ReportCompetence Framework_DEF_19.06.2018

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. [Project Number: 2017-1-SK01-KA204-035385] A comparison of the employment prospects of persons with the lowest education attained among European countries, feels rather gloomy for the Slovak people; unfortunately this is true in a long-run view. Almost over the entire last decade, the unemployment rate of low-educated persons in Slovakia has exceeded the EU average by more than (an incredible) 30 percentage points. In 2005, when unemployment of the low-qualified workforce peaked in Slovakia, its value exceeded the EU average by 41.2 percentage points (more than half of the active population with low education was unemployed in Slovakia; when “low-educated” or “low- qualified” refers to pre-primary, primary and lower secondary education). Since 2005, we have witnessed notable improvement in a form of continual decrease in the unemployment rate for the low qualified that was halted with the crisis that came in 2008. However, as unemployment in this education segment has also risen in other labour markets affected by the crisis, gradual convergence to the EU average continued. Therefore, education levels and labour market participation are correlated: the higher the education level, the higher the employment rate. It is much less likely to be employed with a low qualification in Slovakia compared to the EU wages. Only 19,2% (51,2% in EU) of men and 17,3% (36% in EU) of women at the age 15-64 were employed at ISCED levels 0-2 in 2015 3 . 2.1.2. CYPRUS It is commonly accepted that skills play an important role in one’s development both for personal and professional development and growth. Skills also have a strong effect on labour productivity both for young and old people. Skills support young people in order to be competitive in the labour market, find a promising job and success in their career. They are also important for adults and older people in order to maintain their employability. (EOCD, n.d.) Given that the demands of the labour market constantly change, the skills and qualifications of people in every country need to adjust and follow too. For this reason, people need to develop and practice a set of basic skills, and mainly literacy, numeracy, foreign languages, science and digital skills. Consequently, effective communication between the labour market and the education and training sector is crucial (European Commission, n.d.). _______________________________ 3 CEDEFOP (2016), Vocational education and training in Slovakia. Page 12.