How to leverage formative assessment opportunities and promote the preparation of alumni understanding the employer context, thereby supplying the labour market with skilled and competitive specialists? Armenia will receive recommendations from reputable experts of 15 countries in this direction.
This year, Armenia will host the ETF Forum for Quality Assurance in VET. As part of the event, the RA’s VET system will undergo a peer review process, with a focus on the learners’ formative assessment and cooperation with employers.
On February 21-23, Specialist in VET Policies and Systems (ETF) Munir Baati is in Armenia. During the visit, the Specialist in VET Policies and Systems (ETF) conducted meetings with the representatives from ANQA, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the MoESCS, employers and VET institutions, presenting the peer review process scheduled for May and exploring opportunities for collaboration among stakeholders.
During the meeting with Mr. Baati, Deputy Minister of the RA MoESCS Araksia Svajyan highlighted the importance of the ETF Forum’s peer review in driving reforms within the VET sector. "Currently we are in the process of approving the law that establishes new conceptual regulations within the sector. The law will set new quality criteria for VET institutions, including points for a more active involvement of employers. This review will also help us achieve the expected outcome due to the adoption of the law," noted the Deputy Minister.
Ms. Svajyan stressed the clear issue of enhancing the education quality in the VET sector. The goal is also to revise the list of professions, "I am confident that the ETF’s thorough study will reveal the changes we need".
The Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Ruben Sargsyan also expressed readiness for cooperation, attaching importance to the improvement of VET institution-employer cooperation.
ANQA’s Director Ruben Topchyan highlighted that each country hosting the ETF Forum determines the specific area of quality assurance in which it seeks recommendations for enhancement. "We want recommendations for enhancing the VET institutions’ assessment system and engaging employers in the process so that the assessment would meet their needs. This also arises from the RA Education development plan until 2030," noted Dr. Topchyan.
Munir Baati emphasized that ANQA has chosen a unique direction for peer review, expressing confidence that tangible achievements will be recorded thanks to the recommendations from international experts.
Let us note that the experts from the 15 ETF partner countries will first study ANQA’s report on the RA’s VET sector, familiarise themselves with the system’s SWOT analysis, and then visit Armenia on May 21-23. During the visit, they will have meeting discussions with sector ministries, employers, ANQA and representatives from state and private VET institutions. Following the visit, recommendations for enhancement will be provided. Their implementation will contribute to the enhancement and strengthening of the RA’s VET system.
The ETF Forum for Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training (VET) was established in 2017. This Forum is a transnational collaboration initiative between national institutions with VET quality assurance mandates in selected ETF partner countries. The purpose of the ETF Forum is to support its member countries to modernise and improve quality assurance in VET by providing the context and means for peer learning through transnational cooperation.
The peer visit to Armenia scheduled for May is expected to facilitate the modernization and enhancement of quality assurance in the country’s VET sector along with the internationalization of best practices.