Development of social partners’ training needs

Straipsnyje apžvelgiami socialinių partnerių kvalifikacijos tobulinimo poreikiai ir iššūkiai socialiniams partneriams, siekiant efektyvesnio profesinės kvalifikacijos organizavimo bei veiklos ir profesinio rengimo sąveikos. Pateikiama tyrimo kiekybinė ir kokybinė analizė, išryškinanti socialinių partnerių kvalifikacijos tobulinimo poreikius bei numatanti bendrųjų ir profesinių kompetencijų tobulinimo sritis.The article presents an overview of the changes in vocational education and training and challenges posed to social partners, seeking for more efficient organization of vocational training and education. In order to create knowledge, high technology and skilled-based economy in Lithuania, it is necessary to have an effective training and business world interaction, providing not only the professional’s ability to compete in the European labor market, but also enable them to ensure Lithuania‘s quality of life. By this reason, the State involves in vocational training system other stakeholders – social partners: employees, trade unions, employer’s representatives associations. Performing the reform of vocational education and training since 1994, social partnership has taken specific forms, and the Lithuanian Republic Law on Vocational Training defines the competences of the social partners in vocational training processes (Lithuanian Republic Law on Vocational Training, 1997). Ten years later, after the adoption of new Lithuanian Republic Law on Vocational Training in 2007, the social partners‘ activities were expanded. Such a turn towards social dialogue requires qualitative development of human resources in social partner organizations – development of the qualification. The significance of the research and the novelty. The issue of social partnership in vocational training is discussed in various articles, conferences, but the Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Crafts and the Chamber of Agriculture of the Lithuanian Republic (hereinafter Chamber), as social partners and their qualification development has not yet been widely studied. The main problem dealt with in the article is the development of the qualification needs for social partners, because real competences in their activities do not comply with the required knowledge, skills and abilities. The research findings revealed formal and real qualification of the employees at vocational education and training department. The formal qualification of vocational education and training department employees is characterized by their educational background level. Research data indicated that all employees of vocational education and training department held higher education; however, only a small part of them (28.57 %) had a qualification necessary to be employed in a position of a vocational education and training department employee, i.e. a qualification degree in education. Methodology and organization. The research instrument was composed of two major research methods – questionnaires and interviews. Methods of social research questionnaire consisted of two parts: the first part of the questionnaire allowed an assessment of formal data of the social partners (qualifications, work experience and work, etc.), the second part of the questionnaire was designed on the basis of Vocational Education Management Master programme in Education Science field at Vytautas Magnus University. Social research method structured interviews helped to identify qualification development needs. The study target group – all Chamber of Commerce, Industry and crafts which are in Lithuania (5 regions: Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Šiauliai and Panevežys) and the Lithuanian Republic Chamber of Agriculture and all personnel, who are working in Chamber vocational education and training department. 14 employees of vocational education and training departments of the Chambers participated in the research (full range). Data of research, which helped to clarify vocational competencies of the Chamber employees, were obtained by a questionnaire survey method. The questionnaire was designed on the basis of Vocational Education Management Master programme in Education Science field at Vytautas Magnus University, dispositions of vocational education and training department employees and work conduct specifications. These documents were used as the basis to indicate that qualitative and efficient work of the Chamber of vocational education and training specialist requires methodological – eduation and management – knowledge; it is possible to claim that vocational (subject) competence development is very important and necessary for vocational education and training department employees, as it determines the quality of vocational education and training department employee activity. Therefore, the activity of vocational education and training department employees in contemporary society is oriented to the acquisition of competencies and their improvement. The results showed that the qualification development needs of all age groups were fairly even