Republic of Bulgaria / May 2006
Ministry of Labour and Social Policy / EuropeAid/120164/D/SV/BG

Upgrading of the

FRAMEWORK REQUIREMENTS towards the drafting of

STATE EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

for acquiring qualification in a vocation

(Framework Requirements adopted by Protocol № 7 / 11.07.2001 of the Governing Board of the National Agency for Vocational Education and Training (NAVET), amended and supplemented by Protocol № 7 /22.05.2002 of the NAVET Governing Board)

1

Interim Report

Republic of Bulgaria / May 2006
Ministry of Labour and Social Policy / EuropeAid/120164/D/SV/BG

This document is to demonstrate the recommended changes and upgrading of the Framework Requirements documentfor developing State Educational Requirements, SER (also described as vocational Qualification standards, VQS).

These changes were made and proposed as part of the Technical Assistance being provided to Bulgaria under Phare 2003 BG 2003/004-937.05.03 “Vocational Qualification” Project.

1. Comments on the Framework Requirements

Generally speaking the existing framework document was thought to be a very robust document. However, some amendments are needed. These amendments or changes not only reflect the skills needs of the employment sector as a whole and its impact to Bulgaria but, more importantly, they also signify a notable shift towards learning outcomes and competences assessment, essential to VET development in Bulgaria.

The three main proposals for amendments are:

  • To simplify and better describe a professional profile no longer using tables but a job description that can be read and understood by prospective trainees and by foreign employers;
  • To avoid unnecessary repetitions by combining the sector-specific and job specific training goals and by dividing the learning outcomes up into learning outcomes common for all specialities and learning outcomes specific for one speciality and
  • To shift towards a learning outcomes driven approach rather than a content based approach.

In detail, the recommendations for an upgraded Framework and the methodology are elaborated here item by item, page by page.

1.1.1. Under III: Designation and Goal of the Framework Requirements of the Framework document (Ramka DOI); the term degree has been replaced in English by level in order to enhance the understanding by English readers. This is also the term that is used in the additional provisions of the English translation of VETA.

1.1.2. For the same reason the term degree was replaced by level under IV. Also the term abilities was changed under IV by personal competences. The Project Team refer here to the EQF where the term wider competences is used.

1.1.3. Under V: Structure of SER the termInitial Characteristic Features has been replaced by the more general term Access (see also below).

The Profile of the Profession has been replaced by a “Description of the Profession”. In a number of European countries, there has been a general movement towards the Professional Profile and Educational Requirements being separated. However, where a brief description of the profession/vocation is given in the VQS (in this case the State Educational Requirements) the function of the latter is not so much to make a detailed study of the needs of the profession but to inform trainees about the profession/vocation for which they are being trained. This part also tells employers for which profession/vocation and at what level the trainees have been trained. In fact the aim of this part of the SER is more student/trainee guidance and information for employers. The Project Team considered that it was very often difficult to derive a real profile from the tables that were provided in the past. The description of the profession/vocation should be written in collaboration with the social partners as this was the case for the Professional Profile in the past. The main difference between the professional profile as it was written in the past and the present description of the profession is the fact that it is no longer a table but a text, thus guaranteeing better comprehension by trainees but also by foreign employers.

1.1.4. Content of learning has been replaced by learning outcomes. Also here it was the desire of the project team to be in compliance with recent European trends and to put Bulgaria in the forefront of recent developments in European Vocational Education and Training.

1.1.5. Under VI (p.6): Content of the SER-component, the following modifications have been suggested:

Access (see above)

  • Level: a proposal for the level descriptors is provided in Section 1.3.9. and the link is made with the EQF. This proposal was made at the explicit request of the MoES. It is also the wish of the project team to assure that the same generic knowledge, skills and personal competences are required for the different professions. The project team noticed that this was not always the case.
  • ‘Initial educational level’ was replaced by ‘Entry level’ and reference is made not only to the educational level but explicit reference was made to recognition of prior experiential learning in compliance with the Bulgarian VETA where article 40 provides for Certification of Acquired Vocational Competencies of Persons who have more than six months experience in a certain profession.
  • Special requirements: these can be health requirements, legal requirements (e.g. absence of criminal record or driving licence etc.), or other requirements.

Description of the profession

This description should mention:

  • Description of activities (by levels of complexity) in fulfilment of the labour tasks;
  • Description of the responsibilities the professional will have;
  • Description of the professional and personal competence needed for due fulfilment of the activities including the situation under which the professional has to carry out these activities;
  • Brief description of the equipment and instruments used to carry out the job;
  • Brief description of health and legal requirements for the job;
  • General considerations in the development of the professional field and the respective profession including whether the professional will be able to work regular hours etc;
  • Opportunities offered by the profession, for finding an employment and for career development including the possibilities offered in the Bulgarian list of professions. The main tasks that a person in the profession/vocation has to fulfil.

