An extended version of the SELFIE tool to fit the need of Work-Based Learning (WBL) is in the piloting stage. Serbia, along with three other non-EU countries (Montenegro, Turkey, and Georgia) and four EU countries (France, Germany, Hungary, and Poland), in October/November 2020 participated in the implementation of the pilot of questions for WBL. Based on the piloting results, the new version of SELFIE tool will be launched in 2021.
The first step in the Pilot of SELFIE WBL in the Republic of Serbia was to develop a clear plan with an aim, a detailed description of all activities, and a timeline. In this phase, the involvement of all stakeholders was essential, especially the communication with the national coordinator from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development (MoESTD) of the Republic of Serbia. Other stakeholders (i.e. Institute for Education Quality and Evaluation, Chamber of Commerce) were also involved in the Pilot and provided valuable support in terms of beneficial feed-back from the regular SELFIE implementation in the previous years and networking with in-company trainers.
One of the main activities in the Pilot was sampling – both Vocational Education and Training (VET) schools and companies. The MoESTD decided to focus on the ICT sector as one of the most important industry sectors at the moment. Department for WBL within the MoESTD has provided the list of all VET WBL schools from the ICT sector clustered around five educational profiles: (1) Information technology electrician, (2) Air Traffic Information Systems Communication Technician, (3) Digital Graphics Technician, (4) Mechatronics technicians, and (5) Technician for computer control of CNC machines. In total 15 schools were selected to participate in the SELFIE WBL pilot. As for the sampling of the in-company trainers, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce is responsible for companies involved in the VET WBL. Thus, companies were selected either directly through schools or handpicked from the database of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce.
The third step and main strategy for engagement was one-to-one communication with each school director. The school director was supposed to support the Pilot by appointing the person who will be the leader (school coordinator) of the Pilot process for that particular school. The essential factor for this step was the role of the national coordinator from the MoESTD. The national coordinator managed to prepare a well-elaborated official letter to each of the schools. That letter from the minister was an indispensable factor for the SELFIE WBL pilot in Serbia. After received a “green light” from the schools, a letter from the national expert to all SELFIE school coordinators and associated in-company trainers was communicated. That was an invitation for the kick-off meeting.
The final step was a kick-off meeting for the SELFIE WBL pilot in Serbia. The main goal of the kick-off meeting was to gather all participants and present the Pilot, as well as to demonstrate SELFIE WBL tool, explain roles, how to communicate and collaborate milestones, engagement measures, and standards. On the top of the kick-off meeting agenda was the introductory speech of the national coordinator from the MoESTD. With the direct support during and after the kick-off by the MoESTD, the Pilot of SELFIE WBL in Serbia was a huge success. 13 VET WBL schools and 27 companies have participated in the SELFIE WBL pilot.
With the respect to all factors and stakeholders in the Pilot project, the key factor for success was the good relation with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, in particular, the dedicated work of its representatives.
What was your key success factor for the implementation of the SELFIE tool?
This is a great work and all thanks to the Ministries' support, VET schools, employers and the ETF team jointly with you Ugljesa and JRC. This proved to be a great collaborative and coworking experience. Well done to all countries that joint the this very important piloting.
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