Higher Vocational Training Schools

Αssessment of learners is divided into two phases:

1. Assessment during training and
2. Post-training assessment.

The basic principles of the evaluation system in SAEK are:

• the clear prior definition and assurance of transparency regarding the evaluation parameters,
• the measurable nature of the assessment of learning outcomes that correspond to the level of the trainees,
• the reasonable and fair awarding of grades to them,
• the possibility of providing feedback both from the educators and from the trainees regarding the conditions and specific requirements of grading,
• the subsequent possibility of equal access for trainees to their grades and comments on their performance, with the aim of monitoring their progress and continuously improving.

The assessment of the knowledge, skills and competences of trainees per course includes:

• Mid-term exams
• Ιndividual/Group Project and
• Final exams 

Mid-term exams

• During each training semester, all courses include at least one mid-term exam, provided that at least fifty percent (50%) of the total hours specified in the Training Guide have been taught. Tests are prepared and marked by the educator.
• The mid-term exam is compulsory for all trainees.  In cases of justifiable absence the management of the respective SAEK, in collaboration with the educator, can decide to postpone the exam, that will take place in a later time, provided that the student submit the required documents justifying the absence before the end of the semester in question.
• The duration of each mid-term exam may be up to one hour.

Group and individual projects

The topics of the projects are set by the trainer and are approved by the Director or Deputy Director of the SAEK.The project may be individual or collaborative/teamwork. Instructions on the content of the project are provided either in the Study Guide or by the educator. 

The topics of all examinations are reviewed by the Director or Deputy Director of SAEK before being distributed to the trainees.

The examination includes at least four (4) essay questions and/or at least twenty-five (25) automatically graded questions, such as multiple choice, true/false, matching, and fill-in-the-blank questions, unless otherwise specified by the Training Guide of the specialty.

For the evaluation of laboratory courses, a written, oral, or practical test, or a combination of these, may be conducted. 

Trainees who unjustifiably do not take final exams, will get a failing grade. Trainees who either disrupt the smooth conduct of the examination or cheat in any way will also get a failing grade. 

Trainees can request an oral examination, in case they cannot undergo a written examination for one of the following reasons:

• they are blind or have a vision impairment of at least 67%,

• they have a physical disability of at least 67%, permanent or temporary, associated with the upper limbs,

• they suffer from upper limb spasticity,

• they suffer from a fracture or other temporary impairment of the upper limbs, thus making writing impossible,

• they present specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia (difficulty with reading and spelling), dysgraphia (difficulty with handwriting and writing skill), dyscalculia (difficulty with math and numbers), dysorthographia (difficult with correct spelling), 

• trainees with autism spectrum disorder.

These trainees are required to sit for the same exams as all others and within the same amount of time.  The examination is oral and conducted by the teacher of the course in the presence of the Deputy Director.

The general performance of trainees in individual/group projects as well as progress in mid-term projects constitutes the progress mark for the semester in the course.

The performance of the trainees in the final exams constitutes the final exam mark for the course of the semester in question.

The final mark of the subject is formed by 60% from the final exam mark, 30% from the average of the mid-terms mark and 10% from individual/group project , rounded to the nearest whole number.

When several trainers teach a laboratory subject,  separate marks are given. The average of such marks is the mark of the exam, whether mid-term or final.

The mark of the examination of a mixed course, whether progress or final, is the average of the individual marks in the examination of the theoretical and the laboratory part of the course. No final grade is given in a subject for trainees whose attendance has been classified as deficient due to absences.

The sum of the final mark of all training courses, including, in the case of classification (from one specialty to another), those whose mark has been ensured, is divided by the number of courses and provides the general average grade of the trainee for that semester.

In cases of exemptions from particular subjects for students with special needs, the total number of these subjects is not included in calculating the general average grade.

The grading scale ranges from 1 (minimal grade) to 10.

 Estimation of sufficient or insuffcicient attendance of studies for trainees takes place after the end of the semester and before final exams.

Attendance is mandatory for all subjects.

Attendance in each subject is classified as adequate when the trainee’s hourly absences are equal to or less than  20% of the total number of teaching hours provided for the semester, rounded to the nearest whole number.

