A new column by Nataliia Malynovska, an expert at the Foundation for Support of Reforms in Ukraine and Academic Director of the ‘Public Policy and Governance’ Master’s programme at the Kyiv School of Economics, has been published on the ‘Decentralisation’ platform.
In the article, the author explains why identical indicators do not always reflect equal opportunities for local communities. Drawing on data from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the KSE Institute, she analyses how a community’s economic structure, the number of businesses, the network of vocational education institutions and previous experience of cooperation with the business sector influence the development of partnerships and the implementation of dual education.
Nataliia pays particular attention to how the development of vocational education should be assessed. She emphasises that the number of dual education agreements reflects only the outcome, but does not reveal the starting point from which the community embarked on this path. This is precisely why it is important to consider the various stages of partnership development between educational institutions, the business sector and local authorities.
Drawing on the experience of the ‘InConnect 2: Strengthening Partnerships between VET and Business’ project, which was implemented by the Foundation, the author explains that communities can move towards a common goal in different ways — depending on their needs, capabilities and the willingness of the parties to cooperate.
“When assessing the development of vocational education, it is worth looking beyond the number of dual education agreements. It is essential to understand whether new partnerships are emerging between educational institutions and employers, whether the parties are prepared to invest time and resources in cooperation, and whether the community is creating the conditions for such dialogue,” notes Nataliia Malynovska.
Read the full text of the column via the link.