Goals of training

The goals of training or Learning Objectives currently provide a very broad statement about the general goals of the course or programme. These learning objectives or general goals of the course/programme are in fact the summary of the main professional competences needed to exercise an occupation upon completion of the training(and for awarding the respective level of professional qualification).

On the one hand, they guarantee compliance with the objective requirements for acquiring a qualification; on the other hand, they refer to the way of structuring the educational content for the vocational training or to the educational units/ modules. The goals of training determine the structure of the learning outcomes.

Article 27. (1) of VETA states that the structure of the vocational education programmes shall include general education training, compulsory vocational training – general, sector-oriented and job-specific, compulsory foreign language training with a focus on the specialism and optional courses that are compulsory electives and non-compulsory electives.

Article 27 (3) states that general compulsory vocational training shall be standardised for all occupational areas and take into account their specifics. It shall include theory classes and practicals – practical training.

For this reason the Project Team has chosen to mention the key competencies required for all professional areas under Section 3.1. They will be developed under 4 taking into account the specifics of the level, sector, job and if necessary specialisation.

Article 27 (7) states thatcompulsory vocational training, compulsory foreign language training with a focus on the specialism and optional courses that are compulsory electives and non-compulsory electives shall conform to the State Education Requirements of the acquisition of qualification in a vocation.

The compulsory vocational training goals are mentioned under 3.2., combining the sector-oriented and job-specific training goals with the possibility of differentiating whenever several specialisations are dealt with in the State educational requirement for acquiring a qualification in a vocation. The combination of sector-oriented and job-specific training goals was introduced to avoid unnecessary repetitions where they occurred.

Core competences and learning outcomes

In view of the present trend in Europe and countries like Canada, New Zealand, the USA and Australia to design qualification standards in terms of competences and learning outcomes, the Project Team has proposed to draft the core of the SER in terms of core competences and learning outcomes instead of content and learning input.

On the one hand there is the competence approach that is very important, as it provides a direct link with the professional context with which trainees will be faced once they have successfully finished the course or programme.

On the other hand there is the learning outcomes approach describing exactly what the trainee will be able to do in a measurable way. The learning outcomes are the set of knowledge, skills and/or competences an individual has acquired and/or is able to demonstrate after completion of a learning process. Learning outcomes are statements of what a learner is expected to know, understand and/or be able to do at the end of a period of learning[1].

Designing courses using learning outcomes leads to a more learner/trainee centred approach: it marks a shift from the content of a module or course (namely, what staff members teach) towards its outcome (in other words, what the trainee is able to do on successful completion of the course or module).

Learning outcomes can:

  • Enhance transparency and comparability of qualifications;
  • Focus on learner's behaviour that is to be changed;
  • Serve as guidelines for content, instruction, and evaluation;
  • Identify specifically what should be learned for a specific level and vocation;
  • Convey to learners exactly what is to be accomplished;
  • Enhance the way in which students can be assessed;
  • Help to guide trainees in their learning in that they explain what is expected of them, in turn helping them to succeed in their studies;
  • Help staff to focus on exactly what they want trainees to achieve in terms of both knowledge and skills;
  • Provide a useful guide to inform potential candidates and employers about the general knowledge and understanding that a graduate will possess.

Evaluation and certification system

  • This part has been left unchanged (with the exception of the introductory remark referring to the link between assessment and learning outcomes) in order to be in compliance with the Bulgarian VETA. However the Project Team think that provisions should be made to assess not only theory and practice but to go towards integrated tests whereby learners show both theoretical knowledge and skills and wider competences as well, plus the level to which they are applying those competences according to the taxonomy of Bloom (see Annex 4).
  • During the many contacts with education providers and representatives from industry, it became clear that education providers as well as industry want more focus on assessment of practice. This means they do not only want practical exams to be part of the evaluation but also placements, internships etc. They also want the part of the assessment dealing with practice to be higher than the theoretical part. This was mentioned several times, for example, in the sector of Tourism and Services.
  • During the May seminar some WGs put forward the idea to hold national examinations in all schools on the same day.
  • The national exams are the responsibility of the MoES. However, taking into account what has been laid down in the VETA it is recommended that a full cycle could be achieved where the SER are the basis for the national exam.
  • As far as evaluation of prior experiential learning is concerned, the Project Team wants to refer to a number of interesting experiments in Europe (e.g. Flanders, France etc.) where centres are established in which people without formal qualifications can be assessed to receive a title of professional competence. This is especially valuable for people with professional competences that have only been acquired through professional experience (porters, coach drivers, maids, car valets etc.). The fact that these professional competences are officially recognised gives these people the opportunity for career moves and career progression. The Project Team think this type of assessment centre could be beneficial for Bulgaria to enhance the integration of those in the labour force without formal qualifications.

