Our experience

Setting the scene

In recent years, Georgia has made significant progress in developing their national vocational education and training (VET) system. The government has implemented good practices to modularise and standardise the curriculum, improve the quality assurance systems and working conditions of teachers, and introduce social partnership dialogue mechanisms.

However, according to various studies from the European Training Foundation and World Bank, for example, there is still a large gap between job requirements and candidate skill levels in the Georgian market. The unpopularity of vocational education, insufficient involvement of the private sector in VET, and poor quality of teaching and learning significantly affects the country’s overall standard of education. Demand for VET programs remains low, with only 3% of upper secondary pupils participating in vocational programs in Georgia, compared to 48% in the EU. 

To address this problem, the Government of Georgia identified the quality of teaching and learning within the national VET system as a key pillar for reform. Its improvement is integral to long-term policy and strategy aimed at human capital development, future employment and sustainable economic growth. Due to the challenge for policymakers and practitioners, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport and the World Bank wanted to enhance the roles, conditions and capacities of teachers and trainers at the level of schools and within the system as a whole. For optimal impact, the Ministry and World Bank wanted to fully align with national objectives, and respond to changing economic circumstances and labour market requirements.

How we helped

From August 2020 through March 2021, PwC worked with the World Bank to strengthen teacher quality in VET. The PwC team also cooperated with various stakeholders such as the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport; National Center for Education Quality Enhancement; Teacher Professional Development Center; VET institutions and their staff; and donor cooperation partners.

As a result, PwC enhanced the project execution with meaningful outcomes:

• Developed 17 assessment tools in the field of teacher performance evaluation validated by more than 40 VET teachers and quality managers.

• Developed more than 90 student assessment instruments in 11 VET qualifications validated by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement and VET teachers.

• More than 60 teacher trainers were trained through 28 training modules covering pedagogy and 11 sectoral qualifications. In total 226 training hours were delivered between 29 January 2021 to 25 February 2021.

• Eight principal trainers were trained in four modules—Human Resources, Continuous Professional Development, Student Vocational Guidance, and Gender Equality and Social Inclusion. In total 70 training hours were delivered to support the activity between 23 January 2021 and 7 February 2021.

• Helped the Ministry in assessment and functional analysis of the newly established Skills Agency Georgia.

Impact and potential

The gap between Georgia’s vocational education system and the needs of its labour market has consequences for the country’s economic growth. Increasing the attractiveness of the VET system and strengthening colleges’ skills to develop the future workforce can help bridge this gap. When students’ skills meet the demands of today’s labour market, it has the potential to lead to better use of human capital, namely by facilitating youth transition and alleviating poverty and inequality. VET programmes will serve as pathways to increased employability and easier access or return to the labour market.

The vocational teachers and students were the focus of this project in order to create sustainable impact. After completing the tailored training, the professional trainers will be able to demonstrate the use of interactive, student-centric teaching techniques, problem-solving and pedagogical skills, and self-confidence they need to train more teachers in the future.

As a result, VET colleges will be more decentralised, flexible, and agile with teachers feeling motivated for their continuous professional development. But this approach also enhances the student learning environment and brings it closer to international good standards.