Curriculum, subjects, number of hours

The development of upper secondary technical education programmes is the responsibility of the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Vocational Education and Training, and in part (general education subjects) of the National Education Institute of the Republic of Slovenia. The programmes have to comply to common reference levels specified by the Council of Experts for Technical and Vocational Education (sl) with a consent of the Minister of education. The Council deliberates on the programmes recommended; specifies their special part and recommends their general part. Upon the recommendation of the Council of experts the Minister adopts the programmes by publishing an enactment act which the Ministry in the official gazette Uradni list RS; the Ministry uploads all programmes online on its webpage.

An upper secondary technical education programmes shall specify: name of the programme, objectives, duration, mandatory assessment, enrolment criteria, progression and completion criteria, qualification title that students receive after they successfully finish education; syllabus, subject knowledge catalogues, knowledge standards for the vocational matura, and qualification and knowledge required for teachers of specific subjects.

Syllabi of four-year upper secondary technical education

• General education subjects: mother tongue, maths, foreign language (some take second foreign language), arts, history, geography, either psychology or sociology, physics, chemistry, biology (or at least two natural science subjects), and sports: app. 40% of all school lessons
• Technical modules that relate to the industry of the respective education programme; certain modules are compulsory and others optional: up to 30% of all school lessons
• Practical education organised in part as practical lessons at school and in part as workplace courses: app. 15% of all school lessons
• Interest activities that are different from other subjects in their form of provision and students acquire knowledge and develop skills for their interest and preference: up to 4% of all school lessons, and
• Open part of the programme that the school specifies in cooperation with industry associations and/or social partners of the region: app. 10% of all lessons total periods.

Syllabi of two-year programmes of vocational-technical education

The two-year vocational-technical education programmes that provide upper secondary technical qualification are open to students who complete a three-year upper secondary vocational programme and wish to improve their knowledge. Admission is often subject to specific programmes in upper secondary vocational education of the same or similar domain. There are programmes of vocational-technical education open to students with any kind of education after three-year vocational education programmes; however, candidates must have a national vocational qualification in a certain domain or at least three years of work experience within a certain industry.

• General education subjects: mother tongue, mathematics, foreign language, (some take second foreign language), arts, history, geography, either psychology or sociology, physics, biology, and sports: app. 45% of all school lessons
• Technical modules of content that relate related to the industry of the respective education programme; certain modules are compulsory and other optional: app. 25% of all school lessons
• Practical education organised in part as practical lessons at school and in part as workplace courses: app. 15% of all school lessons
• Interest activities that are different from other subjects in their form of provision and students acquire knowledge and develop skills for their interest and preference: up to 4% of all school lessons
• Open part of the programme that the school specifies in cooperation with industry associations and/or social partners of the region: app. 10% of all lessons total periods.

Syllabi of vocational course programmes

The one-year programmes of vocational course are designed for students who graduated from gimnazija and wish to attain a specific vocational qualification or students who finished the programme of upper secondary technical education and wish to attain additional vocational qualification. The syllabi include:

• technical-theoretical subjects: app. 55 to 90% of all school lessons (and depending on the programme), and
• practical training in part at school as practical lessons and in part as practical training in the work process: app. 10 to 45% of all school lessons.

Teaching methods and materials

For details see Teaching and Learning in General Upper Secondary Education.