Post-secondary non-tertiary education is organized based on the vocational education and training qualifications for which the providing schools are accredited and which are in demand on the labour market. Post-secondary non-tertiary education ensures the specialised technical training of high-school graduates and the certification of the vocational qualification acquired at Level 5 of the National Qualification Framework. In Romania, the National Qualification Framework includes 8 levels of qualification.

According to the legislation in force (Government Decision 866/2008), post-secondary non-tertiary education ensures the vocational qualification at Level 5 of the National Qualification Framework for the following fields:

• Post-secondary school:

  • Mechanics

  • Computer Science

  • Electronics and Automation

  • Energetics

  • Constructions, Installation and Public Works

  • Transport

  • Manufacturing of Wood Products

  • Forestry

  • Agriculture

  • Food Industry

  • Environment Protection

  • Services

  • Commerce

  • Tourism and Food

  • Textile-Leather

  • Media Production

  • Economic

  • Aesthetics and Hygiene of the Human Body

  • Health and Pedagogical Assistance

  • Sport.

• Foremen school:

  • Mechanic

  • Electric

  • Chemistry

  • Mining, Petrol and Gas

  • Energetic

  • Metallurgy

  • Construction Materials

  • Constructions, Installations and Public Works

  • Manufacturing of Wood Products

  • Transport

  • Textile-Leather

  • Food Industry

  • Agriculture.

For most of the vocational education and training qualifications through post-secondary education, the duration of studies is 2 years. For evening classes and special education, the duration of studies is extended according to the Framework Curricula approved by the Ministry of National Education.

Curriculum, subjects, number of hours

The content of post-secondary non-tertiary education is established in the Curriculum, based on Vocational Training Standards.

The Curriculum includes the Framework Curriculum, the subject/module curriculum and the textbooks which apply to each qualification, for years of studies.

The Curriculum for post-secondary non-tertiary education is developed as a modular curriculum; the modules are determined by the structure of the units of competences/learning outcomes in the Vocational Training Standards. 

Teaching methods and materials

The teaching methods applied in post-secondary non-tertiary education are chosen so as to lead to the attainment of the intended goals for a qualification level, the fulfilment of the objectives intended for each subject/module and, especially, so as to fit the students’ age and individual peculiarities.

Teachers are fully responsible for choosing the methods, taking into consideration the structure of their class, the teaching materials existing in school and according to the methodological guidelines in the curriculum and the publications for teachers.

Throughout post-secondary non-tertiary education, each subject/module of the Framework Curriculum is taught by one teacher.

For the practical activity taking place at economic operators, responsible people/tutors are appointed and they collaborate with the teachers so as the students can achieve the learning outcomes stipulated in the Vocational Training Standard.

During the lessons at school, the teacher is fully responsible for the class management. Consequently, teachers choose independently the organisation of activities involving all the students in a class (frontal activity), groups of students or individual students (differentiated activity) – depending on the specific objectives of the lesson and students’ level.

The teaching materials used in post-secondary non-tertiary education depend on the education level and the subject/module.

Printed materials may be purchased by the library of the school or may be recommended by the teacher and purchased by the students.