In any other case, attendance is classified as inadequate.

The trainee is not entitled to attend the final exam at the end of the training semester for the subject in which his/her attendance was classified as inadequate.  He/she is ought to repeat the attendance of such subjects, without having the right to enrol in the next semester.

In cases where attendance in all the courses of the first semester is classified as inadequate for a trainee, to enroll, the trainee in question will have to undergo a process of re-selection as described above.

A trainee who, for any reason, wishes to discontiue their studies must submit to the SAEK an application/declaration of honour, either digitally signed or bearing an authenticated signature from a competent authority. 

The SAEK Administration is responsible for issuing the decision to discontinue the studies.

Post-secondary year – apprenticeship class

The trainees are assessed after the completion of the apprenticeship according to the Regulation for the Operation of the Post-Secondary year / Apprenticeship Class  (ministerial decision 104602/Κ5/24) 

Assessment of students in the apprenticeship class program, tests learning outcomes and takes place once at the end of each period of the Post-secondary year /Apprenticeship class, as follows:

1. In the school unit by the instructor(s), taking into account the assessment received in the laboratory subject of the specialisation. The grading scale is 1-20.The grade accounts for 50% of the student’s final assessment.  
2. At the workplace, taking into account the assessment of the learning programme at the workplace.  The grading scale is 1-20. The grade accounts for 50% of the student's final assessement. 

The grades for points (1) and (2) above are recorded in the Apprenticeship Class Management Information System. The evaluation of the Specialty Laboratory Course is conducted in writing or orally, with a demonstration of skills in the laboratory and the execution of a specific task, depending on the nature of the course content. The form of the examination is determined by the supervising teachers who teach the specialty laboratory course. 

The assessment of the workbased learing programme is based on the following criteria: 

1. The daily schedule of the program (proper completion)
2. The progress of project implementation as reflected in brief in the daily schedule
3. the demonstration of skills and/or presentation of independent projects in physical or digital form during the final examination. 

 Higher Vocational Training School (SAEK),

The trainee is enrolled in the next training semester, provided they are not required to retake a course or courses, and one of the following conditions is met:

• Their final grade in each course is at least 5 out of 10
• The trainee has underperformed in only one course out of the total courses for the current semester. In this case, the trainee is required to retake the exam for the course in which they were deficient in subsequent exam periods. The grade from this retake, if it is equal to or greater than five (5), becomes the new final grade for that course.

In any other case, the trainee is required to repeat the attendance/training of the courses of the semester in which they underperformed or classified as inadequate due to absences.

If a specialty department and respective semester are not available at the SAEK  for a course in which the trainee was deficient in grading or had insufficient attendance, by submitting an application to the particular SAEK administration the trainee can: 

a. join a specialty department where the subject/course needed is taught, or

b. be transferred to another SAEK where the course(s) in question is offered.

Internship

The trainees of the SAEK can carry out their internship or apprenticeship in public-law legal entities, private-law legal entities, public services, local government authorities of the first and second degree, and enterprises, under the responsibility of the SAEK in which they are enrolled.
The internship period is either continuous or divided into segments, after the successful completion of the theoretical and laboratory training of the fourth semester, unless otherwise specified in the Training Guides, and must in any case be completed within twenty-four (24) months from the end of the last semester of theoretical and laboratory training.

SAEK trainees who have completed at least 120 daily wages or at least 120 days of insurance in the specialty in which they are enrolled, are exempt from the requirement to attend the internship or apprenticeship period, following the submission of a relevant application and a declaration of honour under l. 1599/1986 to the SAEK of attendance as well as the issuance of an approval decision by the Director of the competent SAEK. In any case they must complete 4 semesters of theoretical and laboratory training, in order to receive the vocational training certificate.

Trainees are not exempt from the requirement to attend internship or apprenticeship if they have already completed practical training or an apprenticeship for another SAEK specialty, or a work-experience program (stage), or practical training in another Vocational Education and Training structure.

The supervision, coordination, quality assurance and assessment of internship or apprenticeship are the responsibility of the Director of the SAEK or the assigned coordinator.  Specifially, they are responsible for:

• Monitoring trainees’ attendance
• Assuring quality at the workplace
• On-site inspection of the company
• Maintenance of individual portfolio of internship with the relevant progression reports.

