The Agency for Vocational Education and Training and Adult Education (ASOO) hosted an official delegation from the Republic of North Macedonia on 2 December 2024, consisting of representatives from the Centre for Vocational Education and Training, the State Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of North Macedonia, and UNDP, accompanied by representatives from the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth of the Republic of Croatia.

During the visit, the Croatian system and key initiatives for the development of vocational education and training and adult education were presented to the delegation. This included an overview of the Agency’s role and activities in supporting the vocational education system, the model of vocational school student competitions, and examples of international cooperation.

Particular interest and discussion were sparked by presentations on the development and modularization of vocational curricula in line with labour market needs, micro-qualifications and adult education vouchers, and models for recognizing prior non-formal and informal learning.

As part of the visit, the delegation also met with representatives of the Croatian educational system and visited vocational education institutions and regional centres of competence in Varaždin County and Sisak-Moslavina County.

The meeting with representatives of the North Macedonian education system highlighted similarities and shared challenges in vocational education between the two countries and enabled the exchange of good practices in aligning education with labor market needs and strengthening quality, flexibility, relevance, and attractiveness of vocational education and lifelong learning.