Professional Practice to be developed properly, this fact requires special attention. Therefore, one of the answers to the question "Why professional schools in Kosovo do not have good quality?" can be found in the poor cooperation between the school and the competent bodies, involving decision-making institutions, businesses, and parents. Lack of communication has resulted in the quality of vocational education; this attitude came as a result of four roundtables. During the discussions, all stakeholders were in tune with the lack of co-operation among all relevant bodies such as MEST, MED and Businesses related to vocational schools. This lack of cooperation is one of the major problems facing vocational education and training which leads to lower interest of students in this field; Local institutions (MED) convincingly showed that they have the power to establish agreements between businesses and schools but according to them it can be facilitated and strengthened when central institutions such as MEST with greater power understand that businesses for each agreement with vocational schools require favour, this certainly for their personal interests. Another issue discussed is the lack of updated literature and the lack of textbooks in vocational schools. This problem is also reflected by stakeholders such as businesses who see challenging that students do not have basic knowledge of communication skills. All of this leads to dissatisfaction during their internship there. This issue is most noticeable in the field of tourism.
For the same issue students also show that they do not have literature for certain subjects. If the opposite would happen, businesses and schools would benefit from each other which in return the entire economy and society will benefit too. According to students, vocational schools need to adapt to businesses and market needs as businesses possess the power to hire young people and to increase the capacity of the tourism sector. In a very bad situation regarding cooperation between schools and businesses is the department of Food Processing. Food industry businesses in very large numbers, meaning mega businesses, have little interest in education and vocational schools. The interest of businesses to support and contribute to improving the situation is best shown in their absence at the roundtable organized by KYC. Even though their attendance has been confirmed during individual meetings with representatives of these businesses, the opposite took place on the day of activity. Lack of communication affects other areas also, especially the field of Information Technology. There are very few businesses that operate in the Peja region and for the few that are, schools, students, parents, institutions have little knowledge about. They are not aware of the space that businesses are willing to provide to Technical School "Shaban Spahija", the department of information technology, as opportunities for cooperation between the two parties. New computer languages are scarce because technology is always in development, and the opposite would happen if there was proper communication and collaboration. It is considered that this sector has a permanent stagnation because of the lack of promotion of the importance and opportunities that it offers for the development of the labour market.
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On the other hand, if we compare the direction of the metal and wood industry with the aforementioned directions and if we list them by conditions in all aspects such as: literature, cooperation with businesses and institutions, and number of students then both departments are listed in end. Although this course has almost the most qualified teachers according to the participants in the table, and also the schools are equipped with cabinets that enable the retention of professional practice, the interest of the students is very low. Even those few students who attend classes in these areas have a very low interest in learning progress because they consider these professions as work that does not require adequate education.
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4. Challenges faced by practical learning What makes vocational schools poor by the number of the students attending it and why they are considered as secondary options is the lack of professional practice within schools. This segment is recognized as one of the main criteria that a vocational school must complete to better train students in order for them to build their professional career. Throughout the period that has been discussed with students, the anger and thire concern in this regard have been presented. Each of the directions faces such challenges, for which issues businesses have also reacted, adding that they can’t find the right people to work in certain environments, as there are not enough promotions of potential practices that carry different professions. Students who attend lessons in the profile of tourism do the professional practice in hotels and restaurants with which the school often builds cooperation agreements. However, most of them are dissatisfied with these practical hours as in many cases they do different kind of work from the one that they actually went for. Thus, they believe that this kind of practice is not enough for them to learn more about this profile and to motivate to continue working in this sector. Students are often kept out of the curriculum vocational practice schedule, which is why they are dissatisfied and filled with the feeling of exploitation. Dissatisfaction continues to be annoying for the fact that at the end of the practice in most cases the students are not equipped with a certificate that demonstrates their commitment to the particular business. Also, from the discussions with students, it has been noted that practical learning touches the gender aspect, this because the gender segregation is clearly interpreted; usually
females do the practice in the kitchen of the hotel business while the males serve as waiters. In addition, a very small number of girls choose the profile of tourism in vocational schools. During the discussions at the round tables it was often stated that many vocational subjects that require teachers that are qualified in a specific field are taught by teachers belonging to the similar field but who are not qualified. This is one of the main concerns that students have emphasized continuously. Apart from the practice outside the school, the students expressed their dissatisfaction for the lack of necessary infrastructure in schools and most importantly for the lack of relevant cabinets. This issue was confirmed by the institutions themselves as well, adding that they do not have sufficient funds to supply. As for the budget formula according to them it does not represent a fair separation between professional schools and gymnasiums. The absence of infrastructure and cabinets makes professional practice poor and prevents it from reaching the right level, it also makes the credibility of the businesses that accept students as intern to diminish even more. This is because the students have not practically worked for the profile they chose to follow, especially the ones that are likely to be able to practice their profession in laboratories or cabinets even within schools. The disadvantage of the practice is the absence of an instructor or supervisor at the time when students conduct the practice, which according to all the stakeholders this follows with the loss of students’ motivation to take these classes. This absence does not allow students to have a clear flow of work through the hours of professional practice, bearing in mind that in such hours the presence of professional person is very needful. Therefore, students tend to skip these
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classes to often. A positive thing has been emphasized regarding the mentorship during the practice in the class, and that is that teachers are very dedicated to their work and carefully they mentor every student while doing the practice. In an even worse position is also the profile of food industry which is part of the economic school "Ali Hadri", although the number of the students attending lesson for this profile is higher, still the conditions to attend learning classes and professional practice are weak. On the other hand, what keeps the motivation and the practice alive, is the readiness of the students engage the practice in businesses, even though these deals have begun to lose its importance because according to some businesses, students often lose interest because the practice hours do not match exactly with the lessons or with the exact profile in which they are registered. However, in many cases, professional practice remains an unknown terminology for students. This is because of the fact that professional practice is often mixed with the category of visits to the factory or other major businesses. These visits last for up to 2 hours and students are introduced only with the work processes and not to the practical learning on the job. These kinds of visits are known by officials as a success and are categorized into practical hours. In this case, it is emphasized the pronouncement of the director of the technician school, who asserts that the school has no agreement with any business, the practice takes place in those weak cabinets. However, the only course that provides good practical opportunities is that of metal processing since the school possesses enough machinery for students to practice in order to be ready to open their businesses in the future.
