Cyprus

Description of the VET System in Cyprus

In Cyprus, the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance are among the main bodies responsible for VET in Cyprus. The responsibilities of the Ministry of Education and Culture, MoEC (Ypourgeio Paideias kai Politismou, YPP) lie with the development and implementation of educational policy whilst those of the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance are with the apprenticeship system. Other ministries and bodies also play a role including the following:

The Planning Bureau, PB (Grafeio Programmatismou, GP), whose main responsibilities lie with policy-making;
The Ministry of Finance, MoF (Ypourgeio Oikonomikon), which has responsibility for the preparation and follow up of the National response to the Lisbon Strategy;
The Human Resource Development Authority, HRDA, (Archi Anaptyxis Anthropinou Dynamikou, AnAD), which is a semi-governmental organisation that refers to the Government through the Minister of Labour and Social Insurance.

The main laws regulating the provision of VET in Cyprus have been detailed in the latest CEDEFOP/ ReferNet Overview of the Vocational Education and Training System 2007 except for those relating to the New Modern Apprenticeship scheme, which was only approved on 21st of November 2007. They can be summarised in several categories as follows:

Those relating to secondary education pre-primary, primary, secondary general and secondary technical and vocational institutions are Nos: 5/71, 56/83, 123/85 and 154 (I)/99.
Those relating to higher education include Law 67 (I) 1997, Law 234 (Ι)/2002 relating to the establishment of the Open University, Law No 198 (Ι)/2003 to creation of the Technological University of Cyprus and law No 109 (I)/2005 to the formation of the Council for Educational Assessment and Accreditation for overseeing quality and the establishment of private universities.
The establishment of various VET entities such as:
The Cyprus Productivity Centre, CPC (Kentro Paragogikotitas Kyprou, KEPA to provide initial and continuing technical and vocational training to adults
The creation of Cyprus Academy of Public Administration, CAPA (Kypriaki Akademia Demosias Dioikisis, KADD), to offer course for civil servants.the Pedagogical Institute, PI (Pedagogiko Instituto, PI) to provide training to educators of all levels of education.

In terms, of its policy, the current measures relating to the VET system are set in the context of the Revised National Lisbon Reform Programme of Cyprus for the period 2008-2010 . This programme follows on from the previous National Reform Programme, for the period 2005 –2008, and also considers the country’s Strategic Development Plan 2007-2013 , as well as other strategies such as the National Productivity Strategy, which places a high emphasis on human resources development. They include the recent development of a Lifelong Learning Strategy approved in 2007 . A National Committee for Lifelong Learning was set up and is responsible for all the matters related to the implementation of this strategy, which covers the period 2007-2013 including its evaluation. The implementation of this strategy together with the establishment of a System of Vocational Qualifications constitute two of the main policy priorities as specified in the latest VET Policy Report provided by the Human Resource Development Authority as the National Coordinator of the Cyprus ReferNet Consortium

IVET

In Cyprus, Initial Vocational Education and Training (IVET) includes Upper Secondary Technical and Vocational Education, STVE (Defterovathmia Techniki kai Epangelmatiki Ekpaidefsi, DTEE), the Apprenticeship System (Systima Mathiteias, SM), the initial training programmes subsidised by the Human Resource Development Authority HRDA (Archi Anaptyxis Anthropinou Dynamikou, AnAD) and the public institutions of tertiary education . Thus, IVET begins at the upper secondary school level and at this point students have the option to choose technical and vocational schools (technikes kai epangelmatikes scholes).

STVE is offered as a three year programme with practical and theoretical variants, leading to the Secondary School Leaving Certificate. The apprenticeship system is more directed at young people (between 14-25) who left the education system early and is provided as a two year programme that includes time spent in industry (this system is in the process of update to the New Modern Apprenticeship scheme). The specific schemes implemented by the HRDA include: Building of Employment Pathways for Young People; Schemes co-financed by the ESF (for the Promotion of Employability of the Unemployed and of Inactive Women) and Programmes for the Reinforcement of Female and Youth Entrepreneurship . At tertiary level, there are six institutes/colleges that provide training.

CVET

In Cyprus, CVET is offered by a number of different actors of public and private nature. The Human Resource Development Authority, HRDA (Archi Anaptyxis Anthropinou Dynamikou, AnAD) plays a significant role in this area, by encouraging and strengthening public and private provision through the approval and subsidisation of training activities . In addition to private colleges and training institutions and enterprises, CVET is provided through 40 state institutions for further education, the Open University, evening schools, adult education centres and the Pedagogical Institute (PI) (Paidagogiko Institouto) under the Ministry of Education and Culture (MoEC), tertiary level education under the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance (MLSI) (Ypourgeio Ergasias kai Koinonikon Asfaliseon, YEKA) such as the CPC and Higher Technical Institute, HTI (Anotero Technologiko Institouto, ATI) and the Higher Hotel Institute of Cyprus, HHIC (Anotero Xenodocheiako Institouto Kyprou, AXIK). There are also single and multi-company programmes subsidised by the HRDA and schemes to support training in enterprises.

Quality Assurance

From information gathered in the reports concerning IVET and CVET referred to above, it is evident that current quality assurance practice in Cyprus uses inspection as a monitoring method in most cases. For example, these inspections are carried out in Technical Schools every two years, the apprenticeship system also uses inspectors, and the HRDA’s process of monitoring also includes inspection in addition to quality assessment at program approval stage and subsidy payment.

At the tertiary level a number of measures have recently been put in place including the Council for Educational Evaluation and Accreditation (SEKAP), the Evaluation Committee for Private Universities, and the National Quality Assurance Agency.

Quality is being continually addressed in the current education reform process. An example of this was the recent review of the STVE curricula and the study conducted by external consultants for the design of a comprehensive system for evaluating the HRDA´s impact on the Cyprus economy. Progress has also been made towards the establishment of a system for the Assessment and Certification of training providers including trainers, which will upgrade the quality of training provision, by the HRDA.

Cyprus participates in the European Network for Quality Assurance in VET and held a workshop on the Common Quality Assurance Framework (CQAF) to promote its use. It also has a Cyprus Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training Reference Point that is charged with the development of ENQA-VET activities at a national level including support to the implementation of its programmes and informing other national stakeholders.

EQARF Indicators

The following PDF attachment summarises evidence identified that relates any indicators used at national level to the ten indicators proposed in the EQARF recommendation: EQARF Indicators Cyprus