SKUPNOST VSS

Who are we?

The Association of Slovene Higher Vocational Colleges (Association HVC) was founded as a public institution in 2005, when its Establishing Act was confirmed and adopted by the Slovene government. It is a professional association of higher vocational colleges on the national level. It includes 48 members (96% of all Slovene HVC institutions) all providing EQF level 5 as public or private providers. They offer their programs (31) on 25 locations across Slovenia to 99% of the national EQF level 5 students population (120 ECTS). The Association HVC main mission is to promote the interests of higher vocational education in Slovenia and beyond its borders and to contribute to the progressive development of professional higher education and professional research area. Our members do not only provide higher vocational education programmes, but also contribute to the field of applied research and professional studies as well as directly to the development of local communities and regions. The Association HVC and its members have 20 years of experience in coordination of national and international projects. Our specifics are 40% of curricula that are provided as in company work based learning and the teaching staff requirements that demand up to date professional experience and knowledge from the field of work as well as pedagogical and andragogical competencies of our teaching staff. In doing so we ensure up to date theoretical training at the institution facility and then monitored and guided in company placements with certified and qualified mentors. The result is that our graduates are 97% employed and cherished by the employers as ready to work and act graduates in comparison to their peer graduates from higher education that are experiencing a growing number of unemployment with the bachelor, master and even doctoral degrees. Our values are QUALITY – INNOVATION and ENTREPRENEURSHIP – RESPONSIBILITY – RESPECT.

Why we are participating in the project

Apprenticeships at PHE level provide students with opportunities to build up new skills and knowledge both on and off the job, while providing companies a reliable way to evaluate and shape potential future hires, while at the same time benefiting from new perspectives which can only be offered by students straight out of education. However, despite their clear advantages, apprenticeship systems are extremely challenging to manage and to define what the quality of apprenticeship is for all stakeholders. As in Slovenia Higher Vocational Colleges are providing 40% of in company work based learning, they are highly interested and are investing in quality of apprenticeships to optimize students learning experience to maximum benefit of students and employers.

Our role in the project

Our role is:

  • To contribute constructively as a reliable project partner of Apprenticeship Q to Outputs 1, 2 and 3
  • To co-lead Activities 1, 2, 4 and 5 of Outputs 4 and 5
  • To lead Output 6
  • To include our national Chamber of Commerce to contribute to Outputs 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6
  • Organize a Multiplier event E7
  • To disseminate the progress of ApprenticeshipQ on national level throughout the PHE institutions and stakeholders also through a close cooperation with our national Chamber of Commerce
  • To disseminate the progress of ApprenticeshipQ on international level through a level 5 EQF platform CHAIN5 and VET4EU2

Our Team

Alicia-Leonor Sauli-Miklavčič

Alicia-Leonor Sauli-Miklavčič

Project Manager, Researcher

Alicia is an experienced project manager and a board member of EURASHE and CHAIN5, a EURASHE representative in the VET providers’ expert group of the European Commission, the European Alliance for Apprenticeship and VET4EU2 which is a European network of European VET and PHE Associations. She is a good connoisseur of the professional higher education on national and international level and has many years of experience in the field of raising awareness of cooperation among various stakeholders (PHE providers, employers, authorities, students, national quality assurance agency …).

Jasmina Poličnik

Jasmina Poličnik

Office manager, Researcher

Jasmina manages project documentation in accordance to project and programme rules. She has experience in project managing under Central European programmes, ESSR founds, Norway grants and Erasmus+. She has years of experiences as a consultant for regional cooperation. Currently she works as an office manager at the Association HVC and researcher on development of PHE in Slovenia and abroad.