SAEK trainees' internship can be paid or subsidised, while the apprenticeship is paid or subsidised. Practical training and apprenticeship can be funded by national or EU resources.

Post-secondary year – apprenticeship class

The final assessment of the post-secondary year – apprenticeship class is graded from 1 to 20. 

Attendance of post-secondary year – apprenticeship class is considered successful, when the final grade robtained is at least 10, provided that the trainees do not have less than 10 in a scale of 10 to 20 in (a) and (b) parts of the assessment. In any other case the attendance is considered unsuccessful. 

A trainee cannot re-sit the exam or repeat the post-secondary year – apprenticeship class, even in a different specialty. 

 Higher Vocational Training School (SAEK)

Higher vocational training school graduates are awarded the vocational training certificate (VEK). The vocational trainig certificate is a prerequisite for their participation in the qualification certifying exams that lead to obtaining the vocational education and training diploma of level five (5). Qualification certifying exams are carried out annually by the National Organisation for the Certification of Qualifications and Vocational Guidance (EOPPEP). 

The SAEK Operating Regulation defines the type of attendance certificate, which must include at least the trainee's personal data, the specialty and duration of study and the date of their graduation. 

Certification of vocational training for graduates of  SAEK, as defined by Joint Ministerial Decision 2944/17-4-2014, is based on theoretical and practical exams conducted at  national level. The certification exams are the same for both public and private Higher Vocational Training Schools.

The National Organization for the Certification of Qualifications and Vocational Guidance - EOPPEP is responsible for the accreditation of the vocational training of SAEK graduates.  The central examination committee for the accreditation of vocational training (KEEPEK)  operates within EOPPEP.  Candidates that are successful in both sections of the exam, theory and practice, are awarded a Vocational Specialisation Diploma Level 5.
 

Post-secondary year – apprenticeship class

Post-secondary year – apprenticeship class graduates receive a certificate of attendance of the post-secondary year – apprenticeship class, which only states the designation “successfully”.

Moreover, apprenticeship class graduates may receive a Certificate in Specialisation, Vocational Education and Training Level 5.  Joint Ministerial Decision 90050/Υ2/1-6-2018 defines the validation procedures of their qualifications.

Training Guides

According to  l. 4763/2020, the new "Training Guides" for each specialisation include, for each specialty of SAEK and of the Post-secondary year - Apprenticeship class,

• the pathways for acquiring qualifications
• the certification process and
• the certification standard, including a repository of  questions for the certification  of  each qualification, corresponding to the  relevant level of the National Qualifications Framework.

More specifically, according to the Standard Training Guide which is included in  ΦΒ6/24964/Κ3/3-3-2021 of the General Secretary οf Vocational Education, Training, and Lifelong Learning, the “Training Guide” for each specialty will include the details for the assessment of trainees through:

• mid-term exams
• the final examination and
• the assessment of participation of the trainee in group and individual projects.

 Supervision, coordination, quality assurance and assessment of internship or apprenticeship are carried out by the Office of Professional Development and Career of SAEK, under the responsibility of the Director of SAEK.

Certification Preparatory Program

Graduates of the Post-Secondary Year - Apprenticeship class can attend the optional Preparatory Certification Program, lasting a total of thirty-five (35) hours. The programme is organised and carried out by vocational upper secondary schools (EPAL). The purpose of the program is to better prepare apprenticeship class students for their participation in the qualification certification procedures and the acquisition of a title of level five (5), or any equivalent title. As mentioned above, the certification procedures are conducted annually by the National Organisation for the Certification of Qualifications and Vocational Guidance (EOPPEP).

The Preparatory Program takes place in Laboratory Centers or in an evening upper secondary vocational school laboratory (EPAL).

Transition period

The Guides or Curricula, used before the enactment of l. 4763/2020, for training trainees and apprentices, continue to apply until students registered prior to the year of enforcement of the law complete their studies. During the certification process by the National Organisation for the Certification of Qualifications and Vocational Guidance (EOPPEP), graduates of  SAEK and Post-Secondary Apprenticeship Year, are examined and certified on the basis of the relevant Guides or Curricula.