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THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS IN THE CONTEXT OF LIFELONG EDUCATION
A. Kh. Shklyar
In the context of the current social and economic transformations taking place in this country and crisis phenomena in the world economy, the expanding functions of institutions within the system of vocational education (hereafter «VE»), in particular in providing additional adult education, are becoming increasingly important.
According to Article 10 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus «On Vocational Education», citizens who have the qualification of "worker” ("servant”) but do not have a VE certificate can receive general professional training in a given occupation (profession) on a distance learning basis. Since only 30% of workers in the national economy have VE, the use of distance learning promotes an increase in the professional competence of workers.
In the recent years, VE institutions have been increasingly implementing, along with basic education programs, additional programs of professional training, retraining and advanced training of adults and for professional and of the vocational training of schoolchildren. The implementation of additional education programs by VE institutions became especially active after the adoption in 2003 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus «On Vocational Education», which granted institutions within the VE system the legal right to this activity. This was also facilitated by the adoption in 2005 of the "Provisions on Structural Units of an Institution of Vocational Education.”
Education institutions within the VE system enroll adults on the basis of direct agreements with individuals, and recommendations from employment services or organizations. Training is provided in groups or individually on a full-time (day and evening) basis.
The duration of training for the initial grade is generally 1 to 6 months as determined by the List of Professions for Training Production Workers, which includes 4,640 blue-collar professions. The specific list of professions is determined by an education institution itself and depends on to what extent they are in demand on the labor market and among individuals. In many educational institutions, professions in which the training, retraining and advanced training of workers is offered does not duplicate but supplements VE professions.
In the last decade, the President and the Government of the Republic of Belarus has paid much attention to the issues of professional training of
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workers. Several regulatory legal acts have been adopted to govern professional training, retraining and advanced training of workers, such as the "Concept of the State Staff Policy of the Republic of Belarus”, the "Provisions on the Continuous Professional Education of Workers (as amended)”, the "Provisions on Guarantees for Workers Sent for Professional Training, Retraining, Advanced Training and Internship,” the "Provisions on Procedure for the Organization of Professional Training, Retraining and Advanced Training of the Unemployed,” the "Provisions on Licensing Education,” the "Provisions on Procedure for State Accreditation of Education Institutions in the Republic of Belarus,” and the "Government Programs for Vocational Education Development” in 2000-2005 and 2006-2010.
The Republic has completed the Standard Wage Rates and Skills Reference Book for Blue-Collar Jobs and Professions (ETKS) and the Standard Skills Reference Book for White-Collar Jobs (EKSD) and enacted the National Classification System of the Republic of Belarus - OKRB 0062009 «Blue-Collar Professions and White-Collar Jobs.» The system of scientific and methodological support of training, retraining and advanced training of workers is in place and operating successfully. The following documents are developed and approved: the List of Professions for Blue-Collar Training, the Methodological Recommendations «Organization and Scientific and Methodological Support of Continuous Professional Training of Workers», and the Methodological Recommendations «The Basics of Designing Course Documentation for Continuous Professional Education of Workers (Servants)».
The Republican Institute of Professional Education guides the ongoing work for updating the legal framework and organizing the development of standard course documentation for continuous professional training of workers with the involvement of methodical services of industry-specific ministries, organizations and other stakeholders. The number of institutions offering VE that provide continuous professional training of workers increases from year to year, as well as the number of graduates (see table). The number of people who have completed training, retaining and advanced training in VE institutions in ten years (from academic years 2000/01 to 2009/10) totaled some 228,894 persons._______________________
Academic year Number of VE institutions Total number of persons trained
2005/2006 148 22,217
2006/2007 154 23,599
2007/2008 156 23,679
2008/2009 153 25,726
2009/2010 163 28,061
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Along with the continuous professional training of adults, institutions within the VE system provide professional training for schoolchildren. Children who have successfully completed this education program receive a standard government certificate. In ten years (the academic years 2000/01 to 2009/10), VE institutions have trained more than 21,000 schoolchildren. At the same time, it is our opinion that institutions within the VE system do not fully use the capabilities they have for the professional training of schoolchildren. On average, ten to twenty educational institutions take part in this work annually.
The adoption of the Code of Education of the Republic of Belarus will have a positive impact on the further development of additional education programs for both adults and schoolchildren in VE institutions.
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