6.4. Optimizando Zernike sobre Kepler
6.5.6. Recursividad frente a Hyper-Q en métodos directos
Existing conditions for education leading to recognised qualifications offer only limited opportunities for adults, because they are mostly based on educational programmes lasting several years, which is difficult for some learners or their employers to accept. This reduces the take up of adult education, so that adults make up only a fraction of the total number of learners at schools: approximately 8% in upper secondary schools, 10% in post-secondary tech- nical schools, and 10% in higher education institutions. These proportions should increase in coming years. There- fore, we suggest facilitating access to such education for adults. In addition to existing long-term educational programmes, adults will also be able to study (and have recognised) shorter sections of educational programmes (e.g. on a modular basis), and knowledge and skills, which adults have acquired outside formal education will be taken into account and rec- ognised as well. We further suggest removing quantitative regulation of extension studies leading to the final exami- nation (“maturitní zkouška”) and intended for graduates from vocational training. This regulation is one of the seri- ous administrative barriers to access to education. Adult ed- ucation leading to a recognised qualification should offer a second chance for those who for various reasons did not achieve this level of education earlier. The Ministry of Edu- cation should be responsible for these tasks, in collabora- tion with schools, their associations and its institutes.
The access of adults to education leading to a general ed- ucational qualification could and should be facilitated by several other measures. First of all, distance education should be more generally used. We suggest that the Ministry of Ed- ucation, in co-operation with the institutions mentioned above, should rapidly support a broadening of the offer of distance education provided by upper secondary and post- secondary schools, higher education institutions and other providers.
In efforts to extend adult studies leading to general qual- ifications, we further suggest that the Ministry of Educa- tion should give schools which provide this type of educa- tion an increase in basic subsidy per student, by at least one third.
Access of adults to this education could then be facilitat- ed by a stipulation of paid leave for education, which employ- ers would give their employees to an extent to be agreed on in joint tripartite negotiations by state representatives, employers and trade unions. We suggest that the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is entrusted with this task.
4. Continuing Vocational Education
The largest part of adult education is continuing vocational education. Its significance, quality and quantity have the greatest influence on adult education as a whole and its effectiveness in economy. Although some companies and sectors in the Czech Republic have an excellent level of human resource development, the average scope of further vocational education is markedly lower than in European Union countries and the gap between the Czech Republic and the European union is in fact widening.One aspect of further vocational education is created by regulated (i.e. obligatory) continuing vocational education, which is a prerequisite for certain specialist activities (e.g. specific electrical work, operation of pressure tanks, but also specific medical work). Responsibility for obligatory vocational education should lie with the relevant sector bodies (ministries) or professional bodies.
The largest area of (non-obligatory) continuing vocational education has the biggest impact on capability to innovate and therefore special attention should be paid to it. It is the area where we consider the introduction of effective in- centives for employers to stimulate them to invest more in their employees’ education to be the most urgent. We suggest out- lining the concrete form of the conditions in tripartite nego- tiations between state representatives, employers and trade unions, including whether the incentives will be based on tax relief, on the adjustment of payroll taxes, on obligatory transfers or other principles. The experience of countries in which such incentives are applied successfully should be taken into account, as well as the specific conditions in the Czech Republic. Incentives for employers should be devel- oped in parallel with the preparation and implementation of the other incentives mentioned above. The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs should be responsible for this, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
Concern for human resource development both at company and sectoral or regional levels is still insufficiently devel- oped in this country. Managers would sometimes prefer
to invest in ‘technology’ than in ‘people’. Therefore, we suggest that projects focusing on innovative approaches in human resource development and on the dissemination of positive experience should receive greater support from na- tional, regional and sectoral bodies in the future.
5. Retraining
Retraining is a most significant form of education for job ap- plicants registered in Labour Offices, and employed people, usually those threatened by unemployment, can also take part in it. Retraining, as one of the measures of active em- ployment policy, makes a significant contribution to in- creasing the rate of employment, because around 70% of those completing such schemes find a job. Although the numbers of participants in retraining courