Financial Crime World

Here’s the article rewritten in markdown format:

Quality Assurance in Vocational Training and Education in Moldova

The Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (ANACEC) in Moldova has been working tirelessly to improve quality assurance processes in vocational training and education. Despite progress, several challenges persist.

Challenges Faced by VET Institutions

Non-Compliance with External Evaluation Schedule

  • Most VET institutions in Moldova did not comply with the external evaluation schedule.
  • Over 20 VET institutions out of 91 had not submitted an evaluation application by December 2020.

Weaknesses Identified During External Evaluations

The ANACEC identified several weaknesses during external evaluations, including:

  • Lack of Specific Funds for Textbooks
    • Lack of specific funds for textbooks in Romanian for specialized disciplines.
  • Limited Academic Mobility
    • Limited academic mobility of students from ISCED 4 and 5 vocational training programs.
  • Inadequate Monitoring of Employment Outcomes
    • Inadequate monitoring of employment outcomes for graduates of vocational training programs.
  • Non-Compliance with Road Traffic Safety Requirements
    • Non-compliance with road traffic safety requirements in automotive programs.

Procedure for Post-Evaluation Monitoring

The ANACEC has developed a procedure to ensure continuous monitoring of actions and measures to improve quality assurance processes. The steps include:

External Evaluation Procedures

  1. Periodic Evaluations: External evaluation procedures will be implemented periodically (every 5 years or at the end of provisional authorization or accreditation).
  2. Corrective/Preventive Actions: Institutions must initiate corrective/preventive actions after external evaluations.
  3. Recommendation Implementation: Recommendations from expert evaluators must be applied in follow-up actions for program development.
  4. Development of Corrective Action Plans: Educational institutions must develop Corrective Action Plans within 3 months (6 months in summer) for mandatory improvement areas and recommendations.

Partially Accredited Standards

For partially accredited standards, institutions must develop a Corrective Action Plan based on external evaluation panel’s recommendations.

Key Takeaways

  • The ANACEC is working to improve quality assurance processes in VET institutions.
  • Institutions are required to submit Corrective Action Plans and reports on implementation to demonstrate compliance with quality assurance procedures.
  • The agency reserves the right to carry out monitoring visits in institutions with serious non-compliance.