Minister of Education and Research convenes quality assessment council for VET

The Minister of Education and Research has convened an assessment council of 12 members to perform duties concerning the accreditation of vocational education and training. The council includes representatives of the main partners in vocational education and of fields of vocational studies. The council will adopt accreditation decisions and make proposals to the Minister of Education and Research regarding extension of the right to conduct studies in a study programme group.

The first meeting of the new council took place on 20 June, at which accreditation decisions for the first half of 2014 were adopted. The accreditation proposals submitted by assessment committees of study programmes from 34 schools were discussed. The council was guided by the reports of the study programme group and assessment committee and analysed the conformity to the accreditation proposals of the evaluations given of the assessment fields and the key strengths and areas for development.

The council decided to accredit the study programme group of a school for six years and the proposition to extend the right of conducting studies by six years in 26 cases out of a total of 34:

four in the study programme group of tourism, catering and accommodation service; six in construction; four in logistics; two in the driving of means of transport; three in textile and leather processing; four in beauty services; and three in health care and social services.

The decisions of the council will be available from the EKKA database as of 30 June.

In two cases (one in the study programme group of driving means of transport and one in that of health care and social services) the council decided to return the report to the assessment committee for further review and specification. The council will adopt decisions for those groups in August.

The schools will submit the study programme group reports for accreditations for the second half of 2014 by 1 July. The schedule for the second half of the year includes accreditations of study programme groups from a total of 33 schools.

Further information:

Marge Kroonmäe

marge.kroonmae@archimedes.ee