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This profile has the right preparations to provide students with the experience they need to open their own business, despite this we face the first problem that is the lack of interest of students to be educated or enrolled in this profession. The school director said the fact that there are many cases where students are enrolled in these two directions in order to change the course afterwards. Even though it has the lowest number of registered students, the students of wood processing recently got a request from some teachers to make chairs for the children of a nursery. Materials for this kind of practice, were provided by the school without the support of any institution. Round tables among other topics came up with the student safety topic throughout professional practice as well. Some of the course that are offered by schools present a degree of danger and require special safeguards to enable them to do the practice with the machines that are dangerous and could damage the student. Although this topic got attention from all the stakeholders, there was no serious discussion. However, it was said that it is a issues that should be discussed in particular The unification of all the problems faced not only by these profiles, but all vocational schools in all regions of Kosovo tell a lot about the awareness of Kosovo society. Stereotypes created towards vocational schools are almost concretized in society. Vocational schools are seen as a second option, because in most cases students that could not get in the gymnasium turn to the vocational school option with uncertainty rather than will. Such an approach is by no means acceptable, especially when it comes to highlighting that the future of professional construction of students
and their preparation for the labor market nowadays is universally seen as one of the best forms for economic development and increasing the number of employees.
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5. Recommendations After reflecting all the issues and needs of both businesses and school officials, some recommendations that were made are considered as necessary to improve the situation and fulfill the conditions each vocational school should have. • Require competent bodies (MEDs and MESTs) to create infrastructural conditions within schools (build labs and cabinets) so that part of the practice can be held in the school premises (for subjects that offer such an opportunity). • MED and MEST should assist in the process of establishing Memorandums / Agreements for Cooperation between Schools and Businesses in order to achieve the professional development of professional practice in a more professional manner and enabling the students' training as required by the labor market. • Mentoring supervision in businesses where students engage in practical learning, as envisaged by the Law on Vocational Education and Training, Article 24, Section 1.4. • Pupils who complete vocational practice in businesses that have a cooperation agreement with the school at the end of the academic year (after completing the hours specified in the vocational practice plan) must be certified with a certification document certifying successful engagement in practice professional. • Teachers should be trained both in practical and professioanl side as envisaged by the Law on Vocational Education and Training, Article 6.
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• Considering that in the respective schools the curriculum is not complied with as defined by law, the discussion tables were required to apply the Law on Vocational Education and Training, Article 11, point 6.3, which specifies in a specific form that the program education should consist of three parts, the general theoretical part, professional theoretical part and the modules of professional practice. • Implementation of the Law required by the Government to create facilities for businesses that take students in practice, including the exemption or reduction of business tax. Law on Vocational Education and Training, Article 34, Point 3. • The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Finance should jointly develop a strategy for all vocational schools. Also engage businesses in drafting a law / strategy for VET and VET in order to achieve the right balance between the labor market and vocational education. • Ensure that, through agreements with schools, Professional Practice be held also in non-governmental organizations dealing with vocational guidance. • Establish an online platform where all businesses have the opportunity to disclose their needs to market needs. Likewise, it is also possible for students to use the same date-based to disseminate their CVs regarding employment opportunities. • Greater promotion of the importance of vocational schools and building a positive image of the future offered by Vocational Education. To conduct educational activities within Kosovo in order to raise awareness of the importance of vocational schools.
• The enrollment criteria in vocational schools must be applied as provided by the Law on Vocational Education and Training, Articles 8, 9 and 10. • Have an employment test for vocational school students and remove the application of the national Matura exam for vocational schools. • Establish or increase the level of cooperation between all vocational schools in all regions of Kosovo in order to exchange experiences between schools. • Review the curicula in specific form, introduce new technological programs that belong to the IT direction. To create an elective course based on the development of knowledge on the tracking as well as an elective course aimed at enabling students in communication in the direction of Tourism and Hotelier. • The opening of innovative new centers that support the capacity building of students and support schools for the formation of students in the field of IT. • Implement the law on recognition of voluntary work. • Career orientation has been promoted since the early stage of the student, starting from the elementary school in order to list the profession according to knowledge and skills of the pupils.
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