Our activity aiming at accomplishing our mission and achieving our objectives can be subdivided into several coherent areas.
Preparing policies and strategies of technical education development – the institute systematically works on the policies for initial and further technical education in the Czech Republic, prepares policy-related documents while making use of research outputs, suggests a strategy for further development of technical education, and takes part in putting this strategy through and making it to be followed in practice. All this happens in the context of lifelong learning and on the basis of continuously monitoring and analysing the system of technical education and drawing comparisons with technical education development and policies in developed countries, and EU and OECD countries in particular. Within this framework, we particularly regard the following topics as fundamental:
- Goals and content of technical education (curriculum and curriculum policy);
- Creation and continuous implementation of the National Qualifications Framework;
- Standard of technical education;
- Structure and permeability of educational paths;
- Ensuring equal access to education and technical training, especially for people at risk of social exclusion;
- Institutional structure of technical education;
- Relation between technical and general education, and relation between technical and tertiary education;
- Study ending and certification, including recognition of non-formal education and informal learning;
- Monitoring and evaluation of the vocational education system.
Development, continuous innovation, and review of curricular documents – in collaboration with schools and other stakeholders, the institute prepares, reviews, and continuously innovates curricular documents (framework educational programmes, and the government programme of education).
Support of curricular documents implementation
- Methodological support and guidance – the institute provides schools with methodological support in developing and innovating their educational programmes.
- Continuing education of teaching staff (DVPP) – the institute takes a systematic part in coordinating DVPP, preparing DVPP guidelines and content, and, in specific cases, delivering DVPP, especially in respect of technical school teachers. Training technical school teachers to design and deliver the educational process is the basic content-wise definition of how the institute is involved in DVPP. Our basic content-wise focus in respect of DVPP is connected with training technical school teachers to develop and deliver school curriculum on the one hand and training teachers to provide further education on the other hand, including recognising non-formal education and informal learning attainments.
Coordinating the sphere of education and the labour market
- Monitoring the needs of the labour market – the institute especially monitors the economic development, the development of technologies and that of new occupational qualification requirements with impact on technical education, carries out analyses of employment rate development, monitors current trends and draws comparisons with developments in the EU.
- Monitoring and evaluating the situation of technical school graduates in the labour market, especially with regard to their employability – the institute systematically monitors and evaluates the placement of graduates in the labour market and the situation and development in respect of their employability, analyses the causes of this development, monitors and evaluates trends in employment structures, makes prognoses of future developments, and puts forward measures for schools to take that are believed to help provide better transition of graduates from schools to the labour market.
- Providing information about vocational qualification recognition, such as information about the relevant legal regulations, the recognising authorities, and formalities, in accordance with Directive 92/51/EEC – the institute is an expert place for the recognising authorities in comparing educational attainments in foreign countries and those in the Czech Republic.
- Coordinating regional activities – the institute develops coordination with authorities at regional level, and takes part in developing expert, guidance, and information service for the regional level.
Career guidance and counselling
- Concept of a system of career guidance and counselling at schools – in collaboration with other partners and in connection to the existing system in the sphere of competence of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MPSV), the institute is involved in developing a concept for an integrated career guidance and counselling system.
- Methodological and educational support primarily aimed to integrate the topic ‘Introduction to the World of Work’ into secondary school educational programmes and to strengthen the role of educational counsellors (výchovní poradci) in career guidance and counselling.
- Information support – Information system with information about the placement of graduates in the labour market; the NUOV manages and feeds the system in collaboration with other partners, such as the Institute for Information on Education (UIV) and the MPSV, and makes outputs from this system available to all relevant users on a regular basis.
- Counselling and advice to general public – a Centre for Career Guidance and Counselling is established and working under the institute, providing an individual counselling service to those interested in studying at a secondary or tertiary technical school, their parents, and other people interested in continuing education at secondary and tertiary technical schools. The institute communicates the range of courses provided by secondary and tertiary technical schools to the general public on a regular basis, and applicants and their parents in particular, through dedicated publications, such as Kam na školu (Which School to Study At), and information published in the media and/or at our site.
- Continuing education for educational and career counsellors is delivered by the institute as distance study using e-learning methods.
Preparation and delivery of projects to support economic and social cohesion, with
funding especially from ESF.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, and
other governmental bodies, the institute creates room and supports involvement of education-related organisations in
human resources and lifelong learning development projects of various types in the Czech Republic.
- Involvement in CEDEFOP and ETF activities – the institute is the CEDEFOP point of contact for the Czech Republic, is involved in the activities of the Refernet European information network, and is the Refernet coordinator for the education of vocational subjects teachers, practical training teachers, instructors, and further technical education trainers (TTnet) in the Czech Republic. The institute is also involved in coordinating the collaboration with ETF, where it is represented in the Governing Board as well as in the Advisory Forum.
- The EUROPASS National Centre is part of the institute, dealing with tasks connected with using EUROPASS to bring better transparency in vocational qualifications as part of the EU member countries collaboration.
- The institute is, as either project recipient or project partner, an organisation executing projects under EU programmes, such as the Leonardo da Vinci Programme, and is involved in executing other international projects.
- The institute works with partner institutions of similar focus in other countries, and continuously monitors what the OECD does in this field.
Other activities – the institute organises and carries out educational, testing, and certification activity, especially as regards graphic subjects and the use of information technology, including the activities of the former State Stenography Institute.