Requirements towards the material facilities

It should be taken into account that when training is provided on a competence basis that this should also be reflected in the infrastructure available and in the way in which the education and training process is organised. This means that traditional classrooms alone will not provide the possibility for trainees to learn their competences. In fact a real work environment (or in some cases a virtual work environment) should be created to give the trainees the opportunities to practice the professional competences they have to acquire. The Project Team is aware that this is not always possible within the existing infrastructure of the school.

Therefore the possibility should be mentioned of collaboration with industry (sharing of infrastructure/placements) or the development of Regional Vocational Centres or demonstration centres where trainees can practice.

The Project Team has seen excellent examples of this type of collaboration (Stomana Industries, BATEX, etc.). Moreover, industry has expressed its willingness to invest in demonstration centres where infrastructure is shared by a number of schools. The Project Team has also seen examples of sponsorship to schools in terms of equipment. One example is the Technical Gymnasium for Tourism in Sofia, which has benefited from kitchen equipment provided by a German/Bulgarian company.

Key concepts:

The existing definition of Professional/vocational qualification has been replaced by the definition of the VETA.

Proposed Upgrading of the Framework Requirements Document

In the Framework Requirements document presented here, the proposed changes are highlighted to the narrative in grey block text for ease of reference.

/ NATIONAL AGENCY FOR VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING

FRAMEWORK REQUIREMENTS

towards the drafting of

STATE EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

for acquiring qualification in a vocation

(adopted by Protocol № 7 / 11.07.2001 of the Governing Board of the National Agency for Vocational Education and Training (NAVET),
amended and supplemented by Protocol № 7 /22.05.2002 of the NAVET Governing Board)

Sofia, 2006

I. Essence and role of the State Educational Requirements for acquiring qualification in a vocation

Definition of a State Educational Requirement (SER)

SER for vocational education and training

SER for acquiring of qualifications by professions

Main functions of SER for acquiring qualification in a vocation

Pursuant to article 15 of the National Education Act SER set the levels of the necessary general education and vocational training and create conditions for:

  • Building up of a free, moral and enterprising person, respecting the laws, the rights of the others, their culture, language and diversity;
  • Meeting the individual interests and needs and acquiring of high IQ;
  • Mastering of key scientific concepts and principles for integration of previous experience and new knowledge from various fields of science and practice;
  • Choice of possibilities for training and professional qualification, according to the abilities of the school children and their school;
  • Development of the material, cultural and ecological environment of the kindergartens, schools and servicing units.

SER specify the educational goals and the necessary and realistically attainable optimal results for all trainees upon the acquiring of a certain educational degree or level of professional qualification.

SER specially provide that the envisaged educational-instructive results should be attainable by all trainees and be subject to evaluation and objective grading.

Pursuant to the National Education Act (NEA), the SER, specific for the vocational education and training system, are:

  1. SER for vocational education and training – article 16, section 6 of NEA

The State Educational Requirement about vocational education and training defines the organisation of vocational education and training, the structure and content of their programmes.

  1. SER for acquiring a qualification in a vocation – article 16, section 7 of NEA

The State Educational Requirements for acquiring qualification in a vocation define the activities, performed within the profession, and the necessary knowledge, skills and acquired personal abilities, relevant to the respective profession.

Main functions of SER for acquiring qualification in a vocation:

1. To define the key, basic and special competence for a job

2. To provide quality of training

3. To guarantee transparency of the professional qualifications

4. To create possibilities for establishment of the formally and informally acquired knowledge and skills

5. To ensure equivalence of the certificates, issued by different institutions

6. To ensure link with the labour market

SER for acquiring qualification in a vocation aim to improve the system of vocational education and training, aligning it with the European standards for quality of education and the requirements for social and economic development. They create conditions both for functional orientation of the vocational training, in compliance with employers’ requirements and labour market needs, and for efficient and relevant planning and organising of training.

ІІ. Legal basis for the drafting of SER for acquiring qualification in a vocation

The drafting of SER for acquiring qualification in a vocation is based on NEA and the Vocational Education and Training Act (VETA).