International systemic peer review in Croatia
On December 1 and 2, 2022, a collegial assessment at the system level took place in the Croatian capital. Mag Gabi Ogulin Počrvina participated in the role of external assessor from NKT EQAVET Slovenia. Together with colleagues from Finland, Spain, Romania and Lithuania, they assessed the Croatian model of quality assurance for providers (schools) of initial VET.
The focus was on the process of self-evaluation within schools, whether it is effective enough or whether it should be supported with other processes and tools of internal and/or external quality assessment. The question of raising the culture of quality among all involved stakeholders was also important, as was the role of the national agency in the process of self-evaluation, monitoring of improvements and support for schools.
The peer review enabled the host country to reflect on its own practice and further improvements in dealing with current and future challenges in the field of identifying and ensuring quality in vocational education and training. Among all the participating countries, it certainly strengthened mutual trust and the promotion of further cooperation and networking among EQAVET members.