Page 53 - Ekonomija i Biznis_noemvri 2015.indd
P. 53
SOCIETY
ket outcomes for the young – making icy. It is no longer possible to imagine
them more employable and, eventually, that qualifications frameworks and the
employed. For this to happen, educa- national occupations standards – the
tors need to engage employers, solicit very foundation of qualifications them-
their views and ensure that the needs selves – can be relevant to economic
for skills are reflected in the education development without employers’ in-
programmes taught in schools. volvement. The Western Balkan coun-
tries are struggling in setting up sec-
Countries of the Western Balkans tor skills councils across the region, as
region have made different degrees of mentioned above, but the decision is in
progress when it comes to creation of place. They all aspire to bring on board
effective mechanisms to engage em- employers organized nationally in sec-
ployers. Some of the Western Balkan toral bodies with a strong role in lead-
countries, for instance, have managed ing the process of identification and de-
to establish operational sectoral com- velopment of occupational standards,
missions that are already involved in development of qualification standards
shaping education reforms, such as is and their placement in the national
the case in Montenegro. Others have qualification frameworks that will be
had little or no experience. For in- open to continuous updating. As the
stance, Serbia piloted the introduction recent study of the OECD concludes,
of sector skills councils in four eco- lessons from strong performers are
nomic sectors back in 2012 but did not showing that learning should be made
succeed in sustaining this form of col- ‘everybody’s business’ – governments,
laboration with employers, while Bos- employers, workers and parents – all
nia and Herzegovina is only at the start in need of effective and equitable ar-
of these discussions. In Macedonia, the rangements as to who does and pays for
law on national qualifications frame- what, when and how.
work envisages the establishment of
sectoral commissions where employers The role of employers should not be
will be represented although the work limited to supply of information about
on implementation is still to come. skills in demand by industries – respon-
Similarly, all countries in the region sibility for learning needs to be shared
have some form of practical training/ between education systems and employ-
workplace learning as a part of second- ers. No doubt, a critical employers’ role
ary VET programmes. None, however, is to provide information about skills
has a well-functioning scheme that is needs. However, this one needs to be
designed as a part of credit-rated cur- complemented by employers’ involve-
riculum and provided regularly outside ment in the supply of skills themselves
of the school setting. (see graph below). By hosting students
for practical training, employers can
The ‘How’: Agreeing on roles provide critical exposure to real life job
and setting up incentive environments to students while still in
schemes initial VET education, for instance. Ide-
ally, education systems in partnership
As national-level actors, employers with employers should aim at establish-
can and should affect education pol-
The role of employers should not be limited to supply
of information about skills in demand by industries
– responsibility for learning needs to be shared be-
tween education systems and employers
November 2015 53
