MOLDOVA WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Moldovawbgfiles.worldbank.org/documents/hdn/ed/saber/supporting...Framework—Moldova is rated at the Emerging level of development (score 2.0 out of

MOLDOVA WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SABER COUNTRY REPORT | 2013

SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 1

Moldova

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENTSABER Country Report

2013

Dimensions Status1. Strategic FrameworkThe Government of Moldova is committed to aligning the education system with the labor market needs as part of its Moldova 2020 National Development Strategy. Recognizing the challenges of workforce development, the government approved and launched the implementation of the Vocational Education and Training Development Strategy for 2013-2020. The Strategy sets forth a clear action plan and roadmap with specific targets and operational plans to strengthen the system of vocational education and training (VET) in the country but its results are yet to be seen as it is at initial stage of implementation. National advocacy for workforce development benefits from the participation of different groups of government and non-government stakeholders, though coordination and partnership between them is often ad-hoc and donor support plays an important role in the area.

2. System OversightThe development of a quality assurance system and the development of a fully functioning entity for the assessment and accreditation of VET institutions have yet to be implemented, funding for vocational training is not based on explicit criteria with performance indicators, the National Qualifications Framework is a work in progress, and aligning of the curriculum to the occupational standards and transition to competence-based vocational education and training has just started (the curriculum should be adjusted to the National Qualifications Framework by 2020).

3. Service DeliveryWhile participation of the private sector in secondary and post-secondary vocational education is limited, Moldova is home to a relatively wide diversity of training providers, both public and private, in adult training services that can issue certificates recognized by the government. At the same time, quality of service provision remains low and needs improvement, and the monitoring and evaluation system is not well developed and needs to be supported by reliable and freely available data. Weak practices of evidence-based accountability for results and questionable relevance of the training programs are the main causes of the overall low score.



Table of Contents

1. Overview of Findings and Implications ......................................................................................................................... 3

2. Introduction ............................................................................................................................... ...................................8

3. Country Context ............................................................................................................................... ...........................10

4. Aligning Workforce Development to Key Economic and Social Priorities ..................................................................18

..............................................................................................18

SABER WfD ratings on the Strategic Framework........................................................................................................ 18

Implications of the Findings ............................................................................................................................... .........23

5. Governing the System for Workforce Development .................................................................................................. 24

Overall institutional landscape ............................................................................................................................... ....24

SABER WfD Ratings on System Oversight................................................................................................................... 25


6. Managing Service Delivery for Results on the Ground ...............................................................................................30

Overview of the Delivery of Training Services ............................................................................................................ 30

SABER WfD Ratings on Service Delivery ..................................................................................................................... 30


Annex 1: Acronyms ............................................................................................................................... ..........................36

Annex 2: The SABER WfD Analytical Framework............................................................................................................ 37

Annex 3: Rubrics for Scoring the SABER WfD Data......................................................................................................... 39

Annex 4: References and Informants.............................................................................................................................. 48

Annex 5: SABER WfD Scores ............................................................................................................................... ............51

Annex 6: Authorship and Acknowledgements................................................................................................................ 52

3 | P a g e

1. Overview of Findings and ImplicationsThis report presents a comprehensive diagnostic of theRepublic of Moldova’s workforce development (WfD)policies and institutions. The analysis is based on aWorld Bank research tool created under the SystemsApproach for Better Education Results (SABER) initiativeand purposefully designed to provide systematicdocumentation and assessment of WfD policies andinstitutions. The SABER WfD benchmarking tool alsoaims to assist the government with the implementationof the VET Development Strategy in the context ofinternational experience and global good practices.

This chapter highlights findings from the assessment ofthe Republic of Moldova’s WfD system based on theSABER WfD analytical framework and tool. The focus ison policies, institutions, and practices in threeimportant functional dimensions of policymaking andimplementation—strategic framework, systemoversight, and service delivery. Because these aspectscollectively create the operational environment inwhich individuals, firms, and training providers, bothstate and non state, make decisions with regard totraining, they exert an important influence on observedoutcomes in skills development. Strong systems of WfDhave institutionalized processes and practices forreaching agreement on priorities, for collaboration andcoordination, and for generating routine feedback thatsustain continuous innovation and improvement. Bycontrast, weak systems are characterized byfragmentation, duplication of effort, and limitedlearning from experience.

The SABER WfD assessment results summarized belowprovides a baseline for understanding the current statusof the WfD system in the country as well as a basis fordiscussing ideas on how best to strengthen it in thecoming years.

Overview of the SABER WfD AssessmentResults

The tool is based on an analytical framework thatidentifies three functional dimensions of WfD policiesand institutions:

i. Strategic Framework, which refers to how WfDstrategies are set and coordinated;

ii. System Oversight, referring to how the WfD systemis funded, how quality standards are enforced andwhat learning pathways are offered;

iii. Service Delivery, which refers to aspects needed todeliver market and job relevant skills.

Figure 1 shows the overall results for the threeFunctional Dimensions in the SABER WfD frameworkwhile the detailed analysis is available in the nextsections.1

For the first Functional Dimension—StrategicFramework—Moldova is rated at the Emerging level ofdevelopment (score 2.0 out of 4), reflecting thecommitment of the Government of Moldova to aligningthe education system with the labor market needs aspart of its 2020 National Development Strategy.Recognizing the challenges to develop a workforce, thegovernment approved and launched implementation ofthe Vocational Education and Training DevelopmentStrategy for 2013 2020. The strategy sets forth a clearroadmap with specific targets and operational plans tostrengthen the system of vocational education andtraining (VET) in the country, but its results are yet to beseen as it is at an initial stage of implementation.National advocacy for workforce development benefitsfrom the participation of different groups ofgovernment and non government stakeholders, thoughcoordination and partnership between them is oftenad hoc and donor support plays an important role in thearea. The three Policy Goals under this FunctionalDimension have been rated as follows: 2.0 for “Setting aStrategic Direction,” 1.8 for “Fostering a Demand DrivenApproach,” and 2.3 for “Strengthening CriticalCoordination.” The weakest elements dragging downthe score are lack of skills upgrading incentives foremployers and poor monitoring of existing WfDprograms. Indeed, to be effective, WfD policies must bebased on credible assessments of the demand for skillsin light of a country’s economic prospects.

For System Oversight, Moldova was rated at the Latentlevel (1.5 out of 4), reflecting the fact that thedevelopment of the quality assurance system and thedevelopment of a fully functioning entity for theassessment and accreditation of VET institutions are stillto be implemented, funding for vocational training is

1 See Annex 6 for the full results.



not based on explicit criteria with performanceindicators, the National Qualifications Framework (NQF)is a work in progress, and aligning of the curriculum tothe occupational standards and transition tocompetence based vocational education and traininghas just started (the curriculum should be adjusted tothe National Qualifications Framework by 2020).Development of curriculum for the followingoccupations based on approved occupational standardshas begun: painter, stonemason/bricklayer,smith/concreter, and confectioner. The Policy Goal“Ensuring Efficiency and Equity in Funding” has beengiven the lowest score of 1.4. The other two PolicyGoals “Assuring Relevant and Reliable Standards” and“Diversifying Pathways for Skills Acquisition” havereceived 1.5 each. The weakest elements draggingdown the score are (i) lack of formal reviews of theimpact of WfD funding on beneficiaries in terms ofefficiency and equity of funding; and (ii) theaccreditation policy and need for fully functioningQuality Assurance Agency (recently created) that isimportant to ensure that the training providers meetexternally established standards orquality in service delivery.

The third Functional Dimension is Service Delivery,which scored at the Emerging level (1.9 out of 4). This isconsistent with the fact that while participation of theprivate sector in secondary and post secondaryvocational education is limited, Moldova is home to arelatively wide diversity of public and private providersof adult training services that can issue certificatesrecognized by the government. The quality of trainingremains low, which could be partly addressed by abetter developed monitoring and evaluation systemand increased reliability and access to data. The PolicyGoal “Enabling Diversity and Excellence in TrainingProvision” received a relatively higher score of 2.4. Theother two Policy Goals “Fostering Relevance in PublicTraining Programs” and “Enhancing Evidence basedAccountability for Results” were both given a score of1.9. Weak practices of evidence based accountabilityfor results and questionable relevance of the trainingprograms are the main causes of the overall low score.

These findings suggest that Moldova’s WfD policies andinstitutions are weak from policy conceptualization tooversight and implementation. Many of the gapsidentified share common root causes, implying thataddressing a selected gap may lead to progress onrelated fronts.

Policy Implications of the Findings

As Moldova is facing stiffer competition globally andregionally (including through the forthcoming Deep andComprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the EU), thecountry needs to face new competitive pressures morefirmly. With a weak WfD system, Moldova will not beable to withstand this competition.

Key measures that could advance Moldova towardsgood global standards include the following:

Ensuring leadership and strategic coordination: Allkey pillars of the WfD system require immediateand concerted actions from the part of manyplayers. The weak leadership and strategiccoordination create critical bottlenecks along theentire system. A stronger and more active highlevel leadership (for example, at the level of primeminister) would be important to align WfD policieswith the country’s socioeconomic goals andenhance the national policy dialogue on skills and

Figure 1. Moldova’s Dimension Level Scores

Note: See Figure 3 for an explanation of the scale on the horizontalaxis.

Source: Based on analysis of the data collected using the SABER WfDquestionnaire.



the labor force, and encourage firms and publicauthorities to commit additional resources andtime that the dialogue requires. Government andnon government WfD champions in Moldova needto depart from the ad hoc, unstructured dialogueand to exercise more sustained and well structuredadvocacy for WfD. This dialogue should rely oninstitutionalized processes to collaborate on wellintegrated interventions to advance an economywide WfD policy agenda. In the area of workforcedevelopment to support growth, East Asia’s fastestgrowing economies over the past 50 years—SouthKorea, Taiwan, China, and Singapore, amongothers—provide the clearest examples of the roleof leaders in shaping the skills agenda.2

Providing for a more effective institutional setup: Itis necessary to make the sector level committeesfunctional and sustainable. One option to considerwould be to entitle an executive arm of thegovernment (for instance, the Ministry of Labor,Social Protection and Family or the Ministry ofEconomy) to set up these committees and supporttheir work. It is important to provide adequateinstitutional and financial support to ensure that allkey stakeholders engage in policy dialogue onoccupational standards and the NQF throughinstitutionalized processes. This aspect is critical,considering that so far competency standards haveonly been developed for a limited set ofoccupations. So far, six occupational standardshave been developed and approved for painter,stonemason/bricklayer, smith/concreter, locksmithplumber, confectioner, and viticulturist.

Enhancing evidence based accountability forresults in WfD: The government should consideradopting the practice of routinely sponsoring skillsrelated surveys and impact evaluations of existingprograms. The key indicator of interest for thepublic is that of graduates’ labor marketoutcomes—for all modes of delivery of training

2 These countries have built a strong foundation in basic skills throughgeneral education and have taken decisions to develop training systems thateffectively equip workers with job relevant skills to expand their owntechnological capabilities. See: World Bank. 2013.What Matters inWorkforce Development: A Framework and Tool for Analysis. SABER WorkingPaper Series #6, Washington, D.C. Available athttp://www.worldbank.org/education/saber

services—initial vocational education and training(IVET), continuing vocational education andtraining (CVET), and training related active labormarket policies (ALMPs). Even simple reporting onenrollments, staffing, budgets, and mainaccomplishments, if done routinely, serve as a toolfor accountability. In Singapore, for example, publicsector training providers typically issue annualreports in this spirit. It would also be advisable tosystematically participate in internationalassessments such as OECD’s Program forInternational Assessment of Adult Competencies(PIAAC), measuring cognitive and technical skills ofthe working age population (aged 15 64) andrelating them to labor market performance, as wellas developing national learning assessments.Indeed, WfD policies should be formulated on thebasis of well informed analyses. Additionally,implementation of approved policies and strategies(including the VET Development Strategy) shouldbe routinely reviewed and updated on the basis ofavailable evidence to allow for necessaryadjustments and improvements.

Ensuring quality: Proper mechanisms need to be inplace to guarantee systematic quality assurance. Itis important to envisage capacity building of theQuality Assurance Agency in VET (its creation wasapproved in October 20133) because the lack ofsuch mechanism erodes public trust in the qualityof training providers. School level solutions, suchas the creation of proper supervisory bodies tohold service providers accountable for student andschool outcomes, is also advisable. While mostschools develop reports for administrativepurposes, it would be reasonable to ensurepublication of these reports for easier access anduse of school information by the broader public.

Funding and incentives mechanisms: It is importantto shift from the ‘mechanical’ approach ofapproving the budget for WfD based on historicalspending to a system in which funding is linked toenrollments, performance, and effectiveness oftraining programs. In this regard, CVET brings the

3 Law #239 of October 18, 2013 on amendments to the Education Law of1995.



biggest challenges, as training provision is currentlyfragmented among different line ministries andauthorities. Funding allocated for CVET (includingon the job training for small and medium sizeenterprises, or SMEs) should rely on formalprocesses with input from key stakeholders andtimely annual reporting. A program stimulating onthe job training for SMEs should be adopted inaddition to the existing on the job trainingprograms for selected public sector employees.Regarding the training related ALMPs implementedby the National Agency for Labor Employment,they should be consistently reviewed for impact,and results of the review should be published andused to inform program adjustments and funding.It is also advisable for the government to design arange of incentives for skills upgrading by allemployers and revise the restrictive fiscalregulations which undermine incentives to trainthe workforce. The first step has already beenmade. The amendments to the Tax Code (article19) introduced in December 2013 envisage thatcosts incurred by the employer for professionaleducation of workers will be exempted from thetaxes as defined (in a manner prescribed by thegovernment; its implementation has yet to beseen).

Increasing the relevance of public training:Interventions are necessary to simultaneouslytackle issues of relevance of the WfD in line withlabor market needs, increase the quality ofeducation, and foster formal linkages betweentraining institutions, industry, and researchinstitutions.4 These links should go beyond offeringinternship opportunities to students. It is importantto pursue a variety of arrangements to maketraining as relevant to industry needs as possible.In the Netherlands, for example, theinstitutionalized arrangements involve an umbrellaorganization connecting training providers to

4 To illustrate, in 1996 Costa Rica’s President led the country on an eventuallysuccessful bid to persuade Intel, a global computer chip manufacturer, to setup the firm’s newest plant in the country. Part of the deal included theintroduction of new courses in technical training and new curricula. Insubsequent years, the country continued to align its education and trainingprograms to meet the needs of employers in the information technologyindustry. The IT industry is today a major part the economy, accounting fornearly 19 percent of exports in 2009, compared with just 4 percent in 1997.Source: Ibid.

specific employer led sector skills councils thatdefine occupational standards and competenciesto shape the curriculum used by the trainingproviders. In Korea, the relationship between theKorea University of Technology and Education(KUT) and Samsung illustrates an arrangementwhere various actors work together to enhance therelevance of training programs in a publicinstitution. KUT hosts the Employee VocationalEducation Program, which offers short courses toSamsung’s own workers as well as those from thefirm’s subcontractors. KUT provides the premises,and the teaching and administrative staff.Samsung, for its part, leads in defining the coursecurricula, provides the equipment, and lends inhouse experts to co teach the courses. Thecollaboration benefits all parties. Samsung gainsfrom having subcontractors that can meet itsproduct specification and quality standards; itssubcontractors gain from being able to retain orexpand their business with the company. Mostimportantly, the university gains from theopportunity to involve its faculty in organizing andteaching the courses. This involvement enhancesthe competence of its administrators andinstructors in the design and delivery of industryrelevant training programs.5

Recognizing informal training: Limited attention toprior learning has led to suboptimal social andeconomic outcomes, particularly considering thehigh number of labor migrants returning toMoldova with skills and knowledge acquiredinformally that are not being recognized or valued.The concept for non formal and informal educationwas adopted by the Collegium of the Ministry ofEducation. The methodology for recognition andcertification of non formal and informal learning isunder development (it will need to ensure that theproper mechanisms allowing recognition of priorlearning are put in place).6 In the United States, forexample, many community colleges give studentscredit for work experience in industry.7

5 Ibid.6 The strategy for life long learning is under development.7 Ibid.



Making VET more attractive: The general negativeperception of VET should be tackled through a setof coherent government actions on multiple fronts.Measures should include further diversifyinglearning pathways, improving program quality andrelevance, and continued dissemination of goodresults from well performing schools into themedia. In Switzerland, for example, TVET tracks atthe secondary level offer excellent programs andflexible pathways to tertiary level courses, whichattract a sufficiently meaningful share of thecountry’s top students to overcome public biasagainst such programs. In Singapore, sizableinvestments in a high quality TVET system over theyears, coupled with sustained attention to theemployability of graduates, have lowered socialresistance to the TVET programs that the lessacademically inclined students enter after 10 yearsof general schooling.8

Many countries in the region have faced similarchallenges, such as having the inflexible educationsystem not responding to the changing labormarket needs; the inefficient use of resources inthe system; low quality of the teaching staff; lackof data on the skills and competencies thatstudents actually acquire as a result of theeducational process; as well as lack of theparticipation from the employers, who can actuallyimprove education services provided. During thefirst years of transition in most ECA countries, thevocational school system—which once producedmore than half of all secondary graduates—collapsed. Many students chose to pursue atertiary degree. At the same time, employers assertthat it is now hard to find graduates with goodtechnical skills. Nevertheless, there are examples ofsuccessful reformers that were able to change theWfD system and ensure that they can producegraduates with appropriate skills (such as Poland).The successful reformers supported, inter alia,systematic data collection on student outcomes(through developing national learning assessments,conducting regular tracer studies of graduates todetermine their employment outcomes, and thenusing this data to inform education policy);

8 Ibid.

expanded autonomy at lower levels of theeducation system in return for accountability forstudent performance; and introducedperformance based financing. The VocationalEducation and Training Development Strategy for2013 2020 adopted by the government in February2013 was visionary and foresaw many actionstaken by the successful reformers (presented in thesubsequent chapters). In this regard, the SABERWfD instrument not only provides a diagnostic ofthe current state of affairs with WfD policies andinstitutions in Moldova. Based on the predefinedrubrics shown in Annex 3, it can also be used as atool to monitor the progress with implementationof reforms in order to build an up to date,advanced system of workforce development in thecountry (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Generic Benchmarking Rubrics

Source: World Bank. 2013.What Matters in WorkforceDevelopment: A Framework and Tool for Analysis.SABER Working Paper Series #6, Washington, D.C. Available athttp://www.worldbank.org/education/saber.



2. IntroductionThe Republic of Moldova, a resource poor andlandlocked country, is undergoing a difficult transitionfrom a planned to a market economy. Although a deepeconomic collapse marked its first decade ofindependence,9 economic growth resumed in 2000 andcontinued at an average annual rate of 5.9 percent untilthe 2008 global financial crisis. The economy recoveredfrom the 2008 09 global economic crisis with averageannual GDP growth exceeding 5 percent over 20102013. As a result, Moldova experienced the highestcumulative GDP growth among all regional partners’relative to the pre crisis year of 2007. At the same time,as a small open economy in which agriculture has asignificant role, Moldova’s growth performance hasbeen strong but volatile, reflecting vulnerability toclimatic and global economic conditions.

Significant structural changes are shaping Moldova’seconomy. The share of agriculture in total GDPcontracted from 29 percent in 2000 to 11 percent in2012. Between 2000 and 2010 the labor employed inthe agricultural sector declined by almost 60 percent.While industry has largely maintained its share inemployment, the share of the services sector hasincreased. At the same time, as shown in the followingsection, Moldova lags behind many of its peers ineconomic, political, and institutional reform processes,which are important for greater job creation andimproved productivity.

International outward labor migration is considered tobe the major factor that affects the Moldovan labormarket both directly (by reducing the number of peopleworking in the country) and indirectly (by increasingreservation wages of those staying in the country). Keycharacteristics of the Moldovan labor market includelow labor force participation, a persistently highincidence of informal employment particularly in theagricultural sector, and high youth unemployment. Also,an aging population and shrinking labor force pose veryserious threats for the future development of thecountry. On this front, in order to compensate for thelabor force decline and ensure improved livingstandards, it is necessary to provide for a steadyincrease in labor productivity and thus equip the

9 During 1991 1999, GDP declined by almost 60 percent (with the exceptionof 1997, when Moldova’s GDP grew 1.6 percent).

workforce with adequate knowledge and skills in linewith labor market needs and requirements.

