The law on Pre-University Education[1] defines the ways and procedures regarding the continuous professional development (CPD) for the teaching staff in general. Teachers’ pre- and in-service training are addressed by different legislative acts, national strategy and policy documents related to the overall reform of pre-university education and of the VET sector.
The Ministry for Social Welfare and Youth (MoSWY) sets general criteria and procedures for the recruitment of teaching staff as well as for the professional development and certification of VET teachers and instructors, in cooperation with specialized institutions. The responsible unit in the Ministry for Social Welfare and Youth is the Department for VET and Qualifications Policies. This department, with its two sectors, the VET sector and the qualifications sector, deals directly with the management of all matters related to the policies of VET development, among others: human resources policies; planning and organization of competitions for the selection of managers of VET institutions; teaching staff planning; organizing procedures for the appointment of teachers; and cooperation with NAVETQ regarding the training of VET teachers and instructors.[2]
The Ministry of Education and Sports (MES) is responsible for training and qualification of teachers of general education. It establishes general criteria for the qualification and certification of teaching staff in vocational education, in cooperation with the MoSWY. The MES designs and implements professional development policies for the teachers of general education and accredits training programmes. The Department of Pre-University Education at the MES is responsible for the professional development of teachers in general pre-university education (for overall supervision and organization).
The Institute for Educational Development (IED) under the MES is responsible for developing national programmes – on the basis of training needs evaluated by IED experts - and for examinations.
The provision of in-service training is outsourced to public, private or non-governmental organizations. Accreditation of organizations and training programmes is managed by the MES' Accreditation Commission. The contents of the training programmes are developed by the training providers themselves. The majority of the training activities are organized and supported technically and financially by projects implemented by international donors; they are limited to certain institutions or programmes.
Currently, the professional development of VET teachers can be described as the acquisition of credits for some days of training with the primary purpose of supporting career progression. The training is modelled on continuous professional development for general education teachers.