Types of institutions

According to the provisions of the Education Code the secondary technical vocational education in Moldovan correspond to ISCED 3 level. It is organised in vocational /professional schools (şcoală profesională) and centre of excellence (centru de excelență). 

Institutions that offer secondary, post-secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary technical vocational training programmes may form consortia with technical vocational education and/or higher education institutions under the conditions of the law. 

Geographical accessibility

The secondary technical vocational education is organised in 32 professional schools and 8 Centres of Excellence distributed in 3 big cities (Chișinău, Bălți and Comrat) and 15 districts (from a total of 32 Moldovan regions - territorial administrative units).

There is no transportation available for pupils from professional schools. Pupils leaving at big distances from the professional schools have access to dormitories at affordable prices. 

All pupils from upper secondary education institutions are provided with free lunches during their studies, with the exception of winter and summer vacations, internships, as well as rest days and holidays.

Admission requirements and choice of school

The admission to secondary technical and vocational education programmes is carried out based on the Regulation for organising and conducting admission to technical professional training programmes. 

The admission competition is organised through the information system, on the website https://eadmitere.sime.md  or by the educational institutions, to the provisionally authorised/accredited secondary technical and vocational education programmes, depending on the language of instruction and the source of funding (from the state budget, study fees), within the limits of the approved admission plan.

Candidates for secondary technical and vocational education programmes can enrol in studies:

• with a duration of 3 years, for training in related occupations, based on the Certificate of Gymnasium Education (or an equivalent document);

• with a duration of 2 years, for training in an occupation, based on Certificate of Gymnasium Education (or an equivalent document), the Certificate of Gymnasium Education with the specific ASG/PEI series or persons who have not completed 9 classes and turn 16 during the academic year; 

• with a duration of 1 - 2 years, for training in an occupation, through dual education, based on the Certificate of Gymnasium Education (or an equivalent document of studies);

• with a duration of 1 - 2 years, for training in an occupation, based on the certificate of lyceum studies (or an equivalent certificate of studies)/ the certificate of secondary education of general culture (or an equivalent certificate of studies);

• with a duration of up to 8 months (short-term) for training in an occupation, based on the Certificate of Gymnasium Education (or an equivalent document) for secondary technical vocational education carried out in penitentiary institutions.

Citizens of the Republic of Moldova who have graduated from an educational institution abroad can also apply for the admission competition with funding from the state budget.

Citizens of other states and stateless persons residing in the Republic of Moldova can participate in the admission competition on the basis of international treaties, international/regional projects/programmes to which the Republic of Moldova is a party or on the basis of individual contracts concluded with educational institutions, in accordance with the Regulation on the Studies of Foreigners in Educational Institutions in the Republic of Moldova. 

Holders of the qualification certificate, professional studies diploma, bachelor's and master's degree diploma are not allowed to register for secondary technical and vocational education programmes funded by the state budget. 

Special provisions:

• 15% of the total number of places (for each programme/ occupation), provided for in the admission plan with funding from the state budget, will be allocated for the following categories of candidates:

  a. candidates with severe, pronounced, and medium disability;

  b. candidates left without parental care;

  c. candidates who have at least one parent with a severe disability;

  d. candidates who have at least one parent who participated in the military actions for the defence of the integrity and independence of the Republic of Moldova, in the combat actions in Afghanistan or in the liquidation of the consequences of the accident at Chernobyl; 

  e. candidates coming from families with four or more children, under the care on their parents;

  f. candidates of Roma ethnicity.

• 25% of the total number of places (for each programme), provided in the admission plan with state financing, for the specialties of Education Field – “Pedagogy and the science of education” and for candidates who present the study recommendation of the local specialised body in the field of education.

• 25% of the total number of places (for each programme), provided in the admission plan with state financing, for the specialty of “Nursing”, qualification - “Medical Assistant” within the field of education - Health, for candidates who present a study recommendation from a medical institution.

In the absence of requests from the candidates mentioned in special provisions, the places with funding from the state budget provided for this purpose will be distributed by the secondary technical vocational education institutions to the candidates in the general competition.

At the rate of 15% of the total number of places provided for in the admission plan with funding from the state budget, registration is carried out in descending order of competition averages. Candidates who did not pass the competition at the 15% rate participate in the general competition.

To enrol the candidate in the admissions competition, the candidate will submit the file within a single educational institution. The file is submitted physically or in electronic format on the website https://eadmitere.sime.md/.

The candidate file includes:

• the registration form for the admission competition;

• copy of the identity document (any identity document containing IDNP, including the provisional identity card);

• the study document with the respective annex in the original. 

• 4 colour photos 3x4 cm;

• proof of payment of the registration fee. Children left without parental care are exempt from paying the registration fee.

The entry form for the admission competition is completed electronically by the candidate or, if the candidate physically submits the competition file, it is completed in the presence of the candidate by the member of the admission committee appointed as operator.

The admission competition based on a tuition fee contract in public and private educational institutions is carried out according to similar criteria.

Candidates complete and sign a declaration regarding the veracity and legality of the documents presented. In the case of minor candidates, the declaration will be completed by one of the parents or the legal guardian.

The admission competition takes place based on the competition average, calculated from the average of the graduation exam mark and the marks for profile subjects calculated according to the Regulation for organising and conducting admission to technical professional training programmes.

For training programmes for dual education, at the request of the economic agent, the candidate takes an aptitude test. The way of organising and conducting the skills test is established by the economic agent through coordination with the educational institution.