Significant changes in the country’s economic landscapehave increased the demand for skills. Evidence fromemployer surveys shows a shortage of required skillsamong the workforce. Moldovan enterprises, especiallyexporters, complain about the difficulty of findingskilled workers with the “right” set of skills. Recognizingthe importance of workforce development forimproving the country’s socioeconomic prospects, theGovernment of Moldova approved a new VocationalEducation and Training (VET) Development Strategy forthe years 2013 2020 in order to reform its VET sectorand align it to the needs of the national economy.10

To inform policy dialogue on these important issues,this report presents a comprehensive diagnostic ofMoldova WfD policies and institutions. The results arebased on a new World Bank tool designed for thispurpose. Known as SABER WfD, the tool is part of theWorld Bank’s initiative on Systems Approach for BetterEducation Results (SABER),11 the aim of which is toprovide systematic documentation and assessment ofthe policy and institutional factors that influence theperformance of education and training systems. TheSABER WfD tool encompasses initial, continuing andtargeted vocational education and training that areoffered through multiple channels, and focuses largelyon programs at the secondary and post secondarylevels.

Analytical FrameworkThe tool is based on an analytical framework12 thatidentifies three Functional Dimensions of WfD policiesand institutions:

(1) Strategic Framework, which refers to the praxis ofadvocacy, partnership, and coordination in relationto the objective of aligning WfD in critical areas topriorities for national development;

(2) System Oversight, which refers to the arrangementsgoverning funding, quality assurance, and learningpathways that shape the incentives and informationsignals affecting the choices of individuals,

10 The National Development Strategy ‘Moldova 2020: 7 solutions forRepublic of Moldova’, the Vocational Education and Training DevelopmentStrategy for the years 2013 2020.11 For details on SABER see http://www.worldbank.org/education/saber.12 For an explanation of the SABER WfD framework see Tan et al 2013.



employers, training providers, and otherstakeholders; and

(3) Service Delivery, which refers to the diversity,organization, and management of trainingprovision, both state and non state, that deliverresults on the ground by enabling individuals toacquire market and job relevant skills.

Taken together, these three Dimensions allow forsystematic analysis of the functioning of a WfD systemas a whole. The focus in the SABER WfD framework ison the institutional structures and practices of publicpolicymaking and what they reveal about capacity in thesystem to conceptualize, design, coordinate, andimplement policies in order to achieve results on theground.

Each Dimension is composed of three Policy Goals thatcorrespond to important functional aspects of WfDsystems (see Figure 3). Policy Goals are further brokendown into discrete Policy Actions and Topics that revealmore detail about the system.13

Figure 3. Functional Dimensions and Policy Goals inthe SABER WfD Framework

Source: Tan et al. 2013.

13 See Annex 2 for an overview of the structure of the framework.

Implementing the AnalysisInformation for the analysis is gathered using astructured SABER WfD Data Collection Instrument (DCI).The instrument is designed to collect, to the extentpossible, facts rather than opinions about WfD policiesand institutions. For each Topic, the DCI poses a set ofmultiple choice questions which are answered based ondocumentary evidence and interviews withknowledgeable informants. The answers allow eachTopic to be scored on a four point scale againststandardized rubrics based on available knowledge onglobal good practices (See Figure 4).14 Topic scores areaveraged to produce Policy Goal scores, which are thenaggregated into Dimension scores.15 The results arefinalized following validation by the relevant nationalcounterparts, including the informants themselves.

Figure 4. SABER WfD Scoring Rubrics

Source: Tan et al. 2013.

The rest of this report summarizes the key findings ofthe SABER WfD assessment and also presents thedetailed results for each of the three FunctionalDimensions. To put the results into context, the reportbegins below with a brief profile of the country’ssocioeconomic makeup.

14 See Annex 3 for the rubrics used to score the data. As in other countries,the data are gathered by a national principal investigator and his or herteam, based on the sources indicated in Annex 4, and they are scored by theWorld Bank’s SABER WfD team. See Annex 5 for the detailed scores andAnnex 6 for a list of those involved in data gathering, scoring and validation,and report writing.15 Since the composite scores are averages of the underlying scores, they arerarely whole numbers. For a given composite score, X, the conversion to thecategorical rating shown on the cover is based on the following rule: 1.00X 1.75 converts to “Latent”; 1.75 < X 2.50, to “Emerging”; 2.50 < X3.25, to “Established”; and 3.25 < X 4.00, to “Advanced.”



3. Country ContextThis section reviews the main social and economicfactors that affect the demand and supply of skills andlabor in Moldova.

Economic Trends. Economic growth in the Republic ofMoldova averaged 5.9 percent per year between 2000and 2008 but suffered a 6 percent decline in 2009 as aresult of the global financial turmoil and economicslowdown. The economy recovered quickly, with GDPgrowth reaching 7 percent in 2010 2011, but dropped0.8 percent in 2012 on account of a severe droughtaffecting the agricultural sector.16 Officially, the GDP percapita is about US$ 2,037,17 but this estimate does notaccount for the high share of the informal economywhich, according to estimates, is about 45 percent ofthe official GDP.18

Significant structural changes are shaping Moldova’seconomy. The share of agriculture in total GDPcontracted from 29 percent in 2000 to 11 percent in2012. Two thirds of the agricultural output arecomposed of relatively low added value crops (mainlycorn, sunflower, and wheat), while one third isgenerated in the livestock sector. In the same period,industry’s share of GDP contracted by 1 percentagepoint (accounting for 14 percent of the GDP in 2012).Production of food and alcoholic beverages is the mainindustrial activity (constituting more than 41 percent ofindustrial output in 2012), followed by energygeneration (around 15 percent), production ofconstruction materials (8.5 percent), and textiles,apparel, and footwear (7.1 percent). The share ofmarket services has seen the biggest growth in terms ofcontribution to GDP, expanding from 37 to 49 percentbetween 2000 and 2012, mainly due to the growth ofretail activities.

With exports worth 44 percent of GDP and imports of84 percent, Moldova is a typical case of a small openeconomy. Key goods exported are vegetables and fruits(12.9 percent of total exports), alcoholic beverages(9.9), apparel (11.8), and electric machines and partsthereof (8.9). Moldova’s main trade partners for exports

16 NBS, “Dynamics of the key macroeconomic indicators (1995 2012)”, dataavailable athttp://www.statistica.md/public/files/serii_de_timp/conturi_nationale/serii_anuale/Dinam_princ_indic_macro.xls.17 IMF, World Economic Outlook Database, April 2013.18 Schneider and others, 2008.

are Russia (30.3 percent of total exports in 2012),Romania (16.5), Italy (9.4), and Ukraine (5.7). Mainsources of imports to the country are Russia (15.7percent, mainly comprised of natural gas and fuel),Romania (11.9 percent, again, mainly fuel), and Ukraine(11.4, especially food and electricity).

The Moldovan government has a relatively largepresence in the economy, with total budgetaryexpenditures representing about 38 percent of GDP in2012. Social assistance and support constitute aboutone third of the budget, followed by education (20.7percent) and health services (13 percent). Most of thebudgetary revenues are derived from taxes (83.3percent), non fiscal sources (4.9), and special funds andmeans (4.9). The role of development partners issignificant, with the share of international grantsgrowing from 5.5 percent of budget in 2009 to 6.3percent in 2012.

Over the past decade, economic growth wasaccompanied by poverty reduction. The share of peopleliving under the national poverty line went from 30.2percent in 2006 to 16.6 percent in 2012. A modestreduction in inequality has been registered recently,with the Gini coefficient of consumption expendituresdeclining from 0.3094 in 2009 to 0.3050 in 2010, andthen to 0.2943 in 2011. The economic growth in thepast decade has been closely correlated with the inflowof migrants’ remittances feeding private consumption.According to estimates, remittances reached 25 percentof GDP in 2012,19 even though some experts believethat not all international transfers reported as migrantsremittances are “real” remittances.20 With domesticproduction lagging much behind aggregate demand,domestic consumption is being covered by imports ofgoods and services, with the trade deficit reachingalarming levels ( 42 percent of GDP in 2012).

Demographics. Moldova is a small country with 3.6million people living on the right bank of the Nistru

19 World Bank, 2013.20 The majority of sources calculate the inflow of remittances from threecomponents of the Balance of Payments compiled by the National Bank ofMoldova: (i) compensation for work; (ii) personal transfers; (iii) emigrants’transfers. The problem is that a significant part of these transfers does notactually represent emigrants’ transfers, but rather payments for the servicesprovided to the non residents by individuals residing in Moldova,investments made by the non residents to the real estate market ofMoldova, and payments for other destinations (Prohnitchi and Lupusor,2013).



River and about 600,000 residing in the Transnistrianregion. More than half of the population resides in ruralcommunities, which places Moldova as the Europeancountry with the highest share of rural population.

The country is undergoing a slow but steadydemographic decline: between 1999 and 2011 thenatural growth rate was negative; it somewhatstabilized in 2011 2012, but both short and long termdemographic prospects are bleak. There is a very largerural urban demographic discrepancy: In 2008 2012 thebirth rate in cities was 9.96 per 1,000 and the death ratewas 8.84 per 1,000; in villages, the birth rate was higher(12.02 per 1,000), but the death rate even higher (13.54per 1,000). In other words, the human capital and laborforce endowment in rural areas is declining at a muchfaster rate than in cities.

The difficult demographic situation has been furtherexacerbated by the large scale outmigration of thelabor force. According to conservative official statistics,in 2012 about 17 percent of men and 10 percent ofwomen at working age were working abroad or lookingfor work abroad. Migration has left many ruralcommunities almost depopulated, posingunprecedented policy challenges, such as bringing vastareas of abandoned land back into agricultural activityand efficiently providing basic public services andutilities to a dwindling population.

According to World Bank population projections, thepopulation in Moldova is set to decline until 2050, withan annual average growth of around 0.7 percent.21

Pursuant to these projections, population decline willlikely be accompanied by important structural shifts,the most significant of which are population aging and

21 World Bank population projections available at:http://go.worldbank.org/H4UN4D5KI0.

the expected reduction of the share of working agepopulation (aged 15 64 years) from 72 percent in 2010to 62 percent by 2050. The dependency ratio will growrespectively from 38.5 to 59.6 percent, reflecting therising pressure on the productive population.

An aging population and a shrinking labor force posevery serious challenges for the future development ofthe country. In order to compensate for the labor forcedecline and ensure improved living standards, it isnecessary to create a steady increase in laborproductivity. Coupled with outward migration andincreased economic inactivity, this situation adds to thefinancial hardship of the public pensions system whichis already in a difficult situation because of thewidespread informal employment and informalpayment.

One of the features of the economicEmployment.development of Moldova in the last decade is that theeconomy kept growing while the number of peopleemployed declined from 1.51 million in 2000 to 1.32million in 2004 and further down to 1.15 million in 2012(Table 1). This has been both a direct outcome of labormigration as well as an indirect one, reflecting the roleof reservation wages in the Moldovan economy. Asmigrants’ families in Moldova keep receivingremittances from migrants, the motivations to acceptemployment for relatively modest wages decline. Thus,the employment rates are very low in Moldova (lessthan 40 percent in 2012, compared to the 60 70percent typical for countries in Central and EasternEurope) with many years of productive life lost acrossall demographic groups22 (Figures 5 and 6). Labor forceparticipation in Moldova is extremely low, particularly

22 Population projections for various age groups may have issues accountingfor migrants who left Moldova (last census was conducted in 2004), thus“inflating” denominator used for relevant calculations.

Table 1. Key labor and labor market indicators, 2004 20122004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Population, million 3.603 3.595 3.585 3.576 3.570 3.565 3.562 3.560 3.559Working agepopulation, million 2.327 2.353 2.353 2.349 2.360 2.368 2.373 2.372 2.366

Employedpopulation, million 1.316 1.319 1.257 1.247 1.251 1.184 1.143 1.173 1.147

Distribution of the employed by formal / informal jobs, %Formal jobs 65.4 66.6 64.9 66.4 68.9 70.0 69.1 69.3 70.3Informal jobs 34.6 33.4 35.1 33.6 31.1 30.0 30.9 30.7 29.7

Employment rate, % 45.7 45.4 42.9 42.5 42.5 40 38.5 39.4 38.4Source: NBS databank.



among women, rural residents, youth (15 24 years),older workers (55 years and more), and those with loweducational attainment.

Figure 5: Employment Rate (population aged 15+, firstquarter 2013)

Notes: *denotes data for 2012. Data is not seasonally adjusted.Source: World Bank (2014). Back to Work: Growing with Jobs in Europe andCentral Asia.

Figure 6: Average Years of Lost Potential Employmentfor an Individual, circa 2010

Source: World Bank (2014). Back to Work: Growing with Jobs in Europe andCentral Asia.

The general unemployment rate is rather low (Figure 7).However, the unemployment rate among youth aged15 24 is a more pressing problem, as it is three timesthe national average. The historical decline in youthunemployment shown in Figure 7 is not as much anoutcome of improved employment, but rather anotherreflection of the reduced willingness to work, providedthat many young people either keep receiving financialsupport from their parents working abroad or are

looking themselves to migrate for work and thereforedo not actively look for employment in Moldova.

Figure 7: Unemployment rate in Moldova, 20042013

Source: NBS databank.

Between 2000 and 2010, the labor force employed inthe agricultural sector declined by almost 60 percent,from 770,000 people in 2000 to 323,000 in 2011 (SeeFigure 8). In the same period, the number of jobs innon agricultural sectors has grown by only 14 percent,from 744,000 to 850,000, which is not enough tocompensate for the job losses in the agricultural sector.As a result of the structural shifts taking place in theeconomy, one quarter of the labor force is currentlyemployed in agriculture (compared to 40.5 percent in2004). While industry has largely maintained its share intotal employment, the services sector grew; forexample, the trade and hotels’ share went from 13.6percent of total employment in 2004 to 18.3 percent in2012, and the public services sector grew from 18.3 to21.5 percent.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Unemployment rate, %Youth unemployment rate, %



Figure 8: Employment in main economic sectors,2004 2012 (%)

Source: NBS databank.

Informality remains an important part of the Moldovanlabor market. Although in decline, informal occupationsstill account for almost one third of the total jobsoffered in the economy.23

In summary, Moldovan economic growth has failed tohave a positive net effect on job creation and thegrowing urban economy has been unable to absorbunemployed agricultural workers. The recent WorldBank report “Back to Work: Growing with Jobs inEurope and Central Asia” (2014) argues that sustainedmarket reforms pay off in terms of greater job creationand increased productivity, but it takes time tomaterialize. Meanwhile, Moldova lags behind many ofits peers in economic, political, and institutional reformefforts, which are important for greater job creationand improved productivity (figure 9).

23National Bureau of Statistics, “Labor Market in Moldova 2012,” 2012,available athttp://www.statistica.md/public/files/publicatii_electronice/piata_fortei_de_munca/Piata_Muncii_2012.pdf.

Figure 9: EBRD Transition Index, 2012

Source:World Bank (2014). Back to Work: Growing with Jobs in Europe andCentral Asia.

Demand for skillsThe adjustments in economic structure require anadequately prepared workforce. Many workers inMoldova, especially youth and the elderly, are illprepared to succeed in today’s labor market and lackthe skills the employers need. Recent studies of theNational Confederation of Employers of Moldova(NCEM), including “Key Constraints on the BusinessEnvironment in Moldova” (2013) and “Seven Obstaclesfor Business Climate in the Republic of Moldova”(2013), report a low skilled labor force and the currenteducation and training system among the keyconstraints to the development of private business inMoldova. In particular, the reports recognize that theeducation and training system of the country should bemore market driven.

Interestingly, the NCEM employers’ survey showed thattwo thirds of companies, in particular large enterprises,conduct periodic assessments of current and futureskills needs. At the same time, almost half of the firms(46 percent) encounter difficulties on a frequent orsystematic basis when hiring staff with the desiredcompetencies and skills. This affects, first and foremost,agriculture, industry, transportation, and construction(57.4 percent), and large companies (58.3 percentcompared to 40.2 percent of microenterprises), inparticular those located in the capital (52.2 percent).Overall, more than 40 percent of Moldovan firms reportthat “skills” have become a severe constraint to theirgrowth (Figure 10).

The problem of an unsatisfactory level of skills isattributed to the lack of relevance of the educationsystem to the labor market needs and lack of support to

40.5 40.733.6 32.8 31.1 28.2 27.5 27.5 26.4

12.3 12.112.8 12.7 13.1 13.1 12.8 13.1 13.2

4 3.95.4 6.1 6.6 6.2 5.9 5.7 6.1

13.6 13.915.6 15.9 16.7 18.4 18.7 19 18.3

5.6 5.4 5.2 5.5 5.7 5.7 5.6 5.7 6.1

18.3 18.1 20.4 20.1 19.8 21 21.9 21.3 21.5

5.8 5.9 7 7 7.1 7.5 7.7 7.7 8.3

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012Other sectorsPublic administration, health, education and social protectionTransport and communicationsTrade, hotels, and restaurantsConstructions



workers to adequately equip themselves for new jobopportunities. The employers’ survey of the NCEMshowed that while over 46 percent of enterprises face aconstraint in the form of skills shortage, the majority ofcompanies (57 percent) do not allocate resources fortraining. This is primarily due to the lack of funding fortraining (30.7 percent of respondents), although thenational legislation (Labor Code, article 213) envisagesthe allocation by the employer of at least 2 percent ofthe payroll for relevant purposes (as tax deductibleexpenditures).

Figure 10: Share of firms report that “skills” havebecome a severe constraint to growth

Source: World Bank. 2012. Skills, Not Just Diplomas: Managing Education forResults in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Washington, D.C.

Supply of skillsEducation system. In Moldova, primary educationbegins at the age of 7 and lasts four years. Secondaryschooling covers the following eight years and is dividedinto five years of lower secondary (gymnasium), whichis compulsory, and three years of upper secondaryschool education (lyceum) (Figure 11 and Table 2).



Figure 11: Education system in Republic of Moldova

Source: Ministry of Education of Republic of Moldova, http://particip.gov.md/public/documente/137/ro_1112_Educatia 2020.pdf.



After graduating gymnasium, children have theopportunity to continue their education in lyceums orvocational education. In 2012, out of the 38,600graduates of lower secondary education, almost half(46.5 percent) continued studying in lyceums, 21.4percent in secondary vocational education institutions,and 19.2 percent in secondary specialized educationalinstitutions. Graduates of the gymnasium can entertrade schools, where studies last one year; vocationalschools (three years); or colleges (four to five years).High school graduates can be enrolled in trade schoolsor vocational schools for one year and in colleges fortwo to three years. Advanced technical/vocationaleducation is provided by colleges and consists of shortcycle specialized courses in agriculture, teacher training,arts, mechanics, construction, industrial woodprocessing, economics, and others. The duration of theprogram depends on the field of study. Vocationalschools issue qualification certificates; colleges issuediplomas. Higher education is divided into the first cycleof licentiate lasting three to four years (leading to a BAdegree) and the second cycle of a master’s program(lasting one to two years). Additional details on theMoldovan education system are provided in Figure 11and Table 2.24

24 Enrollment rates are calculated on the basis of population projections forrespective age groups that may have issues accounting for migrants whohave left Moldova (the last census was conducted in 2004), thus inflating thedenominator used for these calculations. Until the 2012/2013 school year, allgeneral secondary schools (with 11 grades of study and uneven quality) havebeen reorganized in lyceums or gymnasiums.

The Government of Moldova’s primary objective ineducation is to improve the quality, efficiency, andrelevance of the education system to meet the needs ofthe labor market and the broader economy. However,the country’s demographic and fiscal realities have notmade it easy for the government to fulfill this mandate.Over the years, the education sector in Moldova haswitnessed uneven quality and a lack of efficiency. Forexample, Moldova’s performance in the Organizationfor Economic Co operation and Development (OECD)Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)2009 show that the performance of the country’s 15year olds in reading, math, and science is among thelowest in the region. Around 60 percent of Moldova'sstudents lack the basic levels of proficiency in readingand math literacy needed to participate effectively andproductively in society. These students may not befailing according to national guidelines (and tests) forthe competencies that a 15 year old is expected toacquire, but their low scores on this assessmentindicate serious deficiencies in their ability to usereading or math literacy as a tool to acquire knowledgeand skills in other areas—an important competencyneeded to work in today’s economy.

