European, Global and Intercultural Dimension in Curriculum Development
Development
The VET system has been modified several times over the last decade to adapt to the needs of the labour market. In 2012 a National Vocational Qualifications Register with a new structure was introduced. From the systemic elements of vocational and adult education, the followings were developed: the vocational examination system, the curriculum and the measuring system, the evaluation tool system and the development of modular curricula. From 2020, the Vocational Qualifications Register was replaced with the new Register of Vocational Occupations in a phasing-out system. The Register of Vocational Occupations contains 176 core professions in 25 sectors. Core professions can only be studied in formal education. The Register of Vocational Occupations indicates, the interoperability between professions within the same sector, the duration of training, and the level of digital competence. It is in line with EU standards.
In 2009, the ECVET Recommendation formulated the need to establish a European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training that is based on harmonised principles. The ECVET Recommendation is closely linked to the European Qualifications Framework; the learning outcomes, the description of (vocational) training programmes in learning outcomes – but the ECVET classification also focuses on interoperability and recognition. At present, it is seen as a methodological tool rather than as a mechanism for the recognition of vocational qualifications, and work continues in this sense from 2020 onwards towards the modernisation of vocational education and training.
The establishment of the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training results in a more flexible and transferable educational path, which is a long and heavily-debated process. These debates primarily take place within the national ECVET Expert Network.
The EQAVET is an expert community with the objective of providing quality assurance in vocational education and improving quality by applying the European Quality Assurance Reference Framework in Vocational Education and Training. The main activity of the expert community is the work carried out within the working groups, the organisation of seminars, annual forums and the drafting of online reports. Hungary is also a member of this community; the Hungarian activities within the network primarily focus on the standardised approach to quality, quality awareness, and establishing a standardised quality management system in vocational and adult education institutions, as well as the use of learning outcomes and the description of learning outcomes of mobility programmes.
Partnerships and Networks
In the Erasmus+ programme, in addition to the horizontal objectives of (inclusion, digitisation, environment and active citizenship), the cooperation partnerships in the adult education sector in 2023 focuses on priorities such as the development of local learning centres, learner and teacher competence development, quality assurance.
In the field of adult training, there are two types of applications: the Cooperation Partnerships support cooperation between at least 3 organisations for a minimum duration of 12-36 months, while the Small-scale partnerships can support projects of 6-24 months that require the cooperation of at least two organisations.
In case of the Erasmus+ programme, adult learning includes both formal and non-formal adult learning, but only those that focus on general skills, language and other skills. Vocational education and training or training to fill a job are excluded.
In the first year of the new programme period, 16 out of 29 Small-scale partnership projects, and 11 out of 25 Cooperation partnership projects were funded. From the 2014-2021 programme period 11 projects have been closed, while 24 projects are still ongoing.
In addition to the adult training sector, the range of applications are also expanding in the youth sector. In the youth sector, it is also possible to apply for both small-scale partnership projects and cooperation partnership projects.