Mikheil Chkhenkeli, a candidate for the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, spoke before the Joint Committees of the Parliament of Georgia about the projects implemented in vocational education in 2020 and future plans for the development of the field.

According to Mr. Chkhenkeli, after the adoption of the new law on vocational education, various paths of vocational education have been developed. The network of schools was strengthened, new standards for the authorization of vocational education institutions have been approved, the direction of adult education has been developed, the educational infrastructure has been brought closer to international standards, public-private partnerships and employers' involvement in vocational education have increased and so forth. Additionally, significant steps have been taken towards the internationalization of the field and its integration into the European educational space. A national framework fully in line with the European Qualifications Framework has already been approved and successfully implemented.

According to Mikheil Chkhenkeli, after a break of almost 15 years, in 2020, the system will accept students for the first time, who, in addition to vocational knowledge, will also offer a full general education. Graduates will receive diplomas equal to the certificate and, if desired, will continue their studies at the higher education level. Consequently, the connections between the levels of the education system will be deepened. Associate quality programs will be introduced for the interconnection of vocational and higher education and a credit recognition mechanism will be established.

According to the Ministerial Candidate, in cooperation with state agencies, business associations and international organizations, a new model of management of the vocational education system is being perfected and from January 2021 the system will start functioning in accordance with this particular model.

Furthermore, in his speech, the ministerial candidate also noted that work has begun on international vocational school projects, where foreign students will study with Georgian citizens, for example, wine and culinary schools in Kakheti, tourism school in Dusheti, and engineering center in Tbilisi. In addition, the network of colleges is being actively developed in Marneuli, Kaspi, Khashuri, Borjomi, Lanchkhuti, Chokhatauri, Akhalkalaki, Batumi, Tskaltubo.

Towards the end, Mikheil Chkhenkeli focused on important innovations related to the transition to a new stage in the development of vocational education from 2021. Mr. Chkhenkeli mentioned, that the 2013-2020 Vocational Education Reform Strategy has been successfully implemented and the EU technical assistance is preparing a strategy for the coming years, which will meet the country's socio-economic challenges and the new agenda of the Association Agreement with the EU. In addition, a platform with the appropriate legal form (Skills Agency) will be created through public-private partnership and thus a completely new stage in the development of vocational education will commence.