Between 2008 and 2012 Moldova’s education sectorspending accounted for 8.7 percent of the country’sGDP on average—a high share by regional comparisons.At the same time, over the last several years Moldovawitnessed a significant decline in the number ofstudents. In 2008 2012, the number of VET schools

Table 2: Key indicators of the education sector in the period of academic years 2008/09 – 2012/132008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13

Total number of pupils and students, thousands 607.9 579.7 557.9 537.1 520.0

Total number of pupils and students, per 10,000 inhabitants 1704 1626 1567 1508 1461

Enrolment rate of the population aged 7 23 years, percent 60.3 59.9 59.8 59.9 60.5

Pre primary education net enrollment, percent 72.7 74.0 75.8 78.3 80.6

Primary education net enrollment, percent 87.5 87.6 87.8 87.9 87.9

Lower secondary education net enrollment, percent 84.6 84.0 83.3 82.9 82.3

Students in secondary professional education institutions, per 10,000inhabitants

92 90 90 88 86

Students in post secondary professional education institutions, per 10,000inhabitants

68 62 60 57 55

Source: NBS.



students declined by 16 percent.25 This leads to excessschools, unused school space and facilities, and highoperating costs. Existing infrastructure, mostly outdatedand obsolete, is used only at half of its capacity, eventhough the number of IVET schools declined by eightinstitutions. 26 The system also needs to adjust theteaching staff to the current needs.27

In light of the above, the government recently initiatedthe ambitious but necessary reforms aimed to improvethe quality and efficiency in the education sector. Thecountry moved to per student financing of primary andsecondary schools (the principle of “money follows thestudent” should also be introduced in the subsector ofvocational education). The reforms are supported bydevelopment partners. The EU, for example, hasrecently approved funding to support theimplementation of the new Vocational Education andTraining Development Strategy for the years 2013 2020that was approved in 2013.28 While initial strides havebeen made in the education sector, much remains to bedone, including the approval of important legislativeacts (like the Education Code, the Education Strategy2020, and the Decentralization Strategy in theEducation Sector).

25 The total number of students in all subsectors declined from 726,000students in the 2003/2004 academic year to 520,000 in 2012/2013. NBS,“Education in the Republic of Moldova. Statistical publication 2012/2013,”Chisinau, 2013.26 The IVET system is composed, at its secondary level, of 67 vocationalschools (21 trade schools and 46 professional schools) serving 19,600students in the 2012/13 school year. The student teacher ratio has steadilydeclined in recent years and reached 9 students per teacher. At the postsecondary level, there are 47 training providers (colleges), including sixprivate entities that served 30,700 students in 2012/13. Similarly tosecondary level, the student teacher ratio was on a declining path and standsnow at 12 students per teacher (more detailed information on WfD trainingproviders, including for CVET education and existing training related ALMPs,is presented in Section 6).27 In 2008 2012, the wages in the education sector increased from 66 to 87percent – an unsustainable trend if the system remains overstaffed.28 The objective of this budget support is to modernize and streamline theVocation Education and Training in the Republic of Moldova in order toincrease the competitiveness of the national economy, by trainingcompetent and qualified workforce in line with current and futurerequirements of the labor market.



4. Aligning Workforce Development to KeyEconomic and Social PrioritiesWfD is not an end in itself but rather an input towardbroader objectives–of boosting employability andproductivity, of relieving skills constraints on businessgrowth and development, and of advancing overalleconomic growth and social well being. This chapterbriefly introduces Moldova’s socioeconomic aspirations,priorities, and reforms before presenting the detailedSABER WfD findings on the Strategic FrameworkDimension and their policy implications.

Socioeconomic Aspirations, Priorities andReformsIn 2012, the Moldovan Parliament passed the NationalDevelopment Strategy “Moldova 2020: Seven Solutionsfor the Republic of Moldova” (henceforth “Moldova2020”). Moldova 2020 acknowledges that economicgrowth and poverty reduction during the past decadehave been closely correlated with the flow ofremittances and consumption it has generated, whichhas also benefited the state budget but exacerbated thetrade deficit. The development vision that Moldova2020 sets out is based on the analysis of the criticalconstraints to economic growth: poorly developedhuman capital, weak infrastructure, and limited accessto investment capital.29 As long as these critical issuesremain unresolved, the investment potential of thenational economy cannot be fully realized. To tacklethese constraints, Moldova 2020 focuses on a numberof “cross sector” development priorities, among which“aligning the education system to labor market needs inorder to enhance labor productivity and increaseemployment in the economy” has been identified askey. Other priorities include “roads: in good conditionseverywhere,” “financing: cheap and affordable,”“business: with clear rules of the game,” “energy:delivered safely, used efficiently,” “pensions system:equitable and sustainable,”“justice: responsible and incorruptible.”

In line with Moldova 2020, the Ministry of Educationdeveloped the “Strategy for Development of theVocational/Technical Education for the Period 20132020” (henceforth, the “VET Strategy”). The VET

29 Popa Ana and Oprunenco Alex, 2010.

Strategy is the most visionary strategic documentadopted in the educational sector in the past twodecades. It clearly dissects the problems underminingthe VET sector in Moldova and sets out the goal ofmodernizing and upgrading VET education in order toincrease competitiveness of the national economythrough training of a competent and qualifiedworkforce in line with current and future labor marketneeds. It also sets a number of specific developmentpriorities, including: 1) restructuring of the schoolnetwork into a two tier system (secondary andsecondary specialized VET) and improvement ofconfiguration of the school network by 2017; 2)ensuring training of VET teachers on the basis ofcompetencies and in line with labor market needs sothat to increase employment of graduates by 10percent compared to 2012 baseline; 3) enhancing VETquality through more efficient utilization of financialresources and introduction of quality assurance systemand to have functioning system of assessment andaccreditation of relevant institutions by 2017; 4)inclusion of scientific and methodological content in thecurriculum of vocational education programs so that by2020, 100 percent of the curriculum will correspond tothe National Qualifications Framework; 5) improvingthe quality of teaching staff, including themodernization of primary training and advancedtraining of teachers for vocational education, as well asincreasing their motivation, so that by 2020, all the staffwill have been trained in accordance with the NationalQualifications Framework; and 6) increasing theattractiveness and accessibility of VET, so that by 2020the number of students will have increased by 10percent.

SABER WfD ratings on the StrategicFrameworkIn the SABER WfD framework, the role of WfD inrealizing Moldova’s socioeconomic aspirationsmaterializes through actions to advance the followingthree Policy Goals: (i) setting a strategic direction forWfD; (ii) fostering a demand led approach in WfD; and(iii) ensuring coordination among key WfD leaders andstakeholders. The ratings for these Policy Goals arepresented and explained below, followed by a reflectionon their implications for policy dialogue.



Based on data collected in the SABER WfDquestionnaire, the Republic of Moldova received anoverall rating of 2.0 (Emerging) on the StrategicFramework Dimension (see Figure 12 below). This scoreis the average of the ratings for the underlying PolicyGoals relating to: (a) Setting a Direction for WfD (2.0);(b) Fostering a Demand led Approach to WfD (1.8); and(c) Strengthening Critical Coordination for WfD (2.3).The explanation for these ratings on the Policy Goalsand their implications follow below.

Figure 12. SABER WfD Ratings of the StrategicFramework Dimension

Note: See Figure 3 for an explanation of the scale on the horizontalaxis.Source: Based on analysis of the data collected using the SABER WfDquestionnaire.

Leaders play an important role in crystallizing astrategic vision for WfD appropriate to the country’sunique circumstances and opportunities. Their advocacyand commitment attract partnerships with stakeholdersfor the common good, build public support for keypriorities in WfD, and ensure that critical issues receivedue attention in policy dialogue. Taking these ideas intoaccount, Policy Goal 1 assesses the extent to whichapex level leaders in government and in the privatesector provide sustained advocacy for WfD prioritiesthrough institutionalized processes.

Moldova is rated at the Emerging (2.0) level on thisPolicy Goal, reflecting fragmented leadership from thegovernment and limited, ad hoc advocacy from thebusiness community and other non state actors, such asNGOs. Donors have traditionally played an importantrole in WfD policy dialogue in Moldova to the extentthat, according to many interviewed experts, dialoguewould come to an end when certain donors’ support

terminates. Advocacy for WfD benefits from theparticipation of different government agencies(including the Ministry of Education; Ministry of Labor,Social Protection and Family; Ministry of Economy; andthe National Agency for Labor Employment) and nongovernment actors (including various business unions,trade unions, Trade and Industry Chamber, andspecialized NGOs). The Ministry of Education hasrecently played an active role by developing a VETStrategy that was approved by the Moldovangovernment in 2013 (see Box 1). The Ministry ofEconomy is also willing to take a more prominent role inWfD dialogue, as shown with the signature in December2012 of the tripartite Partnership Memorandum withthe Ministry of Education and the Chamber of Tradeand Industry. The memorandum provides for a bettercoordination of partners’ policies and actions aimed atincreasing the relevance of VET in Moldova.



Source: VET Strategy.

Despite recent progress, there is need for strongerstrategic leadership to follow up on the WfD agendaand to ensure coordination among WfD stakeholders.The role of international donors in WfD strategicplanning has proven to be crucial in setting reforms, butunsuccessful in ensuring their ownership andsustainability. Examples of donor led initiatives in thepast decade include the development of occupationalstandards, started in 2006 2008 as part of the project“Establishment of Moldovan National System forOccupational Standards, Assessment and Certification,”and implemented with support from the SwissDevelopment Cooperation; a National Observatory forProfessional Education, created in 2004 with supportfrom the European Training Foundation; and asubsequent Concept for the Development ofProfessional Education, approved by the Moldovangovernment in 2004. The impact of many of these

30 Post secondary VET provides advanced job specific training to getprepared for careers in higher level technical, professional, and managerialpositions than secondary VET. Being more focused on specific occupationalskills, post secondary VET can be an attractive alternative to highereducation (with its strong academic and theoretical foundation) as suchprograms provide education with a “clear destination” to the labor market.In addition to job specific training, post secondary VET programs also usuallyequip students with general skills and theoretical vocational knowledge aspart of professional preparation.

initiatives has been quite limited and some wereabandoned: None of the standards developed in 20062008 was approved by the government, and theNational Observatory is no longer active.

Although WfD is a recurrent issue in the investmentclimate dialogue, no comprehensive strategy for WfDhas been designed as yet. The only relevant documentadopted recently is the VET Strategy, which wasapproved in early 2013, but its impact is yet to be seenas it is still subject to many political constraints (as itsuggests the optimization of school networks, always apolitically sensitive reform), and financial constraints(given the already high spending on education inMoldova and thus limited space for necessaryinvestments). The latter is likely to be alleviated, as theEuropean Union committed to financially support thestrategy’s implementation. The WfD policy dialogue issporadic, and deals more with sector specific andtechnical issues, rather than with strategic priorities. Asthe modern business culture is only in its embryonicstage, Moldovan companies concentrate on immediateand tangible constraints to their businesses (mainlyfiscal and regulatory), while paying little attention toworkforce development. Nonetheless, there are someexceptions to this general rule. For instance, theMoldovan Association of the ICT Companies has takenthe lead to advocate for stronger WfD in the ICT sectorin Moldova, as the Association believes that irrelevantand low quality training is the key constraint to thesector’s growth. 31 There was also an effectivecollaboration between public and private stakeholdersthat were involved in elaboration of six occupationalstandards (painter, stonemason bricklayer, smithconcreter, viticulturist, confectioner, and locksmithplumber).32 However, these exceptions are not yet ofsufficient scale to change the general WfD atmosphere.

Effective advocacy for WfD requires credibleassessments of the demand for skills, engagement ofemployers in shaping the country’s WfD agenda, andincentives for employers to support skills development.

31 Moldovan Association of the ICT Companies, 2009.32 Relevant standards are available at the website of the Ministry of Labor,Social Protection and Family, Ministry of Education of the Republic ofMoldova (Last accessed on March 7, 2014).http://mmpsf.gov.md/md/docum_int/.

Box 1. Key provisions of the VET Strategy of Moldova

On February 1, 2013, the government approved the Strategyfor the Development of Vocational and Technical Education(2013 2020), a far reaching strategy envisaging significantreform in the VET sector. According to the strategy, the VETsector will be restructured in a two tier system,encompassing secondary and post secondary levels.30 TheNational Qualifications Framework is going to be developedand approved by 2020. Among other actions envisaged bythe strategy, one of the most important is that of identifying10 VET institutions that will play the role of centers ofexcellence and will benefit from investments ininfrastructure and high technology equipment. Total fundingfor this action alone amounts to MDL 40 million (about US$3.3 million), to be disbursed annually between 2014 and2017. The strategy also envisages actions to improve thequality of teaching and to increase the attractiveness of VET.It includes provisions to entitle the Ministry of Education tocollect information from training providers and compileannual reports, which will ensure that implementation ofthese actions and the strategy itself are monitored on aconstant basis.



Policy Goal 2 incorporates these ideas and benchmarksthe system according to the extent to which policiesand institutional arrangements are in place to: (i)establish clarity on the demand for skills and areas ofcritical constraint; and (ii) engage employers in settingWfD priorities and in enhancing skills upgrading forworkers.

Moldova is rated at the Emerging (1.8) level for PolicyGoal 2. The country has taken some positive, albeitmodest, steps by occasionally conducting assessmentsof national economic prospects and skills implications.The formal assessment of the country's economicprospects (as part of the Moldova 2020 NationalDevelopment Strategy) does not include a chapter onthe specific implications of economic trends for skills.The Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Familyconducts annual staff needs assessments, but this has asevere limitation as it only covers the public sector, andthus lacks relevance for the broader labor market. Withfinancial and technical support from many donors (in2013, from the Swedish Ministry of Justice and PublicEmployment Agency, as well as the EuropeanCommission), the National Agency for LaborEmployment (NALE) has annually compiled “TheProfessions Barometer,” which shows employmenttrends and specifies which professions offer highchances of employment, which are “in balance,” andwhich are on the downside. In 2012, NALE’s Barometerwas based on a representative survey of 3,326employers covering various economic sectors. At thesame time, studies often fail to take into accountsignificant investments and policy decisions that haveimplications on the skills demanded: For instance,Moldova’s large scale roads rehabilitation projects arecurrently facing constraints due to shortages of laborthat have not been accounted for or measured properlyin any study.

Although some deeper skills needs assessments havebeen recently conducted, these are done on anoccasional basis (such is the case of the 2013employers’ survey by the National Confederation ofEmployers of Moldova that covered key economicsectors33). Usually, however, skills needs assessments

33 It showed that 46 percent of companies encounter difficulties on afrequent or systematic basis when hiring staff with the desired competenciesand skills. This affects, first and foremost, agriculture, industry,transportation, and construction (57.4 percent); large companies (58.3

cover a limited set of industries and rely heavily ondonor support. For instance, since 2011 the ICT sectorhas developed several reports to assess critical skillsconstraints.34 Additionally, an assessment of the skillsconstraints in the food industry was commissioned bythe European Training Foundation in 2013. Othersectors have been less proactive.

Although employers have a role in defining WfDpriorities, it is marginal and mostly ad hoc. Severalrepresentatives of employers and industry are part ofthe Advisory Council of the Republican Center for theDevelopment of Professional Education, but employers’participation in the Center's activities has been quitelimited. It is often heard that “partners for dialogue aremissing.” In this sense, it is important for the Ministry ofEducation to continue building a strategic dialogue withindustries (including in the framework set forth by thetripartite memorandum with the Chamber ofCommerce and Ministry of Education, and throughcreating a permanent consultative/working group withbusiness representatives). Employers have beenengaged in limited initiatives, such as the developmentof national occupational standards. Not only theprogress of this initiative has been slow only somestandards have been approved so far, but theinstitutional framework of this process is still unstable.Standards must be developed by sector levelcommittees, but only five committees have beencreated so far (see Box 2).

Incentives for companies to train their workforce areweak. The employers’ survey of the NCEM showed thatwhile over 46 percent of enterprises face a constraint inthe form of a skills shortage, the majority of companies(57 percent) do not allocate resources for training. Infact, the policy regarding the tax deductibility oftraining related expenses is highly demotivating. Inorder to deduct the training related expenses, theemployers have to prove to the tax inspection thatthese are “ordinary and necessary,” which gives roomfor arbitrary interpretations and discretion. The Labor

percent compared to 40.2 percent of microenterprises), in particular thoselocated in the capital (52.2 percent).34 See O’Sullivan and others, 2012. Relevant skills reports include a set ofmeasures proposed to redress the human resource shortage, such as annualreview of university ICT curricula with employers’ participation, introductionof typing courses in secondary education, tax deductions for trainings, anddonations of equipment.



Code (article 213) sets out, in a rather implicit form, theobligation for the employer to allocate at least 2percent of the wage bill for training. This action must bepreceded by a formal commitment included in thecollective labor contract, which does not exist in everyfirm.

Box 2. Sector level committees for professional training inMoldova

In 2011, the Moldovan government adopted Decision No.952 regarding the development of occupational standardsfor work trades. The Decision empowers the NationalCommission for Collective Negotiations and Consultations(composed of representatives of the government, tradeunions, and employers) to create sector level committees todevelop and re examine existing occupational standards.According to the government approved methodology, thedevelopment of occupational standards should begin withan occupational analysis undertaken jointly by 11 to 15sector economic agents (representatives of firms, businessassociations, and so on). Another working group composedof three to five members is then set up to draft theoccupational standard according to an approved template.Then a Control and Validation Commission verifies theresults of the analysis undertaken and validates theproposed occupational standard. The Decision reads thatoccupational standards are valid for a period of two to fouryears. So far, only five sector level committees have beencreated (in the construction sector, agriculture and foodindustry, ICT, transport, domestic trade), and sixoccupational standards have been approved by the jointorder of the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Labor,Social Protection and Family (painter,stonemason/bricklayer, smith/concreter, confectioner,viticulturist, and locksmith plumber). According to thestrategy for development of professional education, one ofthe key problems in this process is the lack of capacity at thesector level and unwillingness of industries to invest time,human, and financial resources in development ofstandards. The VET Strategy envisages creation of a totalnumber of 12 sector level committees.

Source: Resolution of the Government No. 952 of December 16, 2011: “Onthe procedure for the development of occupational standards for workers”;interviewed experts (see list of informants available in References section).

Ensuring that the efforts of multiple stakeholdersinvolved in WfD are aligned with the country’s keysocioeconomic priorities is an important goal ofstrategic coordination. Such coordination typicallyrequires leadership at a sufficiently high level toovercome barriers to cross sector or cross ministerialcooperation. Policy Goal 3 examines the extent to whichpolicies and institutional arrangements are in place toformalize roles and responsibilities for coordinatedaction on strategic priorities.

The Republic of Moldova is rated at the Emerging (2.3)level for Policy Goal 3. Legislation and agreementsamongst stakeholders to promote coordination exist.Regulations and bureaucratic practices allow allministries and relevant agencies to comment onimportant WfD initiatives. A degree of coordination isensured by the State Chancellery and, a more strategiclevel, by the Inter ministerial Committee for StrategicPlanning. Coordination, however, faces challenges asseveral institutions have WfD related mandates thatoverlap in a few areas. For instance, some postsecondary professional education institutions arefounded by line ministries, but are regulated in manyaspects by the Ministry of Education.

Necessary legislation and regulations are in place toensure that non government stakeholders can expresstheir views regarding WfD policies. Trade unions andbusiness associations are part of various consultativebodies, such as the tripartite Commission for CollectiveNegotiations and Consultations (which includes thegovernment represented by the Deputy Prime Minister,the National Confederation of the Employers, and theNational Confederation of Trade Unions), the NationalParticipatory Council (which includes more than 30leading NGOs, associations, and unions), and theConsultative Group created by the Ministry of Economy(which includes academics, lawyers, independenteconomists, think tanks, and others). All of these bodiesare authorized to initiate the discussions with thegovernment on WfD related issues.

Despite numerous committees and workshops havingbeen convened, efforts at strategic coordination faceimplementation issues and rarely lead to meaningful



progress. There are several explanations for thissituation. First, employers and unions, while entitled tohave a vocal presence in WfD policy dialogue (as part ofthe tripartite Collective Negotiations Commission), donot seem to exercise this right actively. Second, somekey institutions exist only on paper. This is the case, forinstance, of the National Coordination Council for theSecondary Professional Education, created in 2006 butnever made functional. Third, the responsibility ofcreating sector level committees to serve as platformsfor WfD dialogue has been assigned to the Commissionfor Collective Negotiations and Consultations. Beingconsultative by nature, this Commission does notpossess the power of an executive body, which hasresulted in the enactment of only two sector levelcommittees so far.

