Slovenia

Smaller, more targeted, and more flexible than traditional education and training programmes, micro-credentials have become a prominent feature of education, training and labour market policy discussions in recent years. Several OECD countries have already started the development of national micro-credential ecosystems, and many others are looking to follow suit. This OECD Education Policy Perspective serves as Part B in a two-part series of summary papers. The first publication, Paper A, examined the evolving landscape of micro-credentials, with a particular focus on the development of public policies that can foster effective utilisation of micro-credentials for lifelong learning, upskilling and reskilling. This publication, Paper B, presents case studies from four European Union Member States – Finland, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Spain. The document was authored by Roza Gyorfi and Shizuka Kato from the OECD Higher Education Policy Team and Thomas Weko from George Washington University.

This country note presents the results of an analysis of Slovenia undertaken within the Labour Market Relevance and Outcomes of Higher Education Partnership Initiative project. The project was implemented by the OECD with the support of the European Commission with the aim of helping policy makers and higher education institutions enhance the employment outcomes of graduates by better aligning higher education provision with labour markets skill demands. A high number of students in Slovenia combine study and work, and so-called student work represents about 3% of the total national labour market. Although student work is well organised and may facilitate students’ labour market entry upon graduation, it is usually not integrated into study programmes and can therefore increase study times or lead to attrition. The country note reviews the system context, highlights challenges faced by higher education institutions and, lessons learned from current practice, and presents policy options.

This edition of the Reader’s Companion accompanies Skills Matter: Additional Results from the Survey of Adult Skills that reports the results from the 39 countries and regions that participated in the 3 rounds of data collection in the first cycle of PIAAC, with a particular focus on the 6 countries that participated in the third round of the study (Ecuador, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Peru and the United States). It describes the design and methodology of the survey and its relationship to other international assessments of young students and adults. The Survey of Adult Skills, a product of the OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), was designed to provide insights into the availability of some key skills in society and how they are used at work and at home. The first survey of its kind, it directly measures proficiency in several information-processing skills – namely literacy, numeracy and problem solving in technology-rich environments.

In the wake of the technological revolution that began in the last decades of the 20th century, labour-market demand for information-processing and other high-level cognitive and interpersonal skills have been growing substantially. Based on the results from the 33 countries and regions that participated in the 1st and 2nd round of the Survey of Adult Skills in 2011-12 and in 2014-15, this report describes adults’ proficiency in three information-processing skills, and examines how proficiency is related to labour-market and social outcomes. It also places special emphasis on the results from the 3rd and final round of the first cycle of PIAAC in 2017-18, which included 6 countries (Ecuador, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Peru and the United States). The Survey of Adult Skills, a product of the OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), was designed to provide insights into the availability of some of these key skills in society and how they are used at work and at home. The first survey of its kind, it directly measures proficiency in three information-processing skills: literacy, numeracy and problem-solving in technology-rich environments.

A well-coordinated adult learning system will be essential to support the achievement of Slovenia’s long-term development goals. The transformational effects of globalisation, technological progress and demographic change on life at work and outside of it amplify the importance of getting adults’ skills right. OECD research shows that individuals, employers and society benefit from adults having higher levels of skills. Slovenia has achieved significant improvements in student performance and tertiary attainment in recent decades. Yet today, many adults in Slovenia have only low levels of basic skills. Participation in adult learning remains below Slovenia’s targets, especially for low-skilled, unemployed and older adults, and workers in small businesses. Against the backdrop of a growing economy and awareness about the importance of skills, Slovenia’s government, social partners and stakeholders have a unique opportunity to improve how they share responsibility and work together in the adult learning system. This report outlines how Slovenia can strengthen the enabling conditions for co-operation, co-operation between specific actors (ministries, municipalities and stakeholders), and co-operation on specific challenges (promotion and financing). It recommends eight actions that government, social partners and stakeholders can take to strengthen co-ordination and co-operation, in order to improve participation, outcomes and cost-effectiveness in adult learning.

Skills will be fundamental to Slovenia’s success in achieving its ambitious vision for the future – a society in which people learn for and through life, are innovative, trust one another, enjoy a high quality of life and embrace their unique identity and culture. Slovenia’s success in achieving its vision will depend to a great extent on how well it develops, activates and uses people’s skills. The OECD Skills Strategy Diagnostic Report: Slovenia identifies a number of overarching priority areas for action. These were identified by analysing common themes that emerged from stakeholder perspectives on the most important challenges facing Slovenia in this domain, and also through the OECD’s analysis of the nine challenges identified and examined in the report. The three priority areas for action identified are: 1) empowering active citizens with the right skills for the future; 2) building a culture of lifelong learning; and 3) working together to strengthen skills.