European Social Fund Programmes
Four ESF programmes were launched in 2008 to modernize and provide quality assurance for vocational education, to increase the popularity of vocational education and to develop the system of professional qualifications:
1) Development of the system of professional qualifications (implemented by the Estonian Qualification Authority). The programme will include the development of a new concept for the system of professional qualifications, the updating of professional standards and the development of the professional qualification system.
2) Practical development of vocational education (implemented by the National Examinations and Qualifications Centre).The programme will include the preparation and updating of national vocational education curricula and the creation of the necessary study materials, the training of vocational school teachers, and the development and implementation of the principles for the vocational educational institution public recognition system.
3) Developing e-learning in vocational education (implemented by the Estonian IT Foundation). The programme is aimed at the creation of e-learning materials, the training of teachers in the field of e-learning and the provision of information regarding e-learning.
4) Popularization of vocational education (implemented by Foundation Innove). The sub-activities of the programme include the development of the system of skills competitions, increasing the efficiency of the communication activities of vocational educational institutions as well as increasing the availability of vocational education-related information both inside the system and among potential students.
