Since its establishment in 1995 CPI has cooperated with various ministries, employers, chambers, schools and other national and international organisations. During the past two decades CPI evolved into a recognizable institution in the education system at home and an invaluable partner in various national and international projects.
In 2023, Aleksandar Sladojević assumed the leadership of the Centre as Acting Director.
In the second half of 2024, Gregor Mohorčič, M.Sc has been appointed as Director. All the stakeholders on the CPI governing board expressed their support for his appointment.
Strategic changes continued, with a central focus on improving the quality and consistency of the vocational Matura. The establishment of ten additional national subject committees has enabled the coordination of the Matura’s implementation at the national level.
In 2024, we celebrated the 15th anniversary of Slovenia’s membership in the WorldSkills Europe network, which plays a pivotal role in promoting vocational and professional education and enhancing the reputation of vocational skills. National competitions, SloveniaSkills, play a key role in this process, serving as a platform for young talents to showcase their skills biannually. These events emphasise the importance of excellence, innovation and collaboration with employers, contributing to the development of a skilled and competitive workforce. Winners of the competition will have the opportunity to participate in EuroSkills competitions, gaining international experience and expanding their professional networks.
In 2025, we will celebrate several anniversaries, the most significant of which will be the 30th anniversary of the Centre of the Republic of Slovenia for Vocational Education and Training – the leading national institution for the development, implementation, and promotion of vocational and professional education.
In addition to the 30th anniversary of its establishment, the year will also mark the 25th anniversary of the National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) system, which plays a key role in supporting lifelong learning and improving employability by enabling adults to obtain an NVQ certificate through the validation and assessment of informally acquired knowledge.
We are also proud to announce that we will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the National Europass Centre, which has become a key tool for presenting knowledge and skills. The Europass CV is the most recognised method of gaining recognition.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Slovenian Qualifications Framework Act (SQF), which established the legal basis for the national contact point and defined key elements of the system. This has contributed to the transparency of educational programmes and the recognition of qualifications in Slovenia and across Europe.
Finally, we will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the national EQAVET reference point, which serves as a conduit between European policies and national initiatives for quality development in education.
We recognized early on the importance of promoting professions as essential component to increasing the visibility and reputation of vocational and professional education. Our goal is to enhance the attractiveness of these educational pathways and strengthen cooperation between schools, companies, and young professionals. We began actively focusing on promotion in 2008, when we started developing a comprehensive awareness-raising approach.
It was clear early on that promoting professions was vital to raising the profile and standing of VET. Our objective is to enhance the appeal of these educational pathways and to strengthen collaboration between educational institutions, companies, and young professionals. In 2008, we initiated a comprehensive promotional strategy, marking the beginning of our systematic approach to raising awareness.
Participants at Cedefop workshop »Future of VET in Slovenia« within RRF project Modernisation of VET 2022 – 2026
In 2019, Acting Director Urška Marentič transferred the responsibilities to the newly appointed Director, Janez Damjan, M.Sc
During this period, CPI employees also faced the challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated the transition to remote working. This required greater adaptability and innovation from the VET providers.
This time also saw the beginning of long-term development visions, with a focus on digitalisation, sustainability, and enhancing the inclusiveness of the education system. In response to the challenges posed by distance learning and the need for more flexible learning pathways, CPI has introduced a blended learning model. The development and implementation of this model had a positive impact on the competencies of educational professionals and supported modern didactic practices.
Key development projects from this period included the modernisation of upper secondary vocational and technical education, including apprenticeship, as well as the renewal of higher vocational programmes and the establishment of digitally supported learning environments. As part of this modernisation, CPI launched a comprehensive overhaul of vocational and technical education programmes, systematically integrating key competences alongside professional competences included into occupational standards.
Two development projects from the sustainability field, Care 4 Climate and Climate Goals in Education and Training, addressed the question of how to best prepare young people for a sustainable future. Both projects sought to establish a professional foundation for integrating sustainable development and climate change mitigation content into occupational standards and educational programmes.
In 2022, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the ReferNet network, a network established by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop). ReferNet is responsible for collecting information on national systems and monitoring VET policies in EU Member States, Iceland, and Norway. The network plays an important role in enhancing the comparability of VET and facilitating more effective national-level policy-making.
