This report is part of a series of country projects within the OECD programme of work on Building Effective National Skills Strategies.
The OECD team wishes to thank Minister of Education, Science, Research and Sport, Martina Lubyová; State Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport, Oľga Nachtmannová; State Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family, Branislav Ondruš; and State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy, Rastislav Chovanec, for their commitment to this project.
The OECD is grateful to the Slovak National Project Team for its invaluable guidance and input throughout the project, and its help convening and organising the stakeholder workshops. We are particularly grateful to the National Project Leader, Head of the Education Policy Institute at the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport, Michal Rehúš for his strong leadership and co-ordination of the National Project Team, which included, in alphabetical order: Anna Čaplovičová (Ministry of Economy), Michal Deneš (Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport), Pavol Galáš (Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport; Education Policy Institute), Luba Habodaszová (Ministry of Finance, Institute for Financial Policy), Karol Jakubík (Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport), Jozef Jurkovič (Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport), Monika Pacoláková (Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family) and Ján Toman (Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport, Education Policy Institute). We are also grateful to Vladislav Ujházi (Permanent Delegation of the Slovak Republic to the OECD) and to supporting experts from the Education Policy Institute: Michaela Bednárik, Dávid Martinák, Mária Perignáthová and Samo Varsik and Ivana Studená from the Slovak Academy of Sciences.
We also wish to thank the Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Slovakia, Ladislav Miko; and Deputy Head, Radim Dvořák.
Our warm thanks go to the many government and non-government representatives who generously shared their insights during workshops, focus groups and bilateral interviews with the OECD team in Bratislava, and via written input. Over 100 stakeholders participated in the various meetings that took place during OECD missions. These stakeholders represented ministries, government agencies, subnational authorities, education and training institutions, businesses and business associations, unions and community associations, academia, civil society and other organisations.1 The OECD would also like to thank the staff of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport and the Education Policy Institute for their excellent organisation of the stakeholder workshops and for their hospitality in hosting these events. We also thank the many experts who volunteered as moderators and note-takers during the workshops.
The OECD team is grateful to the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, and the Directorate-General for Education and Culture of the European Commission for contributing throughout the project. We are especially grateful to 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).
We are also grateful to the following experts who provided comments at different stages of the project, in alphabetical order: Lucia Mýtna Kureková (Slovak Governance Institute), Vladimir Kvetan (Cedefop), Peter Obdržálek (Centre of Educational Management at the Faculty of Management of Comenius University in Bratislava), and Jasper Van Loo (Cedefop).
While the report draws on data and analysis from the OECD, Slovak authorities and other published sources, any errors or misinterpretations remain the responsibility of the OECD team.
Ricardo Espinoza (OECD Centre for Skills) was the project leader responsible for co-ordinating the National Skills Strategy project in Slovakia. The authors of this report from the OECD Centre for Skills were: Chapter 1. Key insights and recommendations (Bart Staats); Chapter 2. Strengthening the skills of youth (Ricardo Espinoza, Laura Reznikova); Chapter 3. Reducing skills imbalances (Stefano Piano); Chapter 4. Fostering greater participation in adult learning (Ricardo Espinoza, Laura Reznikova); and Chapter 5. Strengthening the use of skills in the workplace (Bart Staats). Cuauhtémoc Rebolledo-Gómez and Serli Abrahamoglu (OECD Centre for Skills) provided statistical support. As Head of the OECD National Skills Strategy projects, Andrew Bell (OECD Centre for Skills) provided analytical guidance, comments on chapters and supervision. Montserrat Gomendio, Head of the OECD Centre for Skills provided guidance, oversight and comments, while Stefano Scarpetta, Director of the OECD Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, provided strategic oversight for the project, as well as comments.
Véronique Quénehen, Lauren Thwaites and Jennifer Cannon (OECD Centre for Skills) and Lucy Hulett (Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs) provided invaluable support for mission organisation, report layout and design, and publication planning. Elizabeth Zachary provided proofreading and editorial support.