Guidance System in North Macedonia

OVERVIEW

In Republic of North Macedonia there are 75 career centres from which 52 are situated in high schools, financed by a project of USAID and implemented by the YES network (Youth Entrepreneurship Support Foundation) in cooperation with the Ministry for Education and Science in 2015. Teachers, pedagogues, psychologists and other professionals work in these centres, employed by the schools. The purpose of these centres is to provide counselling and career guidance, as well as to help students to continue with their education. 23 career centres are located in higher education institutions / universities since 2017. Almost every public or private university in the Republic of North Macedonia runs a career centre.

There are also non-governmental organizations working on career education, counselling and mentoring through various types of funding programmes, including the Erasmus + Programme.

Each year, a career fair is organized in Republic of North Macedonia. At this event, Macedonian and foreign companies that have representative offices in the Republic of North Macedonia, present their work and offers, and the most frequent visitors on this event are graduates or students who are in the last year of their studies. Similar events are organized by larger private universities in the Republic of North Macedonia.

In 2018 the Euroguidance centre oranized carrier fair for the VET Schools in Skopje and the participants of this fair were pupils from 8 and 9 grade from primary schools.

Also  in 2018 and 2019 we have organized Euroguidance conference for carrier consultants from VET school with expert from EU. The participants on this conference were teachers that work in Carrier centres in VET schools from different towns in the country. The result from this conference is Guide for carrier education that we will delivered to all vet schools that have Carrier centres.

Like Euroguidance centre we make information sessions in all universities and vet schools that have Centres for carrier and the participants of this sessions are different target groups. The participant are pupils, students and teacher but also academic staff that are working on the universties.

In 2020/21 the Euroguidance centre continue the cooperation with the carrier centres on vet schools and universitites and the Association for carrier development advisers.

In 2022 the Euroguidance centre is planing to organize more trainings for Vert schools and universitites and also Publication for carrier education made by experts in the field.

Like Euroguidаnce centre we help the Carrier centres and we provide them with all the news.

POLICY

Educational policies

Relevant institutions for the development of educational policies in the Republic of North Macedonia are the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. Moreover, the Agency for Youth and Sport, the Bureau for Development of Education, the Vocational Education Centre and Adult Educational Centre also contribute in policy issues.

In 2015, the law for secondary education was adapted to establish the Career Centres in schools. Likewise, in 2017 the Career Centres at Universities were embodied in law:

"Each university is establishing at least one career centre. The career centre keeps special records for the graduates (alumni) and organizes career fairs at each faculty / university that has established career centre. The career centre is regulated by a general act passed by the Senate of the University, in accordance with the University status."

EMPLOYMENT POLICIES

In Republic of North Macedonia the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy in cooperation with the Employment Agency of the Republic of North Macedonia is in charge of employment policies.

A Strategy for Employment 2016-2020 was adopted, which outlines the future needs of the labour market as well as the needs for new jobs for future generations. It also indicates the increase in competences and skills depending on the needs for the given year.

The Employment Agency of the Republic of North Macedonia has introduced and implemented programmes, measures, and assistance for employment and self-employment.

Employment programmes

• a programme for self-employment

• subsidizing employment

• pilot programme for subsidization agricultural workers in the countryside

• training programme for preparing employment

• job shadowing

• job shadowing with subsidies

• training to satisfy the demands of the labour market

• training for advanced IT skills

• internships as working experience before employment

• education for starting a business

• Job vacancy survey

• organizing public affairs

• project for self-employment with credits  

Also under the programme for self employment there is a opportunity for self employment for  people with disabilities. This programme is under the Ministry for labor and social policy, the Agency for employment and the programme from UNDP.

Professional orientation

The employment agency provides professional orientation to the unemployed and the ones looking for a new job, by testing them and interviewing them, as well as informing them about the required skills for additional employment opportunities.

Professional orientation also includes individual counselling when choosing an occupation according to the aspiration, interests and abilities of the person for the particular occupation, and the needs and opportunities of the labor market. Professional orientation is given to unemployed persons, students, employees and disabled persons, if this is important for the choice of their occupation and professional development.

For the students of the final year of primary and secondary education, the Agency and the competent institutions in the field of education organize counselling regarding the choice of occupation, through lectures organized by scientific and professional workers, as well as visits to exhibitions, information movies, enterprises etc.

After individual counselling for the choice of occupation based on the special qualities, knowledge, interests and aspiration of the student, the agency recommends the most appropriate type of occupation.

The activities for professional orientation in the employment centres can be divided as:

1. Provision of information about the characteristics of the occupation, possibilities for continuous education in secondary and higher education, the required skills for certain occupations, the possibility of employment

2. Professional orientation and counselling - based on the professional interests, abilities and other characteristics of the person;

3. Professional selection of candidates for training, retraining or further qualification and assistance of employers in the selection of new employees.