Implications of the FindingsAs shown from the results exposed above, the efforts toalign WfD to the key economic and social priorities inMoldova are only in the emerging phase. Systematicimprovements are necessary across many aspects andelements:

A stronger and more high level leadership (forexample, at the level of Prime Minister) would beimportant to align WfD policies with the country’ssocio economic goals, enhance the WfD nationaldialogue, and encourage the industry and the publicauthorities to commit the additional resources andtime that the dialogue requires. Government andnon government WfD champions in Moldova need todepart from the ad hoc, unstructured dialogue and toexercise more sustained and well structured advocacyfor WfD; this dialogue has to rely on institutionalizedprocesses to collaborate on well integratedinterventions to advance an economy wide WfDpolicy agenda. A more effective institutional setup isnecessary to make the sector level committeesfunctional and sustainable. One option to considerwould be to entitle an executive arm of thegovernment (for instance, the Ministry of Labor,Social Protection and Family or the Ministry ofEconomy) to set up these committees and supporttheir work.While the country benefited from many national andsector level development strategies, these policydocuments were rarely accompanied by robust

assessments of the economic prospects and theirimplications for skills demanded on the labor market.Very few well designed assessments have been done(like that for the ICT industry), and it is necessary forthis approach to be widely embraced by allstakeholders. Policies should be formulated on thebasis of well informed analyses, includingassessments by independent organizations.Implementation of approved policies and strategies(including the VET Development Strategy) should beroutinely reviewed and updated with inputs fromrelevant stakeholders to allow for necessaryadjustments and improvements.The government should design a range of incentivesfor skills upgrading for all employers and considerrevising the restrictive fiscal regulations, whichundermine incentives to train the workforce. The firststep has already been made. The amendments to theTax Code (article 19) introduced in December 2013envisage that costs incurred by the employer forprofessional education of workers will be exemptedfrom the taxes as defined (in a manner prescribed bythe government–and its implementation is yet to beseen).



5. Governing the System for WorkforceDevelopmentAn important function of WfD authorities is to fosterefficient and equitable funding of investments inworkforce development, to facilitate effective skillsacquisition by individuals and to enable employers tomeet their demand for skilled workers in a timelymanner. The objective is to minimize systemicimpediments to skills acquisition and mismatches inskills supply and demand. This chapter begins with abrief description of how the WfD system is organizedand governed before presenting the detailed SABERWfD findings on System Oversight and their policyimplications.

Overall institutional landscapeThe WfD system in Moldova is governed by severalinstitutions. The Ministry of Education plays a key roleas it is responsible for organizing the process of formalprofessional education, establishing partnerships withother authorities and private sector to ensure insertionof the graduates on the labor market, and participatingin defining and distributing quotas for admissions inprivate and public institutions.

Another key agency is the Ministry of Labor, SocialProtection and Family, which defines state policies inthe area of workforce development and vocationalorientation, and leads the national strategy for laboremployment. The National Agency for LaborEmployment, subordinated to this ministry, isresponsible for training and providing professionalcounseling to the unemployed. The Agency is alsoresponsible for implementing training related ActiveLabor Market Policies (ALMPs): Its professional programfor the year 2013 was implemented in partnership with16 private and public training institutions. It is offeredfree of charge to registered unemployed individuals.

Other line ministries also play an important role in WfDthrough leading and administering education andtraining institutions—mainly colleges. This is the case ofthe Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, theMinistry of Culture, and the Ministry of Health, whichhave direct influence in skills development in thesectors for which they are responsible.

Institutional mandates are generally properly defined.Occasional overlaps may arise from the fact that somepost secondary professional education institutionscreated by the line ministries, which authorize hiring ofthe heads of all public training providers, and approveeducation and training programs of training providerssubordinated to respective line ministries.

The Ministry of Finance also plays a distinct role withinthe WfD system, as it develops spending norms, and is adecisive force in elaborating wage policies and capitalinvestments (approved by national legislation, includingthe yearly state budget law for capital investments).Funding for WfD reflects the wider budgetaryconstraints (by international standards, Moldova spendsa high share of its GDP on education at 8.4 percent in2012),35 and policy traditions. Indeed, while virtually allOECD countries have embraced performance orientedmanagement in education since the 1980s, Moldovasimilarly to most ECA countries continues to usemanagement practices that focus on compliance withdetailed regulations and financing schemes based oninputs, not outputs. The system is inflexible and doesnot respond either to labor market needs or changes instudent numbers.36 Due to the oversized vocationalschools network in Moldova, a significant proportion ofresources is inefficiently spent. While a typical publicinstitution in this educational level has a capacity of500 600 students, the actual number of students is only300 on average per institution.37 This leads to relativelyhigh per student costs in the professional education:MDL 16,800 in 2011, compared to MDL 15,000 in postsecondary education and MDL 20,100 in tertiaryeducation.38 The public budget is the key source offunding for IVET, though there are several privatetraining providers. There is a strictly defined annualbudget cycle and budgetary procedures to which everypolicy authority must abide. Allocations, other thanmeals and wages, are determined based on historicaltrends.

35 NBS, 2013.36 See: World Bank. 2012. Skills, Not Just Diplomas: Managing Education forResults in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Washington, D.C.At the same time, since 2013, primary and secondary schools in Moldova arefunded based on per student financing formula.37 Government of Republic of Moldova, Decision No. 97 of February 1, 2013on “Approval of the Strategy for Development of the Vocational andTechnical Education for the period of 2013 2020.”38 Average exchange rate in 2011 was 11.74 MDL / USD.



SABER WfD Ratings on System OversightThe SABER WfD framework identifies three pertinentPolicy Goals corresponding to oversight mechanisms forinfluencing the choices of individuals, training providersand employers: (i) ensuring efficiency and equity infunding; (ii) assuring relevant and reliable standards;and (iii) diversifying pathways for skills acquisition.

Based on data collected by the SABER WfDquestionnaire, Moldova receives an overall rating of 1.5,or Latent level, for system oversight (see Figure 13).This is the lowest rating compared to the other twofunctional pillars. This score is the average of the ratingsfor the underlying Policy Goals: ensuring efficiency andequity of funding (1.4); assuring relevant and reliablestandards (1.5); and diversifying pathways for skillsacquisition (1.5). The explanation for these ratings andtheir implications follow below.

Figure 13. SABER WfD Ratings of the SystemOversight Dimension

Note: See Figure 3 for an explanation of the scale on the horizontal axis.Source: Based on analysis of the data collected using the SABER WfDquestionnaire.

WfD requires a significant investment of resources bythe government, households, and employers. To ensurethat these resources are effectively used it is importantto examine the extent to which policies and institutionalarrangements are in place to: (i) ensure stable fundingfor effective programs in initial, continuing, andtargeted VET; (ii) monitor and assess equity in funding;and (iii) foster partnerships with employers for fundingWfD.

The Republic of Moldova is rated at the Latent (1.4)level on Policy Goal 4. The rating reflects systemicweaknesses with respect to procedures for allocatingfunding and monitoring its effect on equity, as well aslack of performance based funding. At the same time,social scholarships (“stipends”) are provided to studentsin need or disadvantaged students including thedisabled.39

Initial vocational education and training (IVET): Thepublic budget is the main source of funding for IVET,both at the secondary and post secondary level, eventhough training providers are also entitled to non publicsources, including tuition fees. Routine budgetingprocedures for WfD funding are in place; spendingnorms are approved by the government and fundingdecisions consider input of government officials only.Besides spending regulations, funding decisions aremade based on historical trends as there are no formalcriteria to allocate funds based on the number ofstudents trained and it does not have any linkages toperformance of vocational schools. Student support ismostly provided through scholarships, which aretransferred to training providers and then paid tostudents. There are no other financial supportmechanisms in place such as governmental grants,loans, or vouchers (for students in need, fromdisadvantaged or marginalized groups, includingpersons with disabilities). Currently the entire system offunding WfD institutions and programs is beingreviewed by the Ministry of Education. Among themeasures envisaged by the VET Strategy to improveefficiency and equity in funding allocations, two are ofkey importance: a) creating a clear two tier vocationaleducation system by 2017 (secondary and postsecondary with relevant reflection of its costs in theper student based financing mechanism) and optimizingthe school network; and b) reforming the fundingsystem, so that by 2017 all vocational/technicalinstitutions are funded based on enrollment, taking intoaccount school performance and equity considerations.

Continuing vocational education and training (CVET):Publically funded CVET is limited only to professionaldevelopment of staff from some publicly providedservices (like education, health, or general publicadministration sectors). No programs to foster on the

39 Government Resolution No. 1009 of 01.09.2006.



job training for small and medium enterprises (SMEs)are in place. There are some state programs financiallysupporting business development, including throughtraining of entrepreneurial skills for SME managers, butnot for core employees. This is largely a result of theabsence of a clearly defined ministry or agencyresponsible for CVET at the national level. Given thissituation, CVET in Moldova is sector specific anddetermined by the agenda of each ministry and theirrespective training institutions. For example, theMinistry of Education is responsible for continuoustraining of teaching staff only. Individual ministriesunder the leadership of the Ministry of Finance identifycurrent and capital investments in the subordinatedCVET institutions, which also have to be approved in thestate budget. Private CVET institutions exist in somepublic and private enterprises, which do not benefitdirectly from publically funded CVET programs. Nonational report on CVET is produced by any nationalentity.

Training related Active Labor Market Programs(ALMPs): the professional training program of theNational Agency for Labor Employment (NALE) is theonly training related ALMP implemented by theMoldovan Government. Funding for this programconsists mainly of budget allocations to trainingproviders, determined through a formal process thatinvolves NALE; the Ministry of Labor, Social Protectionand Family; and 16 public and private training providersthat are recruited annually through a competitiveprocess. NALE produces public annual reports thatinclude data on graduates’ profiles and employment.According to the report for 2012, the main beneficiariesof ALMPs include youth (73 percent), women (73.2percent), and rural populations (54.9 percent). NALEalso works with particularly vulnerable social segments,such as former inmates (207 former inmates registeredwith NALE, including eight persons graduating fromtraining courses).40 NALE has assessed the impact ofALMPs (internally; no public report is available) and hasused findings to adjust the programs—for example,introducing a monthly stipend as a new form of supportfor trainees. Program options are limited and there is no

40 National Agency for Labor Employment, “Activity Report for 2012,” 2013availableathttp://anofm.md/files/elfinder/Docs/rapoarte/Raport%20anofm%202013.pdf.

systematic evaluation of the impact of the program’sfunding on vulnerable groups.

In general, the flexibility of funding for IVET and CVET isvery limited. Salaries of staff are regulated by thelegislation, and capital investments are approved by thestate budget law based on very strict norms and rules.There is a lack of active measures to facilitatepartnerships between the training providers andemployers and no formal arrangements to supportthem are in place. Small partnerships are nonethelessbeing established by individual training providers.Governmental facilitation could and should play animportant role in fostering the development of suchrelationships (see Box 3).

Box 3. Example of partnerships between trainingprovides and employersVocational School No. 8 from Chisinau hasestablished partnerships with a dozen companiesfrom the textile and footwear industries to providerelevant training. The main goal of the agreements isfor the school to train future employees according toa more relevant program in order to increase theirchances of immediate employability in privatecompanies. As part of one of these agreements, theprivate company provides stipends of maximum MDL500 (US$ 39) to the students willing to work for atleast 1.5 years for the respective company. Thesepartnerships and support from donors have allowedthe school to buy 20 new sewing machines and 30industrial irons.

Source: Ilie Paduret, head of Vocational School No. 8.

The WfD system comprises a wide range of trainingproviders offering courses at various levels in diversefields. An effective system of standards andaccreditation enables students to document what theyhave learned and employers to identify workers withthe relevant skills. For Policy Goal 5 it is thereforeimportant to assess the status of policies andinstitutions to: (i) set reliable competency standards; (ii)assure the credibility of skills testing and certification;



and (iii) develop and enforce accreditation standards formaintaining the quality of training provision.

The Republic of Moldova scores at the Latent (1.5) levelfor development for this Policy Goal. Since 2010 thecountry has been in the process of introducing aNational Qualifications Framework (NQF) and putting inplace the necessary institutional infrastructure foraligning curricula, testing procedures, and standards foraccreditation and licensing with this framework. Thedevelopment of curriculum for the followingoccupations has started: painter, stonemason/bricklayer, smith/concreter and confectioner based onapproved occupational standards. However, the scoresuggests that the adjustment of curricula and testingprocedures could be paced in better coordination withthe development of occupational standards, and thatmeasures to ensure quality of training providers andprograms could be improved.

The development of the NQF and related activities aresupported by the European Training Foundation. InFebruary 2013, a concept document for the NQF wasdeveloped jointly by representatives of the Ministry ofEducation and the Ministry of Labor, Social Protectionand Family, functional sector level committees,teachers and school directors, and independent experts.The NQF will cover all occupations of secondary andpost secondary education and a wide range of skillsfrom semi skilled to professional level. According to theStrategy for Development of Vocational/TechnicalEducation for 2013 2020, the NQF should be approvedby 2020.

Competency standards for six occupations alreadydeveloped (confectioner, locksmith plumber, painter,viticulturist, stonemason/bricklayer and smith/concreter) have benefited from input from numerousstakeholders, particularly the Professional CapacityBuilding Institute that provided methodological supportand guidance for the development of the standards,and employers, who have contributed both to theirdevelopment and validation. Development of thesestandards was possible due to active and directinvolvement of multiple stakeholders (including trainingproviders, industry associations, labor unions, andgovernment agencies) as part of Sector levelCommittees in place. Their participation covered threekey activities: assessing the occupation, drafting the

standard, and validating it. As competency standardswere approved in early 2013, training providers havenot yet aligned their curricula to these standards, andno competency based testing is used to certifyqualifications. Some sector experts assert that adaptingcurricula will be much more daunting compared to thedevelopment of the occupational standards themselves.

Certificates issued by Moldovan secondary schools,qualification certificates of vocational schools, andqualification diplomas issued by colleges are formallyrecognized by public and private employers. To getqualification certificates, students are tested based on amix of both theoretical and practical exams. However,the appraisal of the certificates depends largely on theemployer. Some employers may not trust thecertificates, particularly when issued by schools knownfor using outdated equipment and technologicalstandards. In fact, many employers complain that theygenerally need to retrain young specialists, even whenthey have professional certificates. This is why, in manycases, the graduation certificates are of little value forits holder. The national VET Strategy recognizes skillstesting as a key problem that will be tackled in themedium term.

Relevance and quality of VET is also undermined by amore fundamental issue: the lack of Quality AssuranceAgency for Vocational Education for a long time (itscreation was adopted in October 201341). Although the1997 Law on Evaluation and Accreditation of EducationInstitutions42 determined that all training providers andprograms were subject to accreditation procedures, itwas only until 2008 that an Accreditation Agency wasenacted by governmental decision. Due to a lack ofeducation quality standards, this agency did notfunction and no training provider has been formallyaccredited in the last five years. In order to address thisissue, the Ministry of Education drafted amendments tothe Education Law and included provisions in the VETstrategy to create a Quality Assurance Agency.

41 Law No. 239 of October 18, 2013 on amendments to the Education Law of1995.42 Law No. 1257 of 16/07/1997.



In dynamic economic environments, workers need toacquire new skills and competencies as well as keeptheir skills up to date throughout their working lives.They are best served by a system of initial andcontinuing education and training that promoteslifelong learning by offering clear and flexible pathwaysfor transfers across courses, progression to higher levelsof training and access to programs in other fields. Forthose already in the workforce, schemes for recognitionof prior learning are essential to allow individuals toefficiently upgrade their skills and learn new ones.Policy Goal 6 therefore evaluates the extent to whichpolicies and institutions are in place to: (i) enableprogression through multiple learning pathways,including for students in TVET streams; (ii) facilitate therecognition of prior learning; and (iii) provide targetedsupport services, particularly among the disadvantaged.

As in the case of the two previous policy goals, Moldovascores very poorly for Policy Goal 6: with only 1.5, thecountry ranks at a Latent level. While pathways andrecognition of prior learning are stated priorities of thegovernment, the current system has not effectivelyaddressed obstacles to lifelong learning such asarticulation of certifications, recognition of informallyacquired skills, and access to career guidance services.

From the perspective of learning pathways, Moldovaoffers a somewhat varied set of opportunities forstudents in vocationally oriented programs (see Figure11). Graduates of vocational schools with qualificationcertificates can enroll in colleges or in 12th grade oflyceum (which then allows them to pursue furtherstudies in universities). Pathways seem to be morerestricted to those graduating from secondary leveltrade schools, which do not have the opportunity toenroll in colleges but only can exit to the labor market.

Students can acquire formal qualifications recognizedby the Ministry of Education in any of the traininginstitutions managed by other line ministries (see someexamples in Box 4). Currently, there are eight collegesunder the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry,five colleges under the Ministry of Culture, and fivecolleges under the Ministry of Health. Diplomas frompost secondary programs give rights to progress tomost university programs. In 2011, as many as 7,166

students graduated from Moldovan colleges. The sameyear, 2,121 graduates of the colleges (most likelyincluding some graduating in previous years)matriculated to universities (representing 10 percent oftotal admissions in 2011). Applicants whosespecialization at the post secondary level matched withthe university study program they want to continuepursuing are offered privileges and preferences when itcomes to inclusion in the education programs. Forinstance, those graduating from the Polytechnic Collegeare privileged by the Technical University; thosegraduating from the Financial Banking College receiveprivileges from the Academy for Economic Studies.These privileges are determined by universities' ownregulations. However, no credits are grantednationwide: the credit system is under piloting by 13Moldovan colleges to be further implemented in allinstitutions as of September 2014.

Despite the varied opportunities for progression, thepublic perception of secondary professional educationis negative. From the Moldovan social perspective,trade schools and professional schools are seen asoptions for the “failing ones.” The VET Strategy has set apriority to address this perception. Pathways are alsorestricted by the limited attention given to adultlearning and recognition of prior learning. The Conceptfor Validation of Non Formal and Informal Learning wasapproved by the Collegium of the Ministry of Education.The draft methodology for recognition and certificationof non formal and informal learning is underdevelopment. Career development services areunderdeveloped and concentrated mainly under someministries that target staff employed in the publicsector. Most of these services are stand alone units,rather than part of a regional or national network.There is no coherent government level policy foroccupational and career development. Policies aredefined and reviewed at the sector level, by individualministries, often based on obsolete standards andopaque rules.



Box 4. Examples of qualifications awarded by nonEducation ministries recognized by Ministry of EducationNurse. Qualification is offered by colleges subordinatedto Ministry of Health and recognized, for instance, byMoldovan State University, Department of Biology.Bookkeeper and accountant. This qualification is offeredby several colleges subordinated to Ministry ofAgriculture, and recognized, for example, by relevantdepartments of the Academy of Economic Studies andState University of Moldova, both subordinated to theMinistry of Education.Food industry technologist. This qualification is offeredby a college subordinated to Ministry of Agriculture, andrecognized, for example, by Technical University ofMoldova, Food Technology Department.Fine Arts Teacher. This is a qualification offered bycolleges subordinated to Ministry of Culture andrecognized for admission to the Moldovan PedagogicalUniversity.Technician. This qualification is offered by severalcolleges subordinated to Ministry of Agriculture, and isrecognized by Technical University of Moldova, FoodTechnology Department.

Source: Expert interviews (see list of informants available in Referencessection).

Implications of the FindingsMoldova’s scores for System Oversight are the weakestamong the three dimensions. Systemic failuresnegatively affecting the oversight of the WfD systemshould be addressed with meaningful interventions:

It is important to shift from the “mechanical”approach of approving the budget for WfD based onhistorical spending to a system in which funding isattached to enrollment, performance, andeffectiveness of training programs. In this regard,CVET brings the biggest challenges, as trainingprovision is currently fragmented among differentministries and authorities. Funding allocated for CVET(including on the job training for SMEs) should rely onformal processes with input from key stakeholdersand timely annual reporting. A program stimulatingon the job training for SMEs should be adopted inaddition to the existing programs of this naturetargeted to selected public sector employees. As tothe training related ALMPs implemented by theNational Agency for Labor Employment, they shouldalso be consistently reviewed for impact, and results

of the review should be published and used to informprogram adjustments and funding.

