OECD Skills Strategy Slovak Republic

Annex A. Engagement

The National Skills Strategy project involved ongoing oversight and input from an inter-ministerial team (the National Project Team) co-ordinated by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic and composed of experts from various other ministries and organisations, as outlined in Table A.1 below.

The European Commission was represented by Alison Crabb (Head of Unit, Skills and Qualifications, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion), Michael Morass (Deputy Head of Unit Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion), Michael Horgan (Policy Officer, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) and Jitka Verdickt (Programme Manager, EU Policies, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion).

Table A.1. National Project Team

National Project Team
Michal Rehúš	Head of the Education Policy Institute (EPI), Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport
Ján Toman	Analyst EPI, Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport
Pavol Galáš	Analyst EPI, Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport
Karol Jakubík	VET Department, Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport
Jozef Jurkovič	Head of Higher Education Section, Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport
Michal Deneš	Lifelong Learning Department, Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport
Luba Habodaszová	Institute for Financial Policy (IFP), Ministry of Finance
Anna Čaplovičová	Section of Business Environment and Innovation, Ministry of Economy
Monika Pacoláková	Section of Labour, Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family

Table A.2. Supporting experts

Supporting experts
Michaela Bednárik	Analyst EPI, Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport
Dávid Martinák	Analyst EPI, Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport
Mária Perignáthová	Analyst EPI, Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport
Ivana Studená	Deputy Head, Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences, Slovak Academy of Sciences
Samo Varsik	Analyst EPI, Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport

Workshop moderators and note-takers

Members of the National Project Team and the Education Policy Institute acted as moderators and note‑takers during the workshops in April and June 2019.

OECD missions to Slovakia

The OECD held three missions to Slovakia between January and June 2019 and met with a broad range of stakeholders, including representatives of municipalities, regional development agencies, adult education providers, employers, employer associations and trade unions. The missions included large interactive workshops, in-depth thematic sessions and bilateral meetings.

Mission 1: Skills Strategy Seminar

During the first mission from 28 to 30 January 2019, members of the OECD team undertook the following:

1. Held a high-level meeting with the Minister of Education, state secretaries and directors from four ministries, three non-ministerial institutes, two centres and unions, and the European Commission to explain, get feedback on and receive endorsement for the main elements of the project.

2. Held a technical-level meeting with representatives of four ministries and other stakeholders to discuss and receive feedback on the main elements of the project.

3. Held three bilateral meetings with representatives of three different ministries to discuss their major responsibilities, their initial insights into the four priority areas of the project, and their expectations of the project.

Representatives of several ministries and offices, as well as the European Commission, attended the senior official discussion and the technical-level meeting in Bratislava on 29 January 2019.

Table A.3. Organisation and stakeholders participating in the Skills Strategy Seminar, Bratislava, 29 January 2019

Association of Industrial Unions (Asociácia priemyselných zväzov)

European Commission (Európska komisia)

Methodology and Pedagogy Centre (Metodicko-pedagogické centrum)

Ministry of Economy (Ministerstvo hospodárstva SR)

Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport (Ministerstvo školstva, vedy, výskumu a športu SR)

Ministry of Finance (Ministerstvo financií SR)

Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (Ministerstvo práce, sociálnych vecí a rodiny SR)

National Institute of Education (Štátny pedagogický ústav)

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Investments and Informatization (Úrad podpredsedu vlády SR pre investície a informatizáciu)

ReferNET

Slovak Academy of Sciences (Slovenská akadémia vied)

State Institute for Vocational Education (Štátny inštitút odborného vzdelávania)

Mission 2: Assessment mission

During the second mission from 8 to 11 April 2019, members of the OECD team undertook the following:

1. Held an Assessment Workshop with around 60 participants that convened representatives of ministries, state agencies, researchers, academics, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), teachers, school founders, students and employers/business. The workshop focused on discussions of Slovakia’s challenges and opportunities, current reforms and the next key priorities for the country regarding skills.

2. Hosted four in-depth focus group discussions with subject matter experts and practitioners in the four areas of focus for the project. These sessions convened policy makers, ministry officials, public agencies and stakeholders to explore Slovakia’s challenges and opportunities in each priority area, and to discuss current skills reforms underway to help respond to these priorities. The purpose was to allow the OECD to go into the details of specific challenges and recommendations with a small group of experts and stakeholders and develop tailored recommendations.

3. Held two meetings with the National Project Team to reflect on the ongoing co-operation with the OECD and discuss upcoming project phases.

Table A.4. Organisation and stakeholders participating in the Assessment Workshop, Bratislava, 9 April 2019

Academia Istropolitana Nova

Alliance of Sector Councils (Aliancia sektorových rád)

American Chamber of Commerce (Americká obchodná komora)

Association for Career Guidance and Career Development (Združenie pre kariérové poradenstvo a rozvoj kariéry)

Association of Adult Education Institutions in the Slovak Republic (Asociácia inštitúcií vzdelávania dospelých v SR)

Association of Private Schools and School Facilities (Asociácia súkromných škôl a školských zariadení)

Asssociation of Educational Counsellors (Asociácia výchovných poradcov)

AT&T

Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (Ústredie práce sociálnych vecí a rodiny)

Club 500 (Klub 500)

Comenius University in Bratislava (Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave)

Education Policy Institute (Inštitút vzdelávacej politiky)

Entrepreneurs Association of Slovakia (Združenie podnikateľov Slovenska)

Institute for Financial Policy (Inštitút finančnej politiky)

IT Association of Slovakia (IT Asociácia Slovenska)

Ministry of Economy (Ministerstvo hospodárstva SR)

Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport (Ministerstvo školstva, vedy, výskumu a športu SR)

Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (Ministerstvo práce, sociálnych vecí a rodiny SR)

Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice (Univerzita P. J. Šafárika v Košiciach)

People in Peril NGO (Človek v ohrození, n.o.)

