In adult education and training there is no unitary quality system, established at national level, providers being free to establish their own quality system.

However, for continuing vocational education and training providers, offering nationally recognized certificates, a procedure has been established by law for the authorization of continuing vocational training providers, based on occupational standards and national procedures.

The authorization procedure is performed at county level, by teams of specialists appointed by the County Authorization Commission, through a process similar to the provisional authorization of educational institutions: a preliminary analysis of the documentation, followed by an on-site visit to assess the capacity of the provider (infrastructure, material and qualified human resources) to provide the respective continuing vocational training programmes.

Based on the report prepared by the team of evaluators, the County Commission decide to authorize or not the provider of continuous professional training for the training programmes subject to authorization.

After authorization, the training programmes must be re-authorized every 4 years. During this period, the County Commission monitors the activity of authorized providers.

 

Responsible bodies

In accordance with the draft Decision for approving the Methodology for implementing the principles for quality assurance in the field of adult vocational training (under public debate), the institutional system with responsibilities in the field of quality assurance consists of:

• Ministry of Labor and Social Justice

• Ministry of National Education

• National Authority for Qualifications

• National Accreditation Center

• National Commission for Quality Assurance and Control

• sectoral committees

• commissions for authorizing the providers of professional training for adults of the counties or of the municipality of Bucharest

• authorized training providers

• authorized centers for evaluation and certification of professional competences obtained by other means than the formal ones.

Approaches and methods for quality assurance

In accordance with the draft Decision for approving the Methodology for implementing the principles for quality assurance in the field of adult vocational training (under public debate), the Ministry of Labor and Social Justice and the Ministry of National Education provide the regulatory framework for quality assurance.

The activity is carried out by:

• elaboration and publication of the procedures used in the process of authorizing the providers of professional training of adults, in the process of authorizing the centers of evaluation and certification of the professional competences acquired in other ways than the formal ones, of the methodological instructions and guides, of the informative materials.

• elaboration and revision of the minimum criteria, minimum indicators and standards required the authorization of the providers and the centers.

• permanent relationship and collaboration with public and private providers and centers, in order to develop and revise criteria, minimum standards and indicators, as well as to facilitate communication and ensure transparency in the field.

The full text of the draft Decision for approving the Methodology for implementing the principles for quality assurance in the field of adult vocational training (under public debate) can be consulted on the website of the Ministry of Labor and Social Justice.

National Group for Quality Assurance is an informal structure, which functions as national point of reference of European Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training network (EQAVET), having as main function the coordination and harmonization of the systems of quality assurance in education and professional training.