Government could provide more institutional andfinancial support to ensure that all key stakeholdersengage in policy dialogue on occupational standardsand the NQF through institutionalized processes. Thisaspect is critical, considering that so far competencystandards have been developed for six occupationsonly.

A more astute system of controls and random auditsis necessary in order to foster public confidence inqualification certificates/qualification diplomas issuedby the vocational training providers. Of immediatepriority is enactment of an accreditation entity todefine accreditation standards and supervise trainingproviders.

Limited attention to prior learning has led tosuboptimal social and economic outcomes,particularly considering the high number of labormigrants returning to Moldova with skills andknowledge acquired informally that are not beingrecognized or valued. The Concept for Non Formaland Informal Education established in 2012 needs tobe further developed and transformed into a properstrategy that allows recognition of prior learning.

The general negative perception of VET should betackled through a set of coherent government actionson multiple fronts. Measures should include furtherdiversifying learning pathways, improving programquality and relevance, and continuing disseminatinggood results from well performing schools into themedia.



6. Managing Service Delivery for Results onthe GroundTraining providers, both non state and government, arethe main channels through which the country’s policiesin WfD are translated into results on the ground. Thischapter therefore provides a brief overview of thecomposition of providers and the types of servicesavailable in the system before presenting the detailedSABER WfD findings on Service Delivery and their policyimplications.

Overview of the Delivery of TrainingServicesThe IVET system is composed, at its secondary level, of67 vocational schools (21 trade schools and 46professional schools), down from 75 units in the year2008/2009. The number of students went from 24,300in the academic year 2008/09 down to 19,600 in2012/13, with the number of pedagogical staff decliningfrom 2,344 (10.4 students per teacher) to 2,171teachers (nine students per teacher) over the sameperiod. According to the VET Strategy, because of thedeclining number of students, existing infrastructure isused only at 50 percent of its capacity. Theinfrastructure is in many cases dilapidated and most ofthe schools are using outdated teaching equipment andtechnologies. As stated in the VET Strategy, most of theteaching staff has never had any experience in realproduction or industry and has not participated in anyprofessional development activities in the last 10 years.The average age of instructors is 52 years, whichrepresents a serious concern when it comes tocontinuity of training in the long term.

At the post secondary level, there are 45 trainingproviders (colleges), including four private entities.43 Asin the case of vocational schools, the number of collegestudents has been on a decline recently, from 32,700 in2008/09 to 30,700 in 2012/13, while the number ofteaching staff followed an opposite trend, going from2,438 to 2,551 over the same period, bringing thestudent teacher ratio down from 13.4 to 12. At thesame time, since 2012 admission to pedagogicspecialties had been suspended in three pedagogic

43 National Bureau of Statistics data as of 01.10.2013.

colleges. 44 The quality of infrastructure in collegesseems to be better compared to vocational schools, andthe professional background of instructors is moreadvanced. Quality management structures are expectedto be established in colleges as of September 1, 2014.

For the CVET education, there are no integratedstatistical data. The network of institutions providingCVET is composed of several public institutionssubordinated to ministries or other central authorities,such as the Institute for Educational Science, the PublicHealth Management School, or the PublicAdministration Academy. They attract most of thepublic funding. CVET is also provided by a vast array ofsmall private training providers—200 entities isprobably a conservative estimate—that offer adulttraining services.45

The Professional Training Program, implemented byNALE, is the only existing training related ALMP inMoldova. In 2012, this program was implemented inpartnership with 16 public and private trainingproviders and, according to NALE’s annual report,produced 2,485 graduates—up 11 percent compared to2011. About 73 percent of the program’s beneficiarieswere women, 75 percent youth (aged between 16 and29 years old), and more than half resided in rural areas.The courses with highest enrollments were cooking(21.2 percent), hairdressing (19.4 percent), andcomputer operator (7.4 percent). According to theinterviewed representative of NALE, about 70 percentof the graduates of the professional training programfind employment.

SABER WfD Ratings on Service DeliveryThe Policy Goals for this Dimension in the SABER WfDframework focus on the following three aspects ofservice delivery: (i) enabling diversity and excellence intraining provision; (ii) fostering relevance in publictraining programs; and (iii) enhancing evidence basedaccountability for results. The ratings for these threePolicy Goals are presented below and are followed by areflection on their implications for policy dialogue.

44 Pedagogic College “A. Mateevici” in Chisinau, Pedagogic College “I.Creanga” in Balti and Industrial Pedagogic College in Cahul.45 Again, no reliable data is available.



Based on data collected by the SABER WfDquestionnaire, the Republic of Moldova receives anoverall rating of 1.9, which places the country at anEmerging level for the Service Delivery Dimension (seeFigure 14). This score is the average of the ratings forthe underlying Policy Goals: (i) enabling diversity andexcellence in training provision (2.4); (ii) fosteringrelevance in public training programs (1.7); and (iii)enhancing evidence based accountability for results(1.7). The explanation for these ratings and theirimplications follow below.

Figure 14. SABER WfD Ratings of the Service DeliveryDimension

Note: See Figure 3 for an explanation of the scale on the horizontal axis.Source: Based on analysis of the data collected using the SABER WfDquestionnaire.

Because the demand for skills is impossible to predictwith precision, having a diversity of providers is afeature of strong WfD systems. Among non stateproviders the challenge is to temper the profit motiveor other program agendas with appropriate regulationto assure quality and relevance. Among state providers,a key concern is their responsiveness to the demand forskills from employers and students. Striking the rightbalance between institutional autonomy andaccountability is one approach to address this concern.Policy Goal 7 takes these ideas into account andbenchmarks the system according to the extent towhich policies and institutional arrangements are inplace to: (i) encourage and regulate non state provisionof training and (ii) foster excellence in public trainingprovision by combining incentives and autonomy in themanagement of public institutions.

Moldova is rated at an Emerging (2.4) level for PolicyGoal 7. A diversity of non state providers is active in thetraining market despite few government incentives toencourage non state provision. While most of these

providers are registered, the licensing policy isinconsistent: in the recent 5 years no new licenses havebeen issued for training providers at the IVET level asthere is no institution mandated to issue the licenses,and licensing for training providers at the CVET levelwas abolished). Some administrative and economicmeasures are in place for quality assurance: forinstance, all providers of training are required topresent an annual report to the Ministry of Education,and there are minimum capital requirements of MDL500,000 for secondary training providers and MDL 1million for post secondary training providers. Withregard to public training provision, the governmentgrants considerable autonomy to institutions, butneither requires them to meet explicit outcome targets,nor provides financial or non financial incentives forperformance.

On the positive side, Moldova is home to a relativelywide diversity of training providers, both public andprivate. Most private providers offer adult trainingservices and can issue government recognizedcertificates. Relatively few operate at the IVET level: Outof 47 colleges, six are private, and out of 67 vocationalschools, two are private. At the CVET level, privateproviders are more prominent, and a few of them alsocollaborate actively with NALE to provide training withinthe agency’s ALMP (four out of the 16 training providersimplementing the NALE training program in 2013 wereprivate). There are also several foreign companiesoffering training, particularly in foreign languages.Public schools are entitled to generate and withholdincome, including from teaching and non teachingactivities, even though a formal approval from theMinistry of Education (or line ministry) is necessary.These revenues may come from the provision ofcontinuous training services, sale of articles producedby students, lease of facilities and equipment,donations and grants of donors and companies.

There are also some less positive facts dragging downMoldova’s efforts to foster diversity and excellence oftraining services. No system or performance indicatorsare in place to properly evaluate the quality of trainingoffered. Even though some VET institutions declare thatsome performance indicators exist, there is no evidencethat these indicators are collected systematically orused to assess performance. The only indicator thatseems to be collected is related to student enrollment.



Although institutions face consequences/closure due topoor performance (two trade schools and threeprofessional schools were reorganized in 2010, andthree vocational schools were reorganized in 2012),there are no effective mechanisms to reward highperforming institutions except for good “word ofmouth” reviews by students and teachers.

There are no proper bodies to supervise the executivemanagement of schools: Existing AdministrativeCouncils and Teachers Councils are bodies for collegialdecisions regarding operational activity rather than formanagement supervision; they include onlyrepresentatives of teaching, non teaching, andadministrative staff, but are not open for employers,representatives of trade unions, local government, etc.There are no mechanisms to address complaintsregarding school management, and in the best casesthey are only formal, and not generally used, or theyare ad hoc. Independent associations of trainingproviders do not exist; some existing associations areinformally subordinated to the Ministry of Educationand include only public training providers.46

The process for approving and closing programs is adhoc and the rationale behind these decisions is notalways clear. Market demand and availability of fundingshould be the two important factors considered whenintroducing new programs. Good examples in this senseexist. The “Exercise Firm” is an example of a new coursethat has been introduced to increase the relevance ofthe training offered by VET schools. Exercise firms areestablished in four vocational schools and 14 colleges. Ahub coordinating activity of exercise firms created byMoldovan trade and professional schools has beenestablished and is functioning actively. It is important tonote that introduction of the course was partly possibledue to financial support provided by the AustrianDevelopment Agency as part of the EcoNet project.

Programs should be closed or adjusted when a labormarket analysis shows there is little demand or that theprogram has become irrelevant due to technologicalchanges. For instance, two programs have been closedrecently due to declining demand – “radio mechanic

46 For example, there is a Council of College Directors and a Council ofVocational and Trade Schools Directors (which also have substructures in theNorth, Center, and South regions). There is no distinct association of theprivate training providers.

maintenance and repair of radios and televisions” and“auto greder operator.”

Public training institutions need reliable information oncurrent and emerging skills demands in order to keeptheir program offerings relevant to labor marketconditions. It is therefore desirable for public traininginstitutions to establish and maintain relationships withemployers, industry associations, and researchinstitutions. Such partners are a source of bothinformation about skills competencies and expertiseand advice on curriculum design and technicalspecifications for training facilities and equipment. Theycan also help create opportunities for workplacetraining for students and continuing professionaldevelopment for instructors and administrators. PolicyGoal 8 considers the extent to which arrangements arein place for public training providers to: (i) benefit fromindustry and expert input in the design of programs and(ii) recruit administrators and instructors with relevantqualifications and support their professionaldevelopment.

Moldova is evaluated on the high end of the Latent(1.7) level of development for Policy Goal 8. Informaland sporadic links exist between public traininginstitutions and industry, with limited involvement ofindustry in curriculum design and the specification ofstandards for training facilities.

Agricultural colleges seem to be more exposed toindustries than others, due to the fact that they oftencombine economic activity with teaching. In most cases,formal links are limited only to the provision ofinternship opportunities by companies. Participating inan internship is compulsory for all trainees; offering aninternship opportunity is compulsory for public, but notprivate enterprises. The effectiveness of this practicehas been questioned by trainees, employers, andtraining institutions, who do not seem to be satisfiedwith the quality and outcomes of internships. Insecondary vocational schools, the chairman of thecommission for qualification examination is therepresentative of an economic agent specialized in thefield (according to the regulation on organization andimplementation of qualification examinations). SomeVET schools have developed stronger links with



industries independently or with donor support, butthese are exceptions rather than systematic practices(see Box 3). Only a few schools interact closely withpotential employers to assess labor market needs.Some schools also benefit from equipment donations,which is a rare accomplishment given that fiscalregulations do not encourage such collaboration.

Industries’ role in designing the program curricula isvery limited. The members of the working group, whichdevelop the study programs, can include industryrepresentatives, representatives of employers’associations, sector level committees, andrepresentatives of higher education institutions.However, there is yet no widely spread practice toconsult industry experts while designing curricula.Technical specifications, norms, and standards areestablished by line ministries (Ministry of Constructions,Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Agriculture and FoodIndustry), and then used by training institutions. Manyof these standards have not been revised since Soviettimes. Facilities in many cases are outdated and notleading to provision of relevant skills.

The design of curricula in some post secondary schoolsbenefits from inputs from universities. For instance, thecontent of curricula developed by the Financial BankingCollege of Moldova is endorsed by the Academy ofEconomic Studies, where many of the college graduatescontinue their education.

The low score on this Goal also reflects the fact thatthere are legally defined criteria for recruiting schoolmanagers,47 but there are no explicitly defined andenforceable criteria for recruiting instructors andteachers. Given that previous industry experience is nota criterion for the recruitment of instructors andadministrators of public training institutions, mostschool heads and instructors often lack any experiencewith the real sector. Furthermore, despite formalprovisions, instructors often face practical difficulties inaccessing opportunities for professional developmentand opportunities for practical (technological) trainingare very limited. Existing training schemes in the publicsector only offer support for updating pedagogical skills;indeed, training is compulsory for those willing to

47 There are plans to improve the legally defined criteria for recruiting schoolmanagers further, in particular in terms of having industry experience,according to information from the Ministry of Education.

update and confirm their teaching degrees. Somedonor supported initiatives also aim at providinginstructors with practical training and professionaldevelopment opportunities (see Box 5). However,motivations for staff to upgrade their technological andteaching skills are rather weak, because the wage policyis very rigid and does not offer enough compensation tothose investing in their training. No surprise, less than10 percent of instructors attended these trainings.

Box 5. Training opportunities for instructors and heads inpublic and private field

Training opportunities are provided by the EducationalSciences Institute, a research institution subordinated to theMinistry of Education and the National Academy of Science.It offers trainings to the educational staff at all levels ofeducation and, in the case of secondary education, trainingmainly targets management and pedagogical skills.

Training and professional development for school managersis part of many projects implemented with support frominternational donors. Such is the case of the CONSEPTproject, supported financially by the LiechtensteinDevelopment Service. CONSEPT’s mission is to support theVET schools in implementing high quality training accordingto the demands of the productive sector. CONSEPT partnersare those VET schools that perceive the future changes asan opportunity and are ready to face the challenges.Readiness to offer in service training and short term preservice training, offer of trades in high demand andcommitment of staff towards modernization are the threemost important criteria for VET providers to be eligible forCONSEPT. Seminars, workshops and conferences are oftenorganized by some non governmental entities, includingEducational Science Institute, Pro Didactica, ProfessionalCapacities Building Institute and others. Seldom, industryexposures are possible as part of visits abroad sponsored byinternational donors.

Source: Information about the CONSEPT project is available athttp://led.md/wpcontent/uploads/2010/12/1.1_CONSEPT_PB_EN_04.20114.pdf Lastaccessed on March 7, 2014.



Systematic monitoring and evaluation of servicedelivery are important for both quality assurance andsystem improvement. Accomplishing this functionrequires gathering and analyzing data from a variety ofsources. The reporting of institution level data enablesthe relevant authorities to ensure that providers aredelivering on expected outcomes. Such data also enablethese authorities to identify gaps or challenges intraining provision or areas of good practice.Additionally, periodic surveys and evaluations of majorprograms generate complementary information thatcan help enhance the relevance and efficiency of thesystem as a whole. Policy Goal 9 considers these ideaswhen assessing the system’s arrangements forcollecting and using data to focus attention on trainingoutcomes, efficiency and innovation in service delivery.

Moldova scores on the high end of the Latent (1.7) levelfor Policy Goal 9. All training providers, state and nonstate, are required to collect and report administrativestatistics. Reports are rather formulaic, as they onlyinclude descriptive text and statistics and some basicdata related to quantity of inputs and outputs, ratherthan on quality of the process and educationaloutcomes. Key data collected include enrollment andgraduation, staffing, financial and budgetaryinformation. Data are supplied to the Ministry ofEducation, line ministries (in case of collegessubordinated to line ministries), and the NationalBureau of Statistics. Aggregate data are regularlypublished by the National Bureau of Statistics and areoccasionally used to assess institutional performance aswell as to analyze system level trends and issues.Sources of data on labor market outcomes are limitedto a few ad hoc skills related surveys or evaluations ofspecific targeted programs. Public access to data islimited. Job placement data is only collectedoccasionally by some VET schools, but reliability of datais questionable. No surveys of graduates’ labor marketoutcomes have been ever undertaken by any VETschool in Moldova.

Indeed, it is important to conduct regular tracer studiesof graduates to determine their employment outcomes,and then use this data to inform education policy. Atthe same time, the government rarely uses data to

monitor and improve system performance, except forthe case of developing the new VET strategy where ananalysis of system level trends and issues was gatheredfrom existing, although sporadic, impact evaluations. NoVET dedicated surveys have been conducted by theMinistry of Education or any other authority. Also, thereis no systematic impact evaluation of programs.

Implications of the FindingsFor all three policy goals of the SABER WfD thirdDimension, there is a wide gap between Moldovanrealities and international best practices. WhileMoldova has some positive achievements, a lot moreneeds to be done, as explained below:

It is important to enhance evidence basedaccountability for results in WfD. The governmentmay consider adopting the practice of routinelysponsoring skills related surveys and impactevaluations of existing programs. The key indicator ofinterest for the public is that of graduates’ labormarket outcomes (for all modes of delivery of trainingservices — IVET, CVET, and training related ALMPs). Itwould also be advisable to systematically participatein international assessments, such as OECD’s Programfor International Assessment of Adult Competencies(PIAAC), measuring cognitive and technical skills ofthe working age population (aged 15 64) and relatingthem to labor market performance, as well asdeveloping national learning assessments.

Proper mechanisms are necessary to ensure thesystematic quality assurance. Those should includecapacity building of the Quality Assurance Agency inVET, and school level solutions, such as creation ofproper supervisory bodies to hold service providersaccountable for school and student outcomes. Whilemost of the schools develop reports foradministrative purposes, it would be reasonable toensure publication of these reports for easier accessand use of school information by the wider public.

In order to increase the relevance of public training, itis important to enhance formal links between traininginstitutions, industry, and research institutions. Theselinks should go beyond offering internshipopportunities to students. The market relevance ofpublic training programs depends on providers’ access



to reliable sources of up to date information oncurrent and emerging skills demands (for whichemployers and industry associations are a key sourceof information). Instructors and students needrelevant exposure and preferably actual workexperience, as well as access to facilities, equipment,and instructional materials, making it important topursue a variety of arrangements to adjust training toindustry needs as much as possible.