The WorldSkills Slovenia team achieved outstanding results. They won one bronze 🥉 medal and five medals 🏅 for excellence.
In 2017 the Apprenticeship Act was adopted and Slovenia reintroduced apprenticeship into the VET system as a 3-year pilot.
In 2009 CPI, appointed for a national coordination point (NCP) for European Qualifications Framework (EQF), coordinated the preparation of Slovenian Qualification Framework (SQF). SQF was referenced to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) in 2013.
The CPI also became a national contact point for various networks, hosting European Qualifications Framework EQF, EUROPASS, Cedefop’s REFERNET network, ECVET, EQAVET and EUROSKILLS, thus further linking our operations across the European Union. In 2009 Elido Bandelj became a new director of CPI.
International conference on the introduction of apprenticeships in Slovenia, 2017
10. anniversary of CPI
This period brought a change in the top CPI management as Metka Zevnik took over as directress in 2005.
With the accession to the European Union and the use of European Social Fund, finances strengthened and expanded the international project participation of CPI. Therefore, a new project unit was created at the CPI, which supervised and managed projects throughout the following period. During this period, school consortiums appeared, influencing the development and implementation of new educational programs.
The new wave was in full swing by 2004, as an intensive reform of the education programmes took place lasting until 2010, involving CPI, school consortiums and employers. Systematic teacher training was required, with thorough monitoring of the implementation of the new programs.
10 years of CPI
The year 2000 was a very important turning point as the Vocational Qualifications Act was adopted. Evaluations indicated some deficiencies of the previous reform, so in 2001 new Guidelines for the preparation of the upper secondary VET programmes were published. The Guidelines implemented vocational standards as the mandatory basis of VET programmes, replacing nomenclatures. A standard has a dual role, as it also became the basis for National Vocational Qualifications, gained through the certification system. Due to the transition from the nomenclature of professions to vocational standards, CPI created a new department for the preparation of vocational standards and catalogues of professional skills.
Vladimir Tkalec, Director of CPI with Charles, prince of Wales
In this period, CPI was a partner in the Phare MOCCA, which provided a framework for the evaluation and deliberation on the VET system reform of the 1990’s.
The completion of this project brought a Memorandum on the further development of vocational and technical education. During this period, the National Observatory and the National Coordination Unit of the Leonardo da Vinci program were set up at the CPI, nowadays a separate institution named CMEPIUS. This period also saw the beginning of the intensive international cooperation for CPI.
Leonardo da Vinci CPI delegation visiting Brussels
The development of the CPI in the early years coincided with the first Phare project (1995-1998), which represented European aid for the assistance and renewal of VET. As the central research, development and advisory body for VET, CPI was responsible for developing the contents of the whole project. CPI also coordinated the activities and thus contributed to the reform and modernisation of VET in Slovenia.
The Phare project provided material and professional support and also enabled contacts with similar institutions and experts in other EU countries. The results achieved influenced the system for the next ten years. The first Guidelines for the preparation of education programs were developed influencing the curriculum reform. The Guidelines also re-introduced the dual system, master craftsman, foreman and shop manager exam, higher VET schools and vocational courses.
The VET Act and the White book on Education and Training was also adopted in 1996, which along with the guidelines served as the basis for the preparation of new upper secondary VET programmes, the first ones were implemented in the 1997/8 school year.
Phare project, logo
CPI was established on 25 May 1995, by a special decision of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia as the founder (the Ministry of Education Science and Sport and the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs) and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia and the Chamber of Craft and Small Business of Slovenia as co-founders. This decision meant that the idea had matured in the Republic of Slovenia that Vocational Education and Training (VET) has to be based on social partnership, therefore it needs a separate institution that would monitor and facilitate the development of VET in Slovenia. The tasks of the CPI were development of modern education programs (short, vocational and technical upper secondary education), connecting schools and employers regarding work-based learning of students, development and maintenance of the certification system and maintenance of the VET programs records.
Samo Hribar Milič from the Chamber of Commerce became the first acting director and was succeded replaced by Vladimir Tkalec, a renowed expert for the field of European VET, who managed CPI for the next 10 years.
Vladimir Tkalec, Director of CPI