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Slovak Academy of Sciences (Slovenská akadémia vied)

Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Slovenská obchodná priemyselná komora)

Slovak Governance Institute (Inštitút pre dobre spravovanú spoločnosť)

Slovak PhD Students' Association (Asociácia doktorandov Slovenska)

Social Policy Institute (Inštitút sociálnej politiky)

State Institute for Vocational Education (Štátny inštitút odborného vzdelávania)

Technical University of Košice (Technická univerzita v Košiciach)

University of Economics in Bratislava (Ekonomická univerzita v Bratislave)

Youth Council of Slovakia (Rada mládeže Slovenska)

Table A.5. Organisation and stakeholders participating in focus group discussions, Bratislava, 10 to 11 April 2019

Alliance of Sector Councils (Aliancia sektorových rád)

Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (Ústredie práce sociálnych vecí a rodiny)

Club 500 (Klub 500)

Dell Slovakia (Dell Slovensko)

Institute of Banking Education of the National Bank of Slovakia (Inštitút bankového vzdelávania Národnej banky Slovenska)

IT Association of Slovakia (IT Asociácia Slovenska)

Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport (Ministerstvo školstva, vedy, výskumu a športu SR)

National Union of Employers (Republiková únia zamestnávateľov)

Slovak Academy of Sciences (Slovenská akadémia vied)

Slovak PhD Students' Association (Asociácia inštitúcií vzdelávania dospelých)

State Institute for Vocational Education (Štátny inštitút odborného vzdelávania)

Mission 3: Recommendations mission

During the third mission from 17 to 20 June 2019, members of the OECD team undertook the following:

1. Hosted a Recommendations Workshop for representatives of national ministries and agencies, subnational authorities, employers, trade unions, education and training providers, and others. The workshop involved discussing and developing the recommendations for improvement in Slovakia in each of the four priority areas of the project, and selecting the most relevant national and international good practices related to the recommendations.

2. Hosted four sets of bilateral meetings with ministry officials, representatives of business associations and NGOs, teachers, independent experts and researchers.

3. Held two meetings with the National Project Team to debrief on previous meetings and answer outstanding questions.

Table A.6. Organisation and stakeholders participating in the Recommendations Workshop, Bratislava, 18 June 2019

AINova (AINova)

Association of Adult Education Institutions in the Slovak Republic (Asociácia inštitúcií vzdelávania dospelých v SR)

Association of Primary Education of Slovakia (Združenie základných škôl Slovenska)

Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (Ústredie práce, sociálnych vecí a rodiny)

Centre of Educational Management of the Faculty of Management at the Comenius University (Centrum edukačného manažmentu FMUK)

Comenius University in Bratislava (Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave)

Education Policy Institute (Inštitút vzdelávacej politiky)

Entrepreneurs Association of Slovakia (Združenie podnikateľov Slovenska)

Institute of Economic Research of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (Ekonomický ústav SAV)

Institute of Banking Education of the National Bank of Slovakia (Inštitút bankového vzdelávania Národnej banky Slovenska)

Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport (Ministerstvo školstva, vedy, výskumu a športu SR)

Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (Ministerstvo práce, sociálnych vecí a rodiny SR)

Ministry of the Interior (Ministerstvo vnútra SR)

National Institute for Certified Educational Measurements (Národný ústav certifikovaných meraní vzdelávania)

Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice (Univerzita Pavla Jozefa Šafárika v Košiciach)

People in Peril NGO (Človek v ohrozeni n.o.)

ReferNET

Slovak Academy of Sciences (Slovenská akadémia vied)

Slovak Business Agency (Slovak Business Agency)

Slovak Chamber of Trades (Slovenská živnostenská komora)

Slovak Governance Institute (Inštitút pre dobre spravovanú spoločnosť )

State Institute for Vocational Education (Štátny inštitút odborného vzdelávania)

Student Council for Higher Education (Študentská rada vysokých škôl)

Swiss Re

The Capital City of Slovakia Bratislava (Hlavné mesto SR Bratislava)

University of Economics in Bratislava (Ekonomická univerzita v Bratislave)

Table A.7. Bilateral meetings, Bratislava, 17, 19 to 20 June 2019

American Chamber of Commerce (Americká obchodná komora)

Ministry of Economy (Ministerstvo hospodárstva SR)

Ministry of Finance (Ministerstvo financií SR)

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Investments and Informatization (Úrad podpredsedu vlády SR pre investície a informatizáciu)

ReferNET

Slovak Business Agency

Slovak Governance Institute (Inštitút pre dobre spravovanú spoločnosť)

State Institute for Vocational Education (Štátny inštitút odborného vzdelávania)

Volkswagen Slovakia (Volkswagen Slovensko, a.s.)