Annex 1: AcronymsALMP Active Labor Market Policies;CIS Commonwealth of the Independent States;CVET Continuing vocational education and training;DCI Data collection instrument;ECA Europe and Central AsiaEU European Union;GDP Gross domestic product;IVET Initial vocational education and training;MDL Moldovan leu, national currency in Republic of Moldova;NALE National Agency for Labor Employment of Republic of Moldova;NBS National Bureau of Statistics of Republic of Moldova;NQF National Qualifications Framework;SABER Systems Approach for Better Education ResultsSME Small and medium scale enterpriseTVET technical and vocational education and trainingUSD United States of America dollar;VET vocational education and training;WfD workforce development;



Annex 2: The SABER WfD Analytical FrameworkPolicy Goal Policy Action Topic

Dimen

sion

1StrategicFram

ework

G1Setting aStrategicDirection

Provide sustained advocacy for WfD at the topleadership level

G1_T1 Advocacy for WfD to Support Economic Development

G1_T2 Strategic Focus and Decisions by the WfD Champions

G2Fostering aDemand LedApproach

Establish clarity on the demand for skills andareas of critical constraint

G2_T1 Overall Assessment of Economic Prospects and SkillsImplications

G2_T2 Critical Skills Constraints in Priority Economic Sectors

Engage employers in setting WfD priorities and inenhancing skills upgrading for workers

G2_T3 Role of Employers and Industry

G2_T4 Skills Upgrading Incentives for Employers

G2_T5 Monitoring of the Incentive Programs

G3Strengthening

CriticalCoordination

Formalize key WfD roles for coordinated actionon strategic priorities

G3_T1 Roles of Government Ministries and Agencies

G3_T2 Roles of Non Government WfD Stakeholders

G3_T3 Coordination for the Implementation of Strategic WfD Measures

Dimen

sion

2System

Oversight

G4

EnsuringEfficiency and

Equity inFunding

Provide stable funding for effective programs ininitial, continuing and targeted vocationaleducation and training

G4_T1 Overview of Funding for WfD

G4_T2 Recurrent Funding for Initial Vocational Education and Training(IVET)

G4_T3 Recurrent Funding for Continuing Vocational Education andTraining Programs (CVET)

G4_T4 Recurrent Funding for Training related Active Labor MarketPrograms (ALMPs)

Monitor and enhance equity in funding fortraining G4_T5 Equity in Funding for Training Programs

Facilitate sustained partnerships betweentraining institutions and employers G4_T6 Partnerships between Training Providers and Employers

G5

AssuringRelevant and

ReliableStandards

Broaden the scope of competency standards as abasis for developing qualifications frameworks

G5_T1 Competency Standards and National Qualifications FrameworksG5_T2 Competency Standards for Major Occupations

Establish protocols for assuring the credibility ofskills testing and certification

G5_T3 Occupational Skills TestingG5_T4 Skills Testing and CertificationG5_T5 Skills Testing for Major Occupations

Develop and enforce accreditation standards formaintaining the quality of training provision

G5_T6 Government Oversight of AccreditationG5_T7 Establishment of Accreditation Standards

G5_T8 Accreditation Requirements and Enforcement of AccreditationStandards

G5_T9 Incentives and Support for Accreditation

G6DiversifyingPathways for

Skills Acquisition

Promote educational progression andpermeability through multiple pathways,including for TVET students

G6_T1 Learning Pathways

G6_T2 Public Perception of Pathways for TVET

Facilitate life long learning through articulationof skills certification and recognition of priorlearning

G6_T3 Articulation of Skills Certification

G6_T4 Recognition of Prior Learning

Provide support services for skills acquisition byworkers, job seekers and the disadvantaged

G6_T5 Support for Further Occupational and Career DevelopmentG6_T6 Training related Provision of Services for the Disadvantaged



Policy Goal Policy Action Topic

Dimen

sion

3ServiceDe

livery

G7

EnablingDiversity andExcellence inTrainingProvision

Encourage and regulate non state provision oftraining

G7_T1 Scope and Formality of Non State Training ProvisionG7_T2 Incentives for Non State ProvidersG7_T3 Quality Assurance of Non State Training ProvisionG7_T4 Review of Policies towards Non State Training Provision

Combine incentives and autonomy in themanagement of public training institutions

G7_T5 Targets and Incentives for Public Training InstitutionsG7_T6 Autonomy and Accountability of Public Training InstitutionsG7_T7 Introduction and Closure of Public Training Programs

G8

FosteringRelevance inPublic Training

Programs

Integrate industry and expert input into thedesign and delivery of public training programs

G8_T1 Links between Training Institutions and IndustryG8_T2 Industry Role in the Design of Program CurriculaG8_T3 Industry Role in the Specification of Facility StandardsG8_T4 Links between Training and Research Institutions

Recruit and support administrators andinstructors for enhancing the market relevanceof public training programs

G8_T5 Recruitment and In Service Training of Heads of Public TrainingInstitutions

G8_T6 Recruitment and In Service Training of Instructors of PublicTraining Institutions

G9

EnhancingEvidence basedAccountabilityfor Results

Expand the availability and use of policy relevantdata for focusing providers' attention on trainingoutcomes, efficiency and innovation

G9_T1 Administrative Data from Training ProvidersG9_T2 Survey and Other Data

G9_T3 Use of Data to Monitor and Improve Program and SystemPerformance

MOLD

OVA

WORK

FORC

EDE

VELO

PMEN

TSA

BERCO

UNTR

YRE

PORT

|20

13

SYSTEM

SAP

PROAC

HFO

RBE

TTER

EDUCA

TIONRE

SULTS

39

Anne

x3:

Rubricsfor

ScoringtheSA

BERWfD

Data

Func

tiona

lDim

ensi

on 1

: Str

ateg

ic F

ram

ewor

kPo

licy

Goa

lL

evel

of D

evel

opm

ent

Lat

ent

Em

ergi

ng

Est

ablis

hed

Adv

ance

d

G1: Setting a Strategic Direction for WfD

Vis

ible

ch

ampi

ons

for

WfD

ar

e ei

ther

abs

ent

orta

ke n

o sp

ecifi

c ac

tion

to

adva

nce

stra

tegi

c W

fD

prio

ritie

s.

Som

evi

sibl

e ch

ampi

ons

prov

ide

ad-

hoc

advo

cacy

fo

r W

fD

and

have

ac

ted

on

few

in

terv

entio

ns

to

adva

nce

stra

tegi

c W

fD p

riorit

ies;

no

arra

ngem

ents

exi

stto

mon

itor

and

revi

ew im

plem

enta

tion

prog

ress

.

Gov

ernm

ent

lead

ers

exer

cise

sust

aine

d ad

voca

cyfo

r W

fDw

ithoc

casi

onal

, ad

-hoc

pa

rtici

patio

n fr

om n

on-g

over

nmen

t lea

ders

; the

ir ad

voca

cy

focu

ses

on

sele

cted

indu

strie

s or

eco

nom

ic s

ecto

rs a

nd

man

ifest

s its

elf

thro

ugh

a ra

nge

of

spec

ific

inte

rven

tions

;im

plem

enta

tion

prog

ress

is

m

onito

red,

al

beit

thro

ugh

ad-h

oc

revi

ews.

Bot

h go

vern

men

t an

d no

n-go

vern

men

t le

ader

s ex

erci

se

sust

aine

dad

voca

cy f

or W

fD,

and

rely

on

ro

utin

e,

inst

itutio

naliz

ed

proc

esse

s to

co

llabo

rate

on

w

ell-

inte

grat

ed i

nter

vent

ions

to

adva

nce

ast

rate

gic,

ec

onom

y-w

ide

WfD

po

licy

agen

da;

impl

emen

tatio

n pr

ogre

ss i

s m

onito

red

and

revi

ewed

th

roug

h ro

utin

e,

inst

itutio

naliz

ed

proc

esse

s.

MOLD

OVA

WORK

FORC

EDE

VELO

PMEN

TSA

BERCO

UNTR

YRE

PORT

|20

13

SYSTEM

SAP

PROAC

HFO

RBE

TTER

EDUCA

TIONRE

SULTS

40

Func

tiona

l Dim

ensi

on 1

: Str

ateg

ic F

ram

ewor

k

Polic

yG

oal

Lev

el o

f Dev

elop

men

t L

aten

t E

mer

ging

E

stab

lishe

dA

dvan

ced

G2: Fostering a Demand-LedApproach to WfD

Ther

e is

no

as

sess

men

t of

th

e co

untry

's ec

onom

ic

pros

pect

s an

d th

eir

impl

icat

ions

for

ski

lls; i

ndus

try

and

empl

oyer

s ha

vea

limite

d or

no

role

in

de

finin

g st

rate

gic

WfD

pr

iorit

ies a

nd re

ceiv

e lim

ited

supp

ort

from

th

e go

vern

men

t fo

r sk

ills

upgr

adin

g.

Som

e ad

-hoc

asse

ssm

ents

exi

st o

n th

e co

untry

's ec

onom

ic

pros

pect

s an

d th

eir

impl

icat

ions

fo

r sk

ills;

som

e m

easu

res

are

take

n to

add

ress

cr

itica

l sk

ills

cons

train

ts

(e.g

., in

cent

ives

for

ski

lls u

pgra

ding

by

empl

oyer

s);

the

gove

rnm

ent

mak

es

limite

def

forts

to e

ngag

e em

ploy

ers

as st

rate

gic

partn

ers i

n W

fD.

Rou

tine

asse

ssm

ents

ba

sed

on

mul

tiple

dat

a so

urce

s ex

ist

on t

he

coun

try's

econ

omic

pr

ospe

cts

and

thei

r im

plic

atio

ns f

or s

kills

; a

wid

e ra

nge

of

mea

sure

sw

ithbr

oad

cove

rage

are

take

n to

add

ress

crit

ical

sk

ills

cons

train

ts;

the

gove

rnm

ent

reco

gniz

es

empl

oyer

s as

st

rate

gic

partn

ers

in W

fD,

form

aliz

es t

heir

role

, and

pro

vide

s su

ppor

t for

ski

lls

upgr

adin

g th

roug

h in

cent

ive

sche

mes

th

at

are

revi

ewed

an

d ad

just

ed.

A r

ich

arra

y of

rou

tine

and

robu

st

asse

ssm

ents

by

m

ultip

le

stak

ehol

ders

exi

sts

on th

e co

untry

's ec

onom

ic

pros

pect

s an

d th

eir

impl

icat

ions

fo

r sk

ills;

th

e in

form

atio

n pr

ovid

es a

bas

is f

or a

w

ide

rang

e of

mea

sure

s w

ith b

road

co

vera

geth

at a

ddre

ss c

ritic

al s

kills

co

nstra

ints

; th

e go

vern

men

t re

cogn

izes

em

ploy

ers

as

stra

tegi

c pa

rtner

s in

WfD

, fo

rmal

izes

the

ir ro

le, a

nd p

rovi

des

supp

ort f

or s

kills

up

grad

ing

thro

ugh

ince

ntiv

es,

incl

udin

g so

me

form

of a

levy

-gra

nt

sche

me,

th

at

are

syst

emat

ical

ly

revi

ewed

for

impa

ct a

nd a

djus

ted

acco

rdin

gly.

MOLD

OVA

WORK

FORC

EDE

VELO

PMEN

TSA

BERCO

UNTR

YRE

PORT

|20

13

SYSTEM

SAP

PROAC

HFO

RBE

TTER

EDUCA

TIONRE

SULTS

41

Func

tiona

l Dim

ensi

on 1

: Str

ateg

ic F

ram

ewor

k

Polic

yG

oal

Lev

el o

f Dev

elop

men

t

Lat

ent

Em

ergi

ngE

stab

lishe

dA

dvan

ced

G3: Strengthening Critical Coordination for Implementation

Indu

stry

/em

ploy

ers

have

a l

imite

dor

no

ro

le

in

defin

ing

stra

tegi

c W

fD

prio

ritie

s;

the

gove

rnm

ent

eith

er

prov

ides

no

in

cent

ives

to

en

cour

age

skill

s up

grad

ing

by

empl

oyer

s or

con

duct

s no

rev

iew

sof

such

ince

ntiv

e pr

ogra

ms.

Indu

stry

/em

ploy

ers

help

def

ine

WfD

pr

iorit

ies

on

an

ad-h

ocba

sis

and

mak

e lim

ited

cont

ribut

ions

to

addr

ess

skill

s im

plic

atio

ns o

f m

ajor

po

licy/

inve

stm

ent

deci

sion

s;

the

gove

rnm

ent p

rovi

des s

ome

ince

ntiv

es

for

skill

s up

grad

ing

for

form

al a

nd

info

rmal

sec

tor

empl

oyer

s; if

a le

vy-

gran

t sc

hem

e ex

ists

its

cov

erag

e is

lim

ited;

inc

entiv

e pr

ogra

ms

are

not

syst

emat

ical

ly re

view

edfo

r im

pact

.

Indu

stry

/em

ploy

ers

help

def

ine

WfD

pr

iorit

ies

on

a ro

utin

eba

sis

and

mak

e so

me

cont

ribut

ions

in s

elec

ted

area

s to

ad

dres

s th

e sk

ills

impl

icat

ions

of

m

ajor

po

licy/

inve

stm

ent

deci

sion

s;

the

gove

rnm

ent

prov

ides

a

rang

e of

ince

ntiv

es f

or s

kills

upg

radi

ng fo

r al

l em

ploy

ers;

a le

vy-g

rant

sch

eme

with

br

oad

cove

rage

of

fo

rmal

se

ctor

em

ploy

ers

exis

ts; i

ncen

tive

prog

ram

s ar

esy

stem

atic

ally

re

view

ed

and

adju

sted

; an

ann

ual

repo

rt on

the

le

vy-g

rant

sch

eme

is p

ublis

hed

with

a tim

e la

g.

Indu

stry

/em

ploy

ers

help

def

ine

WfD

pr

iorit

ies

on

a ro

utin

eba

sis

and

mak

e si

gnifi

cant

co

ntrib

utio

ns

in

mul

tiple

area

s to

add

ress

the

ski

lls

impl

icat

ions

of

m

ajor

po

licy/

inve

stm

ent

deci

sion

s;

the

gove

rnm

ent

prov

ides

a

rang

e of

in

cent

ives

for

ski

lls u

pgra

ding

for

all

empl

oyer

s; a

levy

-gra

nt s

chem

e w

ithco

mpr

ehen

sive

cov

erag

e of

for

mal

se

ctor

em

ploy

ers

exis

ts;

ince

ntiv

e pr

ogra

ms

to

enco

urag

e sk

ills

upgr

adin

g ar

e sy

stem

atic

ally

re

view

ed f

or i

mpa

ct o

n sk

ills

and

prod

uctiv

ity

and

are

adju

sted

acco

rdin

gly;

an

annu

al r

epor

t on

the

le

vy-g

rant

sch

eme

is p

ublis

hed

in a

timel

y fa

shio

n.

MOLD

OVA

WORK

FORC

EDE

VELO

PMEN

TSA

BERCO

UNTR

YRE

PORT

|20

13

SYSTEM

SAP

PROAC

HFO

RBE

TTER

EDUCA

TIONRE

SULTS

42

Func

tiona

l Dim

ensi

on 2

: Sys

tem

Ove

rsig

ht

Polic

yG

oal

Lev

el o

f Dev

elop

men

t

Lat

ent

Em

ergi

ng

Est

ablis

hed

Adv

ance

d

G4: Ensuring Efficiency and Equity in Funding

The

gove

rnm

ent

fund

s IV

ET,

CV

ET

and

ALM

Ps (

but

not

OJT

in

SMEs

) ba

sed

on a

d-ho

cbu

dget

ing

proc

esse

s, bu

t tak

es n

o ac

tion

to fa

cilit

ate

form

al

partn

ersh

ips

betw

een

train

ing

prov

ider

s and

em

ploy

ers;

the

impa

ct o

f fu

ndin

g on

the

bene

ficia

ries

of tr

aini

ng

prog

ram

s ha

s no

t be

en

rece

ntly

re

view

ed.

The

gove

rnm

ent

fund

s IV

ET,

CV

ET

(incl

udin

g O

JT in

SM

Es) a

nd A

LMPs

; fu

ndin

g fo

r IV

ET a

nd C

VET

fol

low

s ro

utin

ebu

dget

ing

proc

esse

s in

volv

ing

only

go

vern

men

t of

ficia

ls

with

al

loca

tions

det

erm

ined

lar

gely

by

the

prev

ious

yea

r's

budg

et;

fund

ing

for

ALM

Ps

is

deci

ded

by

gove

rnm

ent

offic

ials

on

anad

-hoc

bas

is a

nd ta

rget

s se

lect

po

pula

tion

grou

ps

thro

ugh

vario

us

chan

nels

; th

e go

vern

men

t ta

kes

som

eac

tion

to f

acili

tate

for

mal

partn

ersh

ips

betw

een

indi

vidu

al

train

ing

prov

ider

s an

d em

ploy

ers;

re

cent

revi

ews

cons

ider

ed t

he i

mpa

ct

of f

undi

ng o

n on

ly t

rain

ing-

rela

ted

indi

cato

rs(e

.g.

enro

llmen

t, co

mpl

etio

n),

whi

ch

stim

ulat

ed

dial

ogue

am

ong

som

e W

fD

stak

ehol

ders

.

The

gove

rnm

ent

fund

s IV

ET,

CV

ET

(incl

udin

g O

JT in

SM

Es) a

nd A

LMPs

; fu

ndin

g fo

r IV

ET is

rou

tine

and

base

d on

m

ultip

le

crite

ria,

incl

udin

g ev

iden

ce

of

prog

ram

ef

fect

iven

ess;

re

curr

ent

fund

ing

for

CV

ET r

elie

s on

form

alpr

oces

ses

with

inpu

t fro

m k

ey

stak

ehol

ders

and

ann

ual r

epor

ting

with

a

lag;

fu

ndin

g fo

r A

LMPs

is

de

term

ined

th

roug

h a

syst

emat

icpr

oces

s w

ith

inpu

t fr

om

key

stak

ehol

ders

; A

LMPs

tar

get

dive

rse

popu

latio

n gr

oups

th

roug

h va

rious

ch

anne

lsan

d ar

e re

view

ed f

or i

mpa

ct

but

follo

w-u

p is

lim

ited;

th

e go

vern

men

t t

akes

act

ion

to f

acili

tate

fo

rmal

partn

ersh

ips

betw

een

train

ing

prov

ider

s an

d em

ploy

ers

at m

ultip

lele

vels

(in

stitu

tiona

l an

d sy

stem

ic);

rece

nt r

evie

ws

cons

ider

ed t

he i

mpa

ct

of

fund

ing

on

both

tra

inin

g-re

late

d in

dica

tors

and

labo

r m

arke

t out

com

es;

the

revi

ews

stim

ulat

ed d

ialo

gue

amon

g W

fD

stak

ehol

ders

an

d so

me

reco

mm

enda

tions

wer

e im

plem

ente

d.

The

gove

rnm

ent

fund

s IV

ET,

CV

ET

(incl

udin

g O

JT in

SM

Es) a

nd A

LMPs

; fu

ndin

g fo

r IV

ET is

rou

tine

and

base

d on

com

preh

ensi

ve c

riter

ia,

incl

udin

g ev

iden

ce o

f pro

gram

eff

ectiv

enes

s, th

at

are

rout

inel

y re

view

ed a

nd a

djus

ted;

recu

rren

t fu

ndin

g fo

r C

VET

rel

ies

on

form

alpr

oces

ses

with

inpu

t fro

m k

ey

stak

ehol

ders

an

d tim

ely

annu

al

repo

rtin

g;

fund

ing

for

ALM

Ps

is

dete

rmin

ed

thro

ugh

asy

stem

atic

pr

oces

s w

ith

inpu

t fr

om

key

stak

ehol

ders

; A

LMPs

ta

rget

di

vers

epo

pula

tion

grou

ps

thro

ugh

vario

us

chan

nels

and

are

rev

iew

ed f

or i

mpa

ct

and

adju

sted

ac

cord

ingl

y;

the

gove

rnm

ent

take

s ac

tion

to f

acili

tate

form

alpa

rtner

ship

s be

twee

n tra

inin

g pr

ovid

ers

and

empl

oyer

s at

all

leve

ls(in

stitu

tiona

l an

d sy

stem

ic);

rece

nt

revi

ews

cons

ider

ed

the

impa

ct

of

fund

ing

on a

ful

l ra

nge

of t

rain

ing-

rela

ted

indi

cato

rs

and

labo

r m

arke

t ou

tcom

es;

the

revi

ews

stim

ulat

edbr

oad-

base

ddi

alog

ue

amon

g W

fD

stak

ehol

ders

an

d ke

y re

com

men

datio

ns w

ere

impl

emen

ted.

MOLD

OVA

WORK

FORC

EDE

VELO

PMEN

TSA

BERCO

UNTR

YRE

PORT

|20

13

SYSTEM

SAP

PROAC

HFO

RBE

TTER

EDUCA

TIONRE

SULTS

43

Func

tiona

l Dim

ensi

on 2

: Sys

tem

Ove

rsig

ht

Polic

yG

oal

Lev

el o

f Dev

elop

men

t

Lat

ent

Em

ergi

ng

Est

ablis

hed

Adv

ance

d

G5: Assuring Relevant and Reliable Standards

Polic

y di

alog

ue

on

com

pete

ncy

stan

dard

s an

d/or

th

e N

QF

occu

rs o

n an

ad-

hoc

basi

s with

lim

ited

enga

gem

ent

of

key

stak

ehol

ders

; co

mpe

tenc

y st

anda

rds

have

no

t be

en

defin

ed;

skill

s te

stin

g fo

r m

ajor

occ

upat

ions

is

mai

nly

theo

ry-b

ased

and

certi

ficat

es

awar

ded

are

reco

gniz

ed b

y pu

blic

sec

tor

empl

oyer

son

ly

and

have

little

impa

ct o

n em

ploy

men

t an

d ea

rnin

gs; n

o sy

stem

is in

pl

ace

to e

stab

lish

accr

edita

tion

stan

dard

s.