Withdrawing the file from the competition is done through a request indicating complete removal from the online admission system, and it is also specified that the fee paid for submitting the file is non-refundable and the person has lost the right to be a candidate.

Appeals must be submitted no later than 48 hours from the moment of displaying the intermediate or final results, including for aptitude tests. The committee examines the candidate's appeal request and presents the resolution conclusions to the President of the Admission Committee. The decisions of the Appeals Committee are final and communicated to the candidate within 48 hours from the moment the appeal request is registered.

The Appeals Committee is composed of a President and 2-3 members. For dual education, these members are delegated by the economic agent for the vocational training programmes that include aptitude tests, if such tests are mentioned in the current Regulations. The President and members of the Appeals Committee cannot be members of the Admission Committee. The composition of the committee is approved by the order of the director of the educational institution.

Age levels and grouping of pupils

The common age level for the secondary technical vocational education in Moldova is 15-18, pupils being enrolled at the age of 15-16 and finishing their studies at 17-18. Older pupils can also study in this study programme, according to national legislation in this field. 

The number of pupils in a group is between 25 and 30. The number of pupils in a group for dual vocational education is determined separately.

The education process is structured by disciplines. Different teachers teach separate profile disciplines. 

The secondary technical vocational education, including dual education, consist of three components:

• general training – ensures the development of competencies that guarantee success in professional activities in all situations; general training is organised through study subjects;

• profile training (theoretical and practical) – ensures the accumulation of basic knowledge and the formation of basic skills in pupils, integrated into professional competencies. Profile training is organised through modules;

• optional training – ensures the extension of knowledge and the development of pupils' skills in the chosen vocational field or in other adjacent fields. Optional training is organised through study subjects.

Modules are part of the vocational curriculum and can be organised and delivered in a combination and successive order, predetermined within the vocational training programme. The modules can be separately certified and accumulated over time until a complete qualification is obtained, considering the individual needs and possibilities of the pupil.

By decision of the administration board, theoretical training hours for "General Preparation" can be conducted in streams. Generally, a stream consists of 2 groups. During practical training hours, as well as in subjects such as Foreign Language and Information Processing Technologies, pupil groups can be divided into two subgroups of 12-15 pupils each.

Organisation of the school year

The study year, in secondary technical vocational education in Moldova, begins on the first working day of September and ends on August 31. For pupils in their final year of studies, the school year ends around June 30.

It is recommended that short-term secondary technical vocational training programmes, lasting 8 months, start in September. 

The study week lasts 5 days and cannot exceed 36 academic hours, including theoretical and practical training.

The duration of practical training in production: 

• 24 hours per week, for pupils under 16 years old; 

• 36 hours per week, for pupils aged 16-18; 

• 40 hours per week, for pupils over 18 years old.

During the academic year, pupils benefit from three holidays, except for those enrolled in programmes lasting 8 months, as follows: 

• winter holiday - fixed period: December 25 – January 14

• Easter holiday - flexible period, 4 working days; 

• summer holiday - fixed period: after the end of the second semester until August 31.

The duration of studies can be from 8 months up to 3 years:

• 3 years – for training in related occupations, based on lower secondary education; 

• 2-3 years – depending on the complexity of the occupations, for training in one occupation, based on lower secondary education; 

• 1-2 years – depending on the complexity of the occupation, based on upper secondary education or general secondary education; 

• 1-2 years – through dual education; 

• 8 months – in short-term secondary technical vocational training programmes for the training of convicts.

Organisation of the school day and week

According to the Framework Plan for Secondary, Post-Secondary and Post-Secondary Non-Tertiary Vocational Education and the Regulation-Framework for The Organisation and Functioning of the Technical Vocational Education Institutions the class hours are scheduled according to the timetable developed by the deputy director, approved by the institution's director. The provisional timetable is posted at least 3 days before the beginning of the semester, and the final timetable is posted no later than the first week of classes.

The duration of an academic hour is 45 minutes, and the break between lessons is at least 10 minutes after every two lessons. Lessons of 90 minutes are allowed, with a 5-minute break after the first 45 minutes.

The duration of practical training sessions is 50 minutes, with workshops with 10-minute breaks after every 50 minutes in the first year of study, and 1 hour and 40 minutes in subsequent years. The lunch break, up to 60 minutes (astronomical hour), is usually scheduled after the fourth-class hour.

The work time for pupils during internship periods is determined according to the Framework Plan and the timetable approved by the director, not exceeding the normal/reduced duration of work time set by current legislation.

Extracurricular activities (clubs, cultural and artistic activities, sports, technical creativity, etc.) are conducted according to the extracurricular activities schedule.

Distraction of pupils from classes for other non-instructional activities is prohibited.

Order and discipline during teaching activities are ensured by the institution's management staff, the teaching staff on duty, and the teaching staff present in the institution. The organisation and conduct conditions are specified in the Internal Activity Regulations.

The teaching process includes lessons, practical and laboratory work conducted in laboratories, workshops, educational farms, enterprises, technical creativity clubs, artistic activities, sports sections, or other extracurricular activities depending on the priority educational objectives outlined in educational plans, methodical instructions, orders, and directives of the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Research.

Compulsory subjects and the number of hours for each year of study are established by the Framework Plan approved by the Ministry of Education and Research. The exclusion of study subjects or modification of their agreed hours is not permitted.