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The
Professionalism in Adult and Continuing Educational Staff in Romania
Institution:
Romanian Institute for Adult Education
Contact: Serban Iosifescu
I. The
Premises (2000 – 2007)
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There
were no specific requirements for the training staff and training
delivery at national level:
-
Before 2000, there were no national regulations and no
common view regarding the training and the adult education:
-
the trainers were trained in very different ToT programs:
from 3 days to 2 years, with different pedagogical approaches etc.; no
ToT programs at university level;
-
unclear target groups;
-
no professional status for trainer and for other associated
categories of staff (training programs managers, coaches, tutors etc.);
-
the trainer’s activity is regulated by others –
administrators, managers etc.;
-
no common culture, ethos and shared values;
-
very few professional organizations;
-
Each training provider was allowed to hire trainers
accordingly their own internal regulations, interests and will.
-
the lack on a national approach produced uncertainty and
doubts regarding the trainers and the ToT programs;
-
the trainers were hired on a personal basis (knowing /
hearing about someone) and not on competence or performance;
-
There
were specific requirements at sectorial level:
-
The education sector: ToT programs and accredited
trainers in national reform programs, usually funded from abroad –
Phare, World Bank etc.; after the end of the programs, the
certification acquired was no more taken into consideration for
further programs;
-
the health sector: internal regulation regarding the
trainers’ evaluation and accreditation, based on sectorial
standards;
-
The
beginning of the regulation at national level for authorization of the
training providers and graduates’ certification.
·
The law for Continuous Professional Adult Education and the
subsequent regulation (The procedure for Authorization of the Training
Providers, the Procedure for the Graduates of the Training Programs
Certification) introduced – 2000 – 2002.
·
The establishment of the National Adult Training Board (NATB),
in charge with the adult professional education and training. NATB was
nominated as National Qualification Authority.
·
The obligation of the training providers to use professional
trainers was established beginning with 2010.
II. The
State of the Arts (2007)
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Occupational standard for “Trainer” (since 2001 and revised in 2007).
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For units of competencies in 2001: the training
planning; the training delivery; the trainees’ assessment; the
review and the promotion of the training programs.
-
8-9 units of competencies in the revision proposal from
2007 (not yet validated and approved):
-
compulsory competencies: the training activities planning;
the training delivery; the trainees’ assessment – with content changes
accordingly with a proposed new, unified concept of “trainer” (see
below);
-
optional competencies – for trainers with specific tasks: the
marketing of the training programs; the planning of the training
programs; the use of advanced methodology; the evaluation, the review
and the quality assurance of the training programs.
-
The use
(since 2002) of the national regulation for authorization and
certification (mentioned above):
·
Difficulties:
bureaucratization of the procedures; the lack of monitoring capacity;
the lack of experts in evaluation; huge variation in the quality of the
authorized programs; not all the important training providers were
interested to get authorized.
-
Still no
obligation for the training providers to use certified trainers.
·
The legal framework for the Continuous Professional Adult
Education is in review.
·
National regulation regarding the recognition and evaluation
of the competencies acquired in non-formal contexts.
-
The
establishment of the Sectorial Committee for Education and Training
(2006).
-
The Sectorial Committees are national partnership
structures (employers unions, trade unions, professional
associations, regulating authorities, training providers etc.),
dealing (among others) with the approval and the validation of the
qualification within a specific sector.
-
In 2006 was established the Sectorial Committee for
Education and Training, Research and Development and Sports. One of
the Sub-Committees is dealing with the In Service Training. Its main
tasks were to develop a new occupational standard for trainer, to
elaborate the Statute of Trainer, a Code of Professional Conduct for
trainer and to promote the establishment of a professional
association at national level.
-
Increased concern of all stakeholders for quality.
·
The establishment in 2006 of the National Group for Quality
Assurance in Education and Training - a national structure created in
order to harmonize the quality concept and standards in education and
training - as a National Reference Point for ENQA-VET.
·
The establishment of two National Agencies for Quality
Assurance in Education.
III. The
Vision
-
A
unified concept for “trainer” based on common core competencies but
differentiated for specific functions:
·
The
extension of the “trainer” concept for all categories of trainers.
·
Common
core competencies for all trainers, not depending of the level of
qualification s/he works.
·
Common
«Framework programs » for ToT.
·
Common
procedures for the trainers’ evaluation and accreditation.
·
The
differentiation of the specific categories of trainers by optional
competencies.
-
Professional association(s) of trainers as self-regulating bodies.
-
The
“Trainer” is a “regulated” profession.
-
In order
to acquire authorization, all training providers have to employ
qualified staff:
·
Certified trainers and consultants.
·
Managers trained in “Management of the training programs and
institutions”.
·
The development of the higher education programs.
-
Quality
management systems are implemented.
·
More than 25% of the training providers have quality
management systems according the existing international models (ISO
9001:2000, ISO IWA 2/ 2003, CQAF, EFQM etc.).
·
The Romanian training providers get National and European
Awards for Excellence.
·
The Romanian trainers participate in international programs
and their professionalism is recognized at European level. |