A f

ew s

take

hold

ers

enga

ge in

ad-

hoc

polic

y di

alog

ue

on

com

pete

ncy

stan

dard

s an

d/or

the

N

QF;

com

pete

ncy

stan

dard

s ex

ist

for

a fe

w

occu

patio

ns a

nd a

re

used

by

som

e tra

inin

g pr

ovid

ers

in th

eir

prog

ram

s; s

kills

test

ing

is

com

pete

ncy-

base

d fo

r a

few

oc

cupa

tions

but

for

the

mos

t par

t is

mai

nly

theo

ry-b

ased

;ce

rtific

ates

ar

ere

cogn

ized

by

pu

blic

and

som

e pr

ivat

e se

ctor

em

ploy

ers

but h

ave

little

impa

cton

em

ploy

men

t and

ear

ning

s; th

e ac

cred

itatio

n of

trai

ning

pro

vide

rs

is

supe

rvis

ed

by

a de

dica

ted

offic

ein

the

rel

evan

t m

inis

try;

priv

ate

prov

ider

s ar

e re

quire

d to

be

ac

cred

ited,

ho

wev

er

accr

edita

tion

stan

dard

s ar

e no

t co

nsis

tent

ly

publ

iciz

ed

or

enfo

rced

; pr

ovid

ers

are

offe

red

som

ein

cent

ives

to se

ek a

nd re

tain

ac

cred

itatio

n.

Num

erou

s st

akeh

olde

rs e

ngag

e in

pol

icy

dial

ogue

on

com

pete

ncy

stan

dard

s and

/or

the

NQ

F th

roug

h in

stitu

tiona

lized

pr

oces

ses;

co

mpe

tenc

y st

anda

rds

exis

t fo

r m

ost

occu

patio

ns a

nd a

re u

sed

byso

me

train

ing

prov

ider

s in

th

eir

prog

ram

s; t

he N

QF,

if

in p

lace

, co

vers

so

me

occu

patio

ns a

nd a

rang

e of

ski

ll le

vels

; ski

lls te

stin

g fo

r mos

t occ

upat

ions

fo

llow

s st

anda

rd

proc

edur

es,

is co

mpe

tenc

y-ba

sed

and

asse

sses

bo

th

theo

retic

al

know

ledg

e an

d pr

actic

al

skill

s; c

ertif

icat

es a

re re

cogn

ized

by b

oth

publ

ic a

nd p

riva

te s

ecto

r em

ploy

ers

and

may

im

pact

em

ploy

men

t an

d ea

rnin

gs;

the

accr

edita

tion

of

train

ing

prov

ider

s is

sup

ervi

sed

by a

ded

icat

ed

agen

cy

in

the

rele

vant

m

inis

try;

the

agen

cy

is

resp

onsi

ble

for

defin

ing

accr

edita

tion

stan

dard

s w

ith s

take

hold

er

inpu

t; st

anda

rds

are

revi

ewed

on

an a

d-ho

c ba

sis

and

are

publ

iciz

ed o

r en

forc

ed

to s

ome

exte

nt;

all

prov

ider

s re

ceiv

ing

publ

ic

fund

ing

mus

t be

ac

cred

ited;

pr

ovid

ers

are

offe

red

ince

ntiv

es

and

limite

d su

ppor

t to

se

ek

and

reta

in

accr

edita

tion.

All

key

stak

ehol

ders

en

gage

in

po

licy

dial

ogue

on

com

pete

ncy

stan

dard

s an

d/or

th

e N

QF

thro

ugh

inst

itutio

naliz

edpr

oces

ses;

com

pete

ncy

stan

dard

s ex

ist

for

mos

toc

cupa

tions

and

are

use

d by

trai

ning

pr

ovid

ers

in th

eir p

rogr

ams;

the

NQ

F, if

in

plac

e, c

over

s m

ost o

ccup

atio

ns a

nd a

wid

era

nge

of s

kill

leve

ls;

skill

s te

stin

g fo

r m

ost

occu

patio

ns

follo

ws

stan

dard

pr

oced

ures

, is

co

mpe

tenc

y-ba

sed

and

asse

sses

both

the

oret

ical

kno

wle

dge

and

prac

tical

sk

ills;

robu

st

prot

ocol

s,in

clud

ing

rand

om

audi

ts,

ensu

re

the

cred

ibili

ty o

f ce

rtific

atio

n; c

ertif

icat

es a

reva

lued

by

m

ost

empl

oyer

s an

dco

nsis

tent

ly

impr

ove

empl

oym

ent

pros

pect

s an

d ea

rnin

gs;

the

accr

edita

tion

of t

rain

ing

prov

ider

s is

sup

ervi

sed

by a

dedi

cate

d ag

ency

in th

e re

leva

nt m

inis

try;

the

agen

cy

is

resp

onsi

ble

for

defin

ing

accr

edita

tion

stan

dard

s in

co

nsul

tatio

n w

ith s

take

hold

ers;

sta

ndar

ds a

re re

view

ed

follo

win

g es

tabl

ishe

d pr

otoc

ols

and

are

publ

iciz

ed

and

rout

inel

y en

forc

ed;

all

train

ing

prov

ider

s ar

ere

quire

d as

wel

l as

of

fere

d in

cent

ives

and

sup

port

to

seek

an

d re

tain

acc

redi

tatio

n.

MOLD

OVA

WORK

FORC

EDE

VELO

PMEN

TSA

BERCO

UNTR

YRE

PORT

|20

13

SYSTEM

SAP

PROAC

HFO

RBE

TTER

EDUCA

TIONRE

SULTS

44

Func

tiona

l Dim

ensi

on 2

: Sys

tem

Ove

rsig

htPo

licy

Goa

lL

evel

of D

evel

opm

ent

Lat

ent

Em

ergi

ng

Est

ablis

hed

Adv

ance

d

G6: Diversifying Pathways for Skills Acquisition

Stud

ents

in te

chni

cal a

nd v

ocat

iona

l ed

ucat

ion

have

few

or

no o

ptio

nsfo

r fu

rther

for

mal

ski

lls a

cqui

sitio

n be

yond

the

seco

ndar

y le

vel a

nd th

e go

vern

men

t ta

kes

no

actio

n to

im

prov

e pu

blic

pe

rcep

tion

of

TVET

; cer

tific

ates

for t

echn

ical

and

vo

catio

nal

prog

ram

s ar

e no

t re

cogn

ized

in

th

e N

QF;

qu

alifi

catio

ns

certi

fied

by

non-

Educ

atio

n m

inis

tries

ar

e no

tre

cogn

ized

by

fo

rmal

pr

ogra

ms

unde

r th

e M

inis

try o

f Ed

ucat

ion;

re

cogn

ition

of

pr

ior

lear

ning

re

ceiv

es

limite

dat

tent

ion;

th

e go

vern

men

t pr

ovid

es

prac

tical

ly

no s

uppo

rt fo

r fur

ther

occ

upat

iona

l an

d ca

reer

dev

elop

men

t, or

trai

ning

pr

ogra

ms

for

disa

dvan

tage

d po

pula

tions

.

Stud

ents

in

tech

nica

l an

d vo

catio

nal

educ

atio

n ca

n on

ly

prog

ress

to

voca

tiona

lly-o

rien

ted,

no

n-un

iver

sity

pr

ogra

ms;

th

e go

vern

men

t ta

kes

limite

dac

tion

to

impr

ove

publ

ic p

erce

ptio

n of

TV

ET

(e.g

. div

ersi

fyin

g le

arni

ng p

athw

ays)

; so

me

certi

ficat

esfo

r te

chni

cal

and

voca

tiona

l pr

ogra

ms

are

reco

gniz

ed

in

the

NQ

F;

few

qual

ifica

tions

certi

fied

by n

on-E

duca

tion

min

istri

es

are

reco

gniz

edby

for

mal

pro

gram

s un

der

the

Min

istry

of

Ed

ucat

ion;

po

licym

aker

s pa

y so

me

atte

ntio

n to

th

e re

cogn

ition

of

prio

r le

arni

ng a

nd

prov

ide

the

publ

ic

with

so

me

info

rmat

ion

on

the

subj

ect;

the

gove

rnm

ent

offe

rs l

imite

dse

rvic

esfo

r fu

rther

occ

upat

iona

l an

d ca

reer

de

velo

pmen

t th

roug

h st

and-

alon

e lo

cal

serv

ice

cent

ers

that

are

not

inte

grat

edin

to

a sy

stem

; tra

inin

g pr

ogra

ms

for

disa

dvan

tage

d po

pula

tions

rece

ive

ad-h

oc su

ppor

t.

Stud

ents

in

te

chni

cal

and

voca

tiona

l ed

ucat

ion

can

prog

ress

to

voca

tiona

lly-

orie

nted

pr

ogra

ms,

incl

udin

g at

th

e un

iver

sity

lev

el;

the

gove

rnm

ent

take

sso

me

actio

n to

impr

ove

publ

ic p

erce

ptio

n of

TV

ET

(e.g

. di

vers

ifyin

g le

arni

ng

path

way

s and

impr

ovin

g pr

ogra

m q

ualit

y)

and

revi

ews

the

impa

ct o

f suc

h ef

forts

on

anad

-hoc

bas

is;

mos

t ce

rtific

ates

for

te

chni

cal

and

voca

tiona

l pr

ogra

ms

are

reco

gniz

ed in

the

NQ

F; a

lar

ge n

umbe

r of

qu

alifi

catio

ns

certi

fied

by

non-

Educ

atio

n m

inis

tries

are

rec

ogni

zed

by

form

al p

rogr

ams

unde

r th

e M

inis

try o

f Ed

ucat

ion,

alb

eit w

ithou

t the

gra

ntin

g of

cr

edits

; po

licym

aker

s gi

ve

som

e at

tent

ion

to

the

reco

gniti

on

of

prio

r le

arni

ng

and

prov

ide

the

publ

ic

with

so

me

info

rmat

ion

on

the

subj

ect;

afo

rmal

as

soci

atio

n of

st

akeh

olde

rs

prov

ides

dedi

cate

d at

tent

ion

to

adul

t le

arni

ng

issu

es;

the

gove

rnm

ent

offe

rslim

ited

serv

ices

for

fur

ther

occ

upat

iona

l an

d ca

reer

de

velo

pmen

t, w

hich

ar

e av

aila

ble

thro

ugh

an in

tegr

ated

net

wor

k of

ce

nter

s;

train

ing

prog

ram

s fo

r di

sadv

anta

ged

popu

latio

ns

rece

ive

syst

emat

ic s

uppo

rt an

d ar

e re

view

ed f

or

impa

ct o

n an

ad-

hoc

basi

s.

Stud

ents

in te

chni

cal a

nd v

ocat

iona

l edu

catio

n ca

n pr

ogre

ss

to

acad

emic

ally

or

vo

catio

nally

-ori

ente

d pr

ogra

ms,

incl

udin

g at

the

uni

vers

ity le

vel;

the

gove

rnm

ent t

akes

co

here

nt

actio

non

mul

tiple

fr

onts

to

im

prov

e pu

blic

pe

rcep

tion

of

TVET

(e

.g.

dive

rsify

ing

lear

ning

pat

hway

s an

d im

prov

ing

prog

ram

qu

ality

an

d re

leva

nce,

w

ith

the

supp

ort

of a

med

ia c

ampa

ign)

and

rou

tinel

y re

view

s an

d ad

just

s su

ch e

ffor

ts to

max

imiz

e th

eir

impa

ct;

mos

t ce

rtific

ates

for

tec

hnic

al

and

voca

tiona

l pro

gram

s ar

e re

cogn

ized

in th

e N

QF;

a

larg

e nu

mbe

r of

qu

alifi

catio

ns

certi

fied

by

non-

Educ

atio

n m

inis

tries

ar

e re

cogn

ized

and

gra

nted

cre

dits

by

form

al

prog

ram

s un

der

the

Min

istry

of

Educ

atio

n;

polic

ymak

ers

give

sus

tain

ed a

ttent

ion

to t

he

reco

gniti

on o

f pr

ior

lear

ning

and

pro

vide

the

pu

blic

with

com

preh

ensi

ve i

nfor

mat

ion

on

the

subj

ect;

a na

tiona

l or

gani

zatio

n of

st

akeh

olde

rs p

rovi

des

dedi

cate

d at

tent

ion

to

adul

t lea

rnin

g is

sues

; the

gov

ernm

ent o

ffer

s a

com

preh

ensi

ve m

enu

of s

ervi

ces

for

furth

er

occu

patio

nal

and

care

er

deve

lopm

ent,

incl

udin

g on

line

reso

urce

s, w

hich

ar

e av

aila

ble

thro

ugh

an i

nteg

rate

d ne

twor

k of

ce

nter

s; t

rain

ing

prog

ram

s fo

r di

sadv

anta

ged

popu

latio

ns r

ecei

ve s

yste

mat

ic s

uppo

rt w

ith

mul

ti-ye

ar

budg

ets

and

are

rout

inel

y re

view

edfo

r im

pact

and

adju

sted

ac

cord

ingl

y.

MOLD

OVA

WORK

FORC

EDE

VELO

PMEN

TSA

BERCO

UNTR

YRE

PORT

|20

13

SYSTEM

SAP

PROAC

HFO

RBE

TTER

EDUCA

TIONRE

SULTS

45

Func

tiona

l Dim

ensi

on 3

: Ser

vice

Del

iver

yPo

licy

Goa

lL

evel

of D

evel

opm

ent

Lat

ent

Em

ergi

ng

Est

ablis

hed

Adv

ance

d

G7: Enabling Diversity and Excellence in Training Provision

Ther

e is

no

di

vers

ity

of

train

ing

prov

isio

n as

the

sys

tem

is

larg

ely

com

pris

ed o

f pu

blic

pro

vide

rs w

ithlim

ited

or n

o au

tono

my;

tra

inin

g pr

ovis

ion

is n

ot in

form

ed b

y fo

rmal

as

sess

men

t, st

akeh

olde

r in

put

or

perf

orm

ance

targ

ets.

Ther

e is

som

e di

vers

ity i

n tra

inin

g pr

ovis

ion;

non

-sta

te p

rovi

ders

ope

rate

w

ith l

imite

d go

vern

men

t in

cent

ives

an

dgo

vern

ance

ov

er

regi

stra

tion,

lic

ensi

ng

and

qual

ity

assu

ranc

e;

publ

ic

train

ing

is

prov

ided

by

in

stitu

tions

with

som

e au

tono

my

and

info

rmed

by

so

me

asse

ssm

ent

ofim

plem

enta

tion

cons

train

ts,

stak

ehol

der i

nput

and

bas

ic ta

rget

s.

Ther

e is

di

vers

ity

in

train

ing

prov

isio

n;

non-

stat

e tra

inin

g pr

ovid

ers,

som

e re

gist

ered

an

d lic

ense

d, o

pera

te w

ithin

a r

ange

of

gove

rnm

ent

ince

ntiv

es,

syst

emat

ic

qual

ity

assu

ranc

e m

easu

res

and

rout

ine

revi

ews

of

gove

rnm

ent

polic

ies

tow

ard

non-

stat

e tra

inin

g pr

ovid

ers;

pub

lic p

rovi

ders

,m

ostly

go

vern

ed

by

man

agem

ent

boar

ds,

have

so

me

auto

nom

y;

train

ing

prov

isio

n is

in

form

ed

by

form

al

anal

ysis

of

im

plem

enta

tion

cons

train

ts,

stak

ehol

der

inpu

t an

d ba

sic

targ

ets;

lagg

ing

prov

ider

s re

ceiv

e su

ppor

t an

d ex

empl

ary

inst

itutio

ns a

re r

ewar

ded.

Ther

e is

bro

ad d

iver

sity

in

train

ing

prov

isio

n;

non-

stat

e tra

inin

g pr

ovid

ers,

mos

t re

gist

ered

an

d lic

ense

d,

oper

ate

with

com

preh

ensi

ve

gove

rnm

ent

ince

ntiv

es,

syst

emat

ic

qual

ity

assu

ranc

e m

easu

res

and

rout

ine

revi

ewan

d ad

just

men

t of

gove

rnm

ent p

olic

ies

tow

ard

non-

stat

e tra

inin

g pr

ovid

ers;

pub

lic p

rovi

ders

, m

ostly

go

vern

ed

by

man

agem

ent

boar

ds,

have

sig

nific

ant

auto

nom

y;

deci

sion

s ab

out t

rain

ing

prov

isio

n ar

e tim

e-bo

und

and

info

rmed

by

form

al

asse

ssm

ent

of

impl

emen

tatio

n co

nstra

ints

; sta

keho

lder

inpu

t and

use

of

a

vari

ety

ofm

easu

res

toin

cent

iviz

e pe

rfor

man

ce

incl

ude

supp

ort,

rew

ards

an

d pe

rfor

man

ce-

base

d fu

ndin

g.

MOLD

OVA

WORK

FORC

EDE

VELO

PMEN

TSA

BERCO

UNTR

YRE

PORT

|20

13

SYSTEM

SAP

PROAC

HFO

RBE

TTER

EDUCA

TIONRE

SULTS

46

Func

tiona

l Dim

ensi

on 3

: Ser

vice

Del

iver

y Po

licy

Goa

lL

evel

of D

evel

opm

ent

Lat

ent

Em

ergi

ng

Est

ablis

hed

Adv

ance

d

G8: Fostering Relevance in Public Training Programs

Ther

e ar

e fe

w o

r no

atte

mpt

s to

fo

ster

re

leva

nce

in

publ

ic

train

ing

prog

ram

s th

roug

h en

cour

agin

g lin

ks

betw

een

train

ing

inst

itutio

ns, i

ndus

try

and

rese

arch

ins

titut

ions

or

thro

ugh

setti

ng s

tand

ards

for

the

rec

ruitm

ent

and

train

ing

of h

eads

and

inst

ruct

ors

in tr

aini

ng in

stitu

tions

.

Rel

evan

ce

of

publ

ic

train

ing

is

enha

nced

th

roug

h in

form

al

links

be

twee

n so

me

train

ing

inst

itutio

ns,

indu

stry

an

d re

sear

ch

inst

itutio

ns,

incl

udin

g in

put

into

the

des

ign

of

curr

icul

a an

d fa

cilit

y st

anda

rds;

hea

ds

and

inst

ruct

ors

are

recr

uite

d on

the

ba

sis

of

min

imum

ac

adem

ic

stan

dard

s an

d ha

ve

limite

d op

portu

nitie

s fo

r pr

ofes

sion

al

deve

lopm

ent.

Rel

evan

ce

of

publ

ic

train

ing

isen

hanc

ed

thro

ugh

form

al

links

betw

een

som

e tra

inin

g in

stitu

tions

, in

dust

ry

and

rese

arch

in

stitu

tions

,le

adin

g to

col

labo

ratio

n in

sev

eral

ar

eas

incl

udin

g bu

t not

lim

ited

to th

e de

sign

of

cu

rric

ula

and

faci

lity

stan

dard

s; h

eads

and

ins

truct

ors

are

recr

uite

d on

the

bas

is o

f m

inim

um

acad

emic

an

d pr

ofes

sion

al

stan

dard

s an

d ha

ve r

egul

ar a

cces

s to

op

portu

nitie

s fo

r pr

ofes

sion

al

deve

lopm

ent.

Rel

evan

ce

of

publ

ic

train

ing

is

enha

nced

th

roug

h fo

rmal

lin

ks

betw

een

mos

t tra

inin

g in

stitu

tions

, in

dust

ry

and

rese

arch

in

stitu

tions

, le

adin

g to

sign

ifica

nt c

olla

bora

tion

in

aw

ide

rang

e of

are

as;

head

s an

d in

stru

ctor

s ar

e re

crui

ted

on t

he b

asis

of

m

inim

um

acad

emic

an

d pr

ofes

sion

al

stan

dard

s an

d ha

ve

regu

lar

acce

ss

to

dive

rse

oppo

rtuni

ties

for

prof

essi

onal

de

velo

pmen

t, in

clud

ing

indu

stry

at

tach

men

ts fo

r ins

truct

ors.

MOLD

OVA

WORK

FORC

EDE

VELO

PMEN

TSA

BERCO

UNTR

YRE

PORT

|20

13

SYSTEM

SAP

PROAC

HFO

RBE

TTER

EDUCA

TIONRE

SULTS

47

Func

tiona

l Dim

ensi

on 3

: Ser

vice

Del

iver

y

Polic

yG

oal

Lev

el o

f Dev

elop

men

t

Lat

ent

Em

ergi

ng

Est

ablis

hed

Adv

ance

d

G9: Enhancing Evidence-based Accountability for Results

Ther

e ar

e no

spe

cific

dat

a co

llect

ion

and

repo

rting

re

quire

men

ts,

but

train

ing

prov

ider

s m

aint

ain

thei

r ow

n da

taba

ses;

the

gove

rnm

ent d

oes

not

cond

uct

or

spon

sor

skill

s-re

late

d su

rvey

s or

im

pact

eva

luat

ions

and

ra

rely

us

es

data

to

m

onito

r an

d im

prov

e sy

stem

per

form

ance

.