Professional orientation services are free of charge.

Youth policies

Regarding the youth policies, a National Youth Strategy for 2016-2025 was created by the Agency for Youth and Sport in February 2015

The strategic priorities in the Youth Strategy are the following:

1. Providing a better standard of living and equal opportunities for a quality life.
2. Creating conditions for respecting and protecting fundamental rights and freedom, systematic integration and interaction of different categories of youth.
3. Creating opportunities for young people to be involved in monitoring and implementing policies and decisions that affect them.
4. Equal access to quality education and other forms of personal and professional development.

SERVICES AND PRAСTICE

Careers education and guidance, is carried out by several different institutions at different levels, for different age groups. In the education sector, this is realized through a variety of educational programmes and curricula. In the school sector, careers education is delivered by the teaching staff and the professional service.

According to the law on primary education, it is stated that in primary schools, every teacher or educational professional should have compulsory professional development. The compulsory further training partly is financed by the school, and partly by the teacher itself or expert service. Career counselling in the primary schools is often performed by teachers and professional service, and its aim is to assist pupils in choosing educational pathways. The psychological and pedagogical programmes are designated to conduct career education for pupils, most in the last year in elementary school. Career education is carried out in individual or group sessions. In which teachers of secondary schools often visit primary schools and present their programmes and opportunities.

Pursuant to the Law on Teachers in the Republic of North Macedonia, the Minister of Education and Science publishes each year the Annual Training Programme for Vocational Training of Teachers. The draft program for training of professional development is prepared and proposed by the Bureau for Development of Education in cooperation with the Centre for Vocational Education and Training, the State Examination Centre, the State Education Inspectorate and the Academy of Teachers. Teachers are obliged to pursue their professional development for at least 40 hours during three school years. In May 2016, seven thousand teachers from all secondary schools attended training to improve the quality of interactive teaching.

Pursuant to the Law on Higher Education, the Career Centres of Universities are formed in order to organize practical training for students teaching them how to use new technologies. The employees of the Career Centres are advisers who have knowledge in the field of education. The Career Centres have an obligation to organize monthly meetings together with representatives from the FDI Agency to discuss the needs of the labor market, in order to reduce the gap between the demand and the labor offer. The university career centres in the universities are compulsory in accordance with the Law on Higher Education.

The Employment Agency in Republic of North Macedonia holds several types of trainings that promote the programmes of the Agency itself. The trainings are implemented in the municipalities, bringing together employers and young job seekers up to the age of 35.

There are no designated centres for career guidance of young people. Career guidance for young people is mostly carried out through projects organized by non-governmental organizations, the European Centre, as well as by the career centres in the secondary schools.

TRAINING

The employees of the Employment Agency of North Macedonia are trained through IPA pre-accession EU found and Eures projects. Teachers of primary and secondary schools attend various trainings in the Republic of North Macedonia and in Europe. Through special programmes provided at universities career counselling specialists of the university career centres are trained. Also we have a lot of centres for carrier in the NGO Sector. We have carrier centres that are made for youth and they provide information about the young people. In some municipalities we have youth councils, but also we have other NGO that have centres for carrier. By the decision of the Government of North Macedonia there are three regional centres for carrier in the VET schools in Tetovo, Ohrid and Kumanovo. This centres will provide qualifications and retraining of all interested in the labor market. These regional centres provide an opportunity for greater cooperation between high schools and the state will direct funds for development of such centres. This centres need to start from the begging of the next school year.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

In November 2016, the Youth Council conducted a research and analysis for the work skills of the youth in the Republic of North Macedonia. The Bureau for the Development of Education published a manual, for monitoring the work and planning of the professional development of teachers and the educational professional in the primary and secondary schools. The manual provides guidelines for the planning of the professional development of educational staff, monitoring the quality of their work , self-assessment for professional competences, reparation of a personal plan for professional development, professional development planning at school level and monitoring the realization of professional development. [The manual is available in Macedonian on this link https://www.bro.gov.mk/%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B8/?idcat=154&customposttype=profrazvoj

Regarding youths, 4 career centres for vulnerable groups have opened in adult education centres in Skopje Stip, Prilep and Bitola through the IPA project.

Also like country we notice that some primary schools and special schools have interest in opening centres for carrier.

ETHICS

In terms of ethics, different ethical codes of employees and students have been adopted in almost all universities. The Ministries, the Employment Agency of North Macedonia and the Centre for Vocational Education apply the Code of Ethics for Administrative Officers.