Public evaluation of the vocational education reform
25.04.2018

Within the scope of the "Reformer" project, a public evaluation of vocational education reform was held, which was attended by the First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Georgia - Ketevan Natriashvili.

According to the survey, 83.3% of the 2013-2014 Action Plan of the Reform is fulfilled. A detailed plan of action is being prepared for the years 2018-2020. It has been revealed that vocational education institutions are represented in all regions of Georgia, of which 65% are private owned, whereas 35% remain public. However, the total number of admitted students remains stagnant. Nevertheless, the new draft law on vocational education envisions this problem and creates the opportunity for scale upsurge – a high rate of competition in 2018 (7000 applicants for 3000 positions). In 2017, engineering was the most demanding vocation at public vocational schools, whereas, healthcare remains the most popular option at private schools. According to the survey of the Ministry of Economy, 5.9% of the interviewed organizations expressed willingness to cooperate with vocational institutions. 
The ISET research institute has prepared a study on vocational education, and there is a great need of technical and financial resources to further advance the platform. The challenge is to increase the scale, for which attraction of students in vocational education is of paramount importance.