Trai

ning

pro

vide

rs c

olle

ct a

nd r

epor

t ad

min

istr

ativ

e da

taan

d th

ere

are

sign

ifica

nt g

aps

in r

epor

ting

by n

on-

stat

e pr

ovid

ers;

so

me

publ

ic

prov

ider

s is

sue

annu

al re

ports

and

the

gove

rnm

ent o

ccas

iona

lly s

pons

ors

or

cond

ucts

ski

lls-r

elat

ed s

urve

ys;

the

gove

rnm

ent

does

no

t co

nsol

idat

e da

tain

a s

yste

m-w

ide

data

base

and

us

esm

ostly

adm

inis

trat

ive

data

to

mon

itor

and

impr

ove

syst

em

perf

orm

ance

; th

e go

vern

men

t pu

blis

hes

info

rmat

ion

on

grad

uate

la

bor

mar

ket

outc

omes

fo

r so

me

train

ing

prog

ram

s.

Trai

ning

pro

vide

rs c

olle

ct a

nd r

epor

t ad

min

istr

ativ

e an

d ot

her

data

(e.

g.,

job

plac

emen

t st

atis

tics,

earn

ings

of

grad

uate

s) a

nd th

ere

are

som

e ga

ps in

re

porti

ng

by

non-

stat

e pr

ovid

ers;

m

ost

publ

ic p

rovi

ders

iss

ue i

nter

nal

annu

al r

epor

ts a

nd t

he g

over

nmen

t ro

utin

ely

spon

sors

sk

ills-

rela

ted

surv

eys;

the

gove

rnm

ent c

onso

lidat

es

data

in a

sys

tem

-wid

e da

taba

se a

nd

uses

adm

inis

trat

ive

data

an

d in

form

atio

n fr

om s

urve

ys to

mon

itor

and

impr

ove

syst

em p

erfo

rman

ce; t

he

gove

rnm

ent p

ublis

hes

info

rmat

ion

on

grad

uate

lab

or m

arke

t ou

tcom

es f

or

num

erou

s tra

inin

g pr

ogra

ms.

Trai

ning

pro

vide

rs c

olle

ct a

nd r

epor

t ad

min

istr

ativ

e an

d ot

her

data

(e.g

., jo

b pl

acem

ent

stat

istic

s, ea

rnin

gs o

f gr

adua

tes)

and

ther

e ar

e fe

w g

aps

in

repo

rting

by

no

n-st

ate

prov

ider

s;

mos

tpu

blic

pro

vide

rs is

sue

publ

icly

av

aila

ble

annu

al

repo

rts

and

the

gove

rnm

ent

rout

inel

y sp

onso

rs

or

cond

ucts

sk

ills-

rela

ted

surv

eys

and

impa

ct e

valu

atio

ns;

the

gove

rnm

ent

cons

olid

ates

dat

a in

a s

yste

m-w

ide,

up

to

da

te

data

base

an

d us

es

adm

inis

trat

ive

data

, in

form

atio

n fr

om

surv

eys

and

impa

ct

eval

uatio

ns t

o m

onito

r an

d im

prov

e sy

stem

per

form

ance

; the

gov

ernm

ent

publ

ishe

s in

form

atio

n on

gr

adua

te

labo

r m

arke

t ou

tcom

es

for

mos

ttra

inin

g pr

ogra

ms o

nlin

e.



Annex 4: References and Informants

References1. Association of Private ICT Companies of Moldova. 2009.White Book of the ICT Sector in Moldova, Chisinau.2. Association of Private ICT Companies of Moldova. 2010.White Book of the ICT Sector in Moldova, Chisinau.3. Association of Private ICT Companies of Moldova. 2012. Report on the Activity of Association of the ICT Private

Companies in 2012. Available at http://www.ict.md/files/ATIC_Raport_Anual_2012.pdf. Last accessed February 18,2014.

4. Cheianu Andrei Diana, Gramma Rodica, Milicenco Stela, Pritac Valentina, Rusnac Virginia and Vaculovschi Dorin.2011. Specific Needs of the Children and Elderly Left Behind by Labor Migrants, Chisinau.

5. Foreign Investors Association of Moldova. 2009. White Book 2009. Proposals for Improvement of the InvestmentClimate in Moldova. Available at http://fia.md/images/white_book_2009_eng.pdf. Last accessed February 18, 2014.

6. Government of Republic of Moldova. 2006. Decision no.302 of 23/03/2006 on Creation of the National CoordinatorCouncil for the Secondary Professional Education, Chisinau.

7. Government of Republic of Moldova. 2011. Activity Program ‘European Integration: Freedom, Democracy,Wellbeing’ 2011 2014, Chisinau.

8. Government of Republic of Moldova. 2013. Decision no.97 of 1 of February 2013 on approval of the Strategy forDevelopment of Vocational and Technical Education for the Period 2013 2020, Chisinau.

9. Government of the Republic of Moldova. 2003. Decision no.1080 of 05 of September 2003 on approval of Regulationfor Organization of Professional Training of Unemployed, Chisinau.

10. Government of the Republic of Moldova. 2008. Decisions no.1265 of 14 of November 2008 on Regulation of theMinistry of Finance Activity, Chisinau.

11. Government of the Republic of Moldova. 2009. Decision no.653 of 06 of November 2009 on approval of Regulation,Structure and Personnel of the Central Staff of the Ministry of Education, Chisinau.

12. Government of the Republic of Moldova. 2009. Decision no.691 of 17 of November 2009 on approval of Regulation,Structure and Personnel of the Central Staff of the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family, Chisinau.

13. IMF, World Economic Outlook Database, April 2013.14. Ministry of Education of the Republic of Moldova. 1995. Informative Note to Legislative Initiative for Amending the

Education Law no.547 of 21/07/1995. Available at http://particip.gov.md/public/documente/137/ro_845_Notainformativa.pdf. Last accessed February 18, 2014.

15. Ministry of Education of the Republic of Moldova. 2000. Decision of the Collegial Body of the Ministry of Educationno.22/8 of 06 of June 2000 on approval of Regulation for Organization of the Internship and Apprenticeship Activityof the Trainees of the Secondary Professional Education Institutions, Chisinau.

16. Ministry of Education of the Republic of Moldova. 2003. Order no.120 of 23 of March 2003 on Regulation ofAdmission to the Secondary Professional Education Institutions in Moldova, Chisinau.

17. Ministry of Education of the Republic of Moldova. 2004. Decision of the Collegial Body of the Ministry of Educationno.3.7 of 4 of March 2004 on the approval of the Framework Regulation of the Post Secondary Non TertiaryEducation Institute (College) in Moldova, Chisinau.

18. Ministry of Education of the Republic of Moldova. 2004. Order no.121 of 23 of March 2004 on Approval ofRegulation for Organization of the Graduation Exams on Professional Qualification in the Vocational School,Chisinau.



19. Ministry of Education of the Republic of Moldova. 2010. Order of Minister of Education no.762 of 12 of October 2010on the Regulation Regarding Hiring of the Schools Directors, Chisinau.

20. Ministry of Education of the Republic of Moldova. 2010. Secondary Professional Education Competencies Adaptedto the Labor Market. Public Policy Document. Available at http://edu.gov.md/file/PPP2%20varianta%20%20finalacompetente%20adaptate%20pentru%20piata%20muncii.doc. Last accessed February 18, 2014.

21. Ministry of Education of the Republic of Moldova. 2011. Activity Report for the Year 2011. Available athttp://edu.gov.md/file/Raport%20activitate%20ME_2011(1).pdf. Last accessed February 18, 2014.

22. Ministry of Education of the Republic of Moldova. 2012. Activity Report for the Year 2012. Available athttp://edu.md/file/Raportul%20ME%20_2012.pdf, Last accessed February 18, 2014.

23. Ministry of Education of the Republic of Moldova. 2012. Concept for Non Formal and Informal Education ValidationSystem. Available at http://particip.gov.md/public/documente/137/ro_662_Conceptia sistemului de validare.doc.Last accessed February 18, 2014.

24. Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family of the Republic of Moldova, National Agency for Labor Employment.2013. 2013 Labor Market Forecast. Available at http://anofm.md/files/elfinder/Docs/prognoza/PROGNOZA PIETIIMUNCII 2013 web.pdf. Last accessed February 18, 2014.

25. Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family of the Republic of Moldova. Study on the Needs of Staff withSecondary Professional, Post secondary Professional and University Education for 2011 2016. Assessment tablesavailable at http://mpsfc.gov.md/md/studii/. Last accessed February 18, 2014.

26. Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family, Ministry of Education of the Republic of Moldova. 2013.Occupational Standards for Painter, Confectioner, Viticulturist and Locksmith plumber. Available athttp://mmpsf.gov.md/md/docum_int/. Last accessed February 18, 2014.

27. National Agency for Labor Employment of the Republic of Moldova. 2013. Barometer of Professions for 2013.Available at http://anofm.md/files/elfinder/Docs/prognoza/poster barometru PPM 2013.pdf. Last accessedFebruary 18, 2014.

28. National Agency for Labor Employment. 2013. Activity Report for 2012. Available athttp://anofm.md/files/elfinder/Docs/rapoarte/Raport%20anofm%202013.pdf. Last accessed February 18, 2014.

29. National Bureau of Statistics. 2013. Education in the Republic of Moldova. Statistical Edition 2012/2013. Available athttp://www.statistica.md/public/files/publicatii_electronice/Educatia/Educatia_RM_2013.pdf. Last accessedFebruary 18, 2014.

30. National Bureau of Statistics. Editions for Years 2008 2012. Labor Force Market in Republic of Moldova. Available athttp://www.statistica.md/pageview.php?l=ro&idc=263&id=2203. Last accessed February 18, 2014.

31. National Confederation of Employers of the Republic of Moldova. 2013. Key Constraints on the Business Environmentin Moldova, Chisinau.

32. National Confederation of Employers of the Republic of Moldova. 2013. 7 Obstacles for Business Climate in theRepublic of Moldova, Chisinau.

33. O’Sullivan J., Gremalschi A., and Sedelkov A. 2012. ICT Education in Moldova: Meeting Industry Need. Agenda forAction, Chisinau.

34. Parliament of Moldova. 1995. Law of Republic of Moldova no.547 of 21 of July 1995 on Education, Monitorul Oficial,Chisinau.

35. Parliament of Moldova. 2000. Law of Republic of Moldova no.1129 of 07 of July 2000 on Trade Unions, MonitorulOficial, Chisinau.

36. Parliament of Moldova. 2000. Law of Republic of Moldova no.976 of 11 of May 2000 on Employers Unions, MonitorulOficial, Chisinau.



37. Parliament of Moldova. 2003. Labor Code of Republic of Moldova, no.154 of 28 of March 2003, Monitorul Oficial,Chisinau.

38. Parliament of Moldova. 2003. Law of Republic of Moldova no.102 of 13 of March 2003 on Labor Employment andSocial Protection of Job Searching Persons, Monitorul Oficial, Chisinau.

39. Parliament of Moldova. 2005. Law of Republic of Moldova no.355 of 23 of December 2005 on Wage System in theBudgetary Sector, Monitorul Oficial, Chisinau.

40. Parliament of Moldova. 2008. Law of Republic of Moldova no.239 of 13 of November 2008 on Transparency of theDecision Making Process, Monitorul Oficial, Chisinau.

41. Parliament of Moldova. 2012. Law of Republic of Moldova no.166 of 11 of July 2012 on Approval of the NationalDevelopment Strategy ‘Moldova 2020: Seven Solutions for Development of Moldova’, Monitorul Oficial, Chisinau.

42. Popa A., Kolyshko R., Popova N., Panzica F. 2012. Research and Analysis on Vacancies and Skills Needs in EU, in theMain Migration Destination Countries and in Moldova and Ukraine. ILO.

43. Popa Ana and Oprunenco Alex. 2010. Moldova’s Economic Growth Constraints Analysis, Expert Grup, Moldova,Chisinau.

44. Prohni chi, Valeriu and Lupu or, Adrian. 2013 (unpublished). Options for Using Migrants Remittances and Savings forthe Development of the Republic of Moldova, UNDP/IOM, Chisinau. Available athttp://www.md.undp.org/content/dam/moldova/docs/Publications/Study%20on%20options%20regarding%20remittances%20in%20Moldova%20(version%204.0).pdf Last accessed February 18, 2014.

45. Schneider F., Buehn A., Montenegro C. 2010. Shadow Economies All over the World. Policy Research Working Paper5356, World Bank, Washington DC.

46. Varzari V., Tejada G., Porcescu S., Bolay J. 2013. Skilled Migration and Development Practices; Republic of Moldovaand the Countries of South East Europe, Impressum S.R.L., Chisinau

47. World Bank. 2012. Skills, Not Just Diplomas: Managing Education for Results in Eastern Europe and Central Asia,Washington DC.

48. World Bank. 2013.Migration and Development Brief: Migration and Remittances Flows: Recent Trends and Outlook,2013 2016, Washington DC.

49. World Bank. 2013. What Matters in Workforce Development: A Framework and Tool for Analysis. SABER WorkingPaper Series #6, Washington DC. Available at http://www.worldbank.org/education/saber. Last accessed February18, 2014.

50. World Bank. 2014. Back to Work: Growing with Jobs in Europe and Central Asia, Washington DC.

List of informantsMaya Sandu, Minister of Education of Republic of MoldovaLoreta Handrabura, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education of Republic of MoldovaRaisa Dogaru, Deputy Head of the National Agency for EmploymentNatalia Garvrilita, Head of the Cabinet of the Minister of Education of Republic of MoldovaVladislav Caminschi, Head of Unit of International and Internal Relations, National Confederation of Employersof MoldovaEmilia Malairau, Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in MoldovaDinu Armasu, Executive Director of the Foreign Investors Association in MoldovaAna Chirita, Executive Director, Association of ICT companies of MoldovaMihai Maciuca, Former Head of the National College for Viticulture and WinemakingAnatol Gremalschi, Programs Director, Institute for Public PolicyEugenia Veverita, Moldova Education Reform Project Coordinator, Ministry of Education



Larisa Efros, Senior Specialist, Secondary and Post Secondary Vocation Education Department, Ministry ofEducationOleg Bezrucico, Project Coordinator, Institute for Development of Professional CapacitiesRaisa Surugiu, Head of the Trades School No. 2 of ChisinauIlie Paduret, Head of the Professional School No. 8 of ChisinauGabriel Palade, Head of the Moldovan Financial Banking CollegeConstantin Nesterenco, Head of the Agricultural College of Soroca

Annex 5: SABER WfD ScoresPolicy Goal Policy Action Topic

Dimen

sion

1

2.0

G1 2.0 Provide sustained advocacy for WfD at the top leadership level 2.0G1_T1 2.0G1_T2 2.0

G2 1.8

Establish clarity on the demand for skills and areas of critical constraint 2.5G2_T1 2.0G2_T2 3.0

Engage employers in setting WfD priorities and in enhancing skillsupgrading for workers 1.3

G2_T3 2.0G2_T4 1.0G2_T5 1.0

G3 2.3 Formalize key WfD roles for coordinated action on strategic priorities 2.3

G3_T1 3.0G3_T2 2.0G3_T3 2.0

Dimen

sion

2

1.5

G4 1.4

Provide stable funding for effective programs in initial, continuing andtargeted vocational education and training 1.7

G4_T1 infoG4_T2 2.0G4_T3 1.0G4_T4 2.0

Monitor and enhance equity in funding for training 1.3

G4_T5_IVET 1.0G4_T5_CVET 1.0G4_T5_ALMP 2.0

Facilitate sustained partnerships between training institutions andemployers 1.0 G4_T6 1.0

G5 1.5

Broaden the scope of competency standards as a basis for developingqualifications frameworks 1.5

G5_T1 2.0G5_T2 1.0

Establish protocols for assuring the credibility of skills testing andcertification 1.7

G5_T3 1.0G5_T4 3.0G5_T5 2.0

Develop and enforce accreditation standards for maintaining the qualityof training provision 3.0

G5_T6 infoG5_T7 1.0G5_T8 1.0G5_T9 1.0

G6 1.5

Promote educational progression and permeability through multiplepathways, including for TVET students 1.5

G6_T1 2.0G6_T2 1.0

Strengthen the system for skills certification and recognition 1.5G6_T3 2.0G6_T4 1.0

Enhance support for skills acquisition by workers, job seekers and thedisadvantaged 1.5

G6_T5 2.0G6_T6 1.0



Dimen

sion

3

1.9

G7 2.4

Encourage and regulate non state provision of training 2.5

G7_T1 3.0G7_T2 2.0G7_T3 3.0G7_T4 2.0

Combine incentives and autonomy in the management of public traininginstitutions 2.4

G7_T5 1.8G7_T6 3.0G7_T7 2.3

G8 1.7

Integrate industry and expert input into the design and delivery ofpublic training programs 1.7

G8_T1 2.5G8_T2 1.0G8_T3 1.0G8_T4 2.0

Recruit and support administrators and instructors for enhancing themarket relevance of public training programs 1.8

G8_T5 2.0G8_T6 1.5

G9 1.7 Expand the availability and use of policy relevant data for focusingproviders' attention on training outcomes, efficiency and innovation 1.7

G9_T1 2.5G9_T2 1.5G9_T3 1.0

Annex 6: Authorship and AcknowledgementsThis report is the product of collaboration between Valeriu Prohni chi, who accomplished this task as independenteconomic consultant, and Anna Olefir from the Republic of Moldova World Bank Country office, as well as Jee Peng Tanand Viviana Marcela Gomez Venegas, leader and member/s, respectively, of the SABER WfD team based in theEducation Department of the Human Development Network. Valeriu Prohni chi collected the data using the SABER WfDdata collection instrument, prepared initial drafts of the report, and together with the World Bank team finalized thereport; the Bank team also scored the data, designed the template for the report and made substantive contributions tothe final write up. This report has also benefited from comments and suggestions of Indhira Santos and Johannes Koettl(Senior Economists of the World Bank), Abla Safir (Young Professional at the World Bank) as well as feedback receivedduring the Validation Workshop organized on 27 of June from Valentina Postolachi (National Confederation ofEmployers of Moldova), Octavian Vasilachi (Head of VET Division, Ministry of Education of Republic of Moldova), SergheiCebotari (National Confederation of Trade Unions of Moldova), Eugenia Veverita (Education Reform Project Coordinator,Ministry of Education), Anatol Gremalschi (Institute for Public Policy), Elena Buzu (American Chamber of Commerce inRepublic of Moldova), Elena Terzi (National Council for Participation), and Nina Punga (Head of Division Human ResourceDevelopment, Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family of Republic of Moldova).

The research team acknowledges the support of all who have contributed to the report and its findings, includinginformants, survey respondents, participants at various consultation workshops, as well as other members of the SABERWfD team at the World Bank: Rita Costa, Ryan Flynn, Rijak Grover, and Kiong Hock Lee. The research team gratefullyacknowledges the generous financial support of the Government of the United Kingdom through its Department ofInternational Development’s Partnership for Education Development with the World Bank, which makes it possible forHDNED’s SABER WfD team to provide technical support to the principal investigator in the form of standardized tools forand guidance on data collection, analysis, and reporting.



www.worldbank.org/education/saber

The Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) initiativeproduces comparative data and knowledge on education policies andinstitutions, with the aim of helping countries systematicallystrengthen their education systems. SABER evaluates the quality ofeducation policies against evidence based global standards, using newdiagnostic tools and detailed policy data. The SABER country reportsgive all parties with a stake in educational results—fromadministrators, teachers, and parents to policymakers and businesspeople—an accessible, objective snapshot showing how well thepolicies of their country's education system are oriented towardensuring that all children and youth learn.

This report focuses specifically on policies in the area of workforcedevelopment.

This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, andconclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, orthe governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. Theboundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on thepart of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.

Documents

MOLDOVA WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Moldovawbgfiles.worldbank.org/documents/hdn/ed/saber/supporting...Framework—Moldova is rated at the Emerging level of development (score 2.0 out of