Qualification development
A vocational qualification enables individuals to enter the labour market with various path of gaining a qualification on offer. The Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for VET (CPI) plays a major role in the development of vocational qualifications
A qualification can be obtained through upper secondary vocational programmes or higher vocational programmes. These qualifications are called “educational qualifications” and are primarily intended for young people as they enable acquiring the level of education and professional title. They are attested by a public certificate of completed education (certificate or diploma) issued in line with upper secondary and higher vocational education legislation
A qualification can also be obtained by formalizing the informally acquired knowledge through a National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) validation and certification procedure, defined by the NVQ Act and obtaining an NVQ certificate. Such a path is especially suitable for adults, who have acquired knowledge and skills through various work experiences and non-formal learning.
An occupational standard connects both systems as it provides the legal basis for the education programmes and the NVQ certification procedure. It also enables comparability of qualifications between the two paths.
The role of the CPI is to manage and coordinate the development of the bases for obtaining various vocational qualifications as laid down by the legislation and it does so in cooperation with the social partners.
The CPI is also in charge of the Slovenian Qualifications Framework (SQF) and the SQF Register, which includes various qualifications in a uniform qualification system and classifies them into SQF levels according to the learning outcomes. The SQF Register represents publicly accessible information on Slovenian Qualifications Framework and provides insight into all individual qualifications that can be obtained in Slovenia. The SQF Register is available on the SQF portal website https://www.nok.si/ and has a number of functionalities that enable users to search for information on qualifications. The SQF Register is linked to the Europass platform, which provides access to information on Slovenian qualifications in English throughout the EU.
The Vocational Education Act and the Higher Vocational Education Act enable acquiring qualifications in the VET training and upskilling programmes for the training or upskilling of employees. The Slovenian Qualifications Framework Act introduces additional qualifications, offering companies the option of officially recognised internal company training.