Vocational Training in Hospitality and Tourism in the Czech Republic

AEHT HE

Poděbrady, Czech Republic

April 20, 2013

Continuous Vocational Training

Formal training covers: training as part of standard training programmes, training course arranged by employers, commercial training programmes, retraining course

Informal training

Training including everyday activities, such as reading of newspapers, following news broadcasts, researches on the Internet travel experience, and so on

The actors are

educational institutions (secondary schools, vocational colleges and universities),

employers, commercial training organisations, organisations running retraining courses, the media (informal education)

VET in the Czech Republic and OECD

Strengths: The average academic level of 15 years-old measured by

PISA is good. Very low dropout = below the OECD average Impressive data base on education and labour market

outcomes of education, one of the best the OECD team has seen www.nuv.cz

http://www.kampomaturite.czwww.maturita.czwww.infoabsolvent.cz

New qualification system National standardised exams New tools to improve career guidance.

OECD: Challenges and Recommendations

The quality of apprenticeship programmes is low in comparison to general and technical programs

Problematic match between labour market demand and student choice

Long term outline respected by every new minister Career guidance is under two Ministries: the

Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs = the system is fragmented

To involve employers, unions and guilds in VET

Tertiary Vocational Schools/Colleges

Colleges were introduced to respond to increasing demand from the work market (1992)

Introduced into the network but no separate act Tertiary VE develops and expands knowledge and

skills acquired in upper secondary school vocational areas

At present 172 schools 113 in the AVOŠ www.asociacevos.cz Co-existence with secondary vocational level =

advantages and problems

Tertiary Vocational Schools/Colleges

Courses last 3 and half years Admission requirements are the same as

those for university entrance: an upper secondary education leaving certificate at the end of 4 years of upper secondary education

School fee !! School heads have the authority to decide

whether to require an entrance exam and to determine its contents.

What is to be measured: knowledge alone or also other skills and abilities?

The recent model of the final examinations focused mainly on the assessment of knowledge

But today we expect more emphasis on key competencies (skills, abilities)

We also expect that this emphasis will be the same during the internal examination process.

In/Formal Certification

Language certificates: pre-testing and testing Professional certificates:

- bartender/baristic/sommelier courses- cold cuisine

- carving from fruit and vegetables- confectionery …

School-leaving certificate Diploma Europass

Formal Certification

Evaluation scale = a four-point scale Evaluation methods: exams and requirements to

fulfill, with or without evaluation Studies end with an absolutorium,= theoretical

exam in a vocational discipline and a foreign language in addition to a defence of a thesis

The thesis theme is set at least six months before the absolutorium exams.

Certification

Each absolutorium exam is evaluated on a four level scale: excellent, very good, good and insufficient

Accomplished absolutorium evaluation is organized on the three-level scale (passed with honors, passed, not passed)

Graduates are considered specialists with a diploma and are entitled to use the initials DiS (Diplomed Specialist) after their last name

PWF: Drop outs in Poděbrady College

General reasons: learning difficulties, social problems or a lack of motivation, guidance or support

14.4% in Europe, less than 10% ČR, Finland, Lithuania, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Slovinia

In the CzR no problem with immigrant students Massive drop out 50% after the 1st semester But pupils who took part in four or more activities

with employers during the study five times less likely to drop out of school or training

PWF: Demographic falls

http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/key_data_series/134EN.pdf

All pupils from primary schools = 70% of the capacity in secondary schools

Colleges and universities affected

Colleges: Existance in disfavour

No safe future No co-operative atmosphere in tertiary

sphere Positive feedback from employers and

graduates

Konrad Liessmann: Theory of Miseducation (Unbildung) Criticises the current education level in

Europe It does not fulfil the ideal of "learned society"

but it rather serves political and economic interests

Curricula are overloaded Europe wanted tertiary

graduates fast =

devalued Bachelor studies

Konrad Liessmann: Theory of Miseducation (Unbildung)

Bachelor graduates are difficult to place on the labour market = not wanted at the labour market = 80% go on to Master studies !!!

Quantity in Bachelor Studies is not quality

Education is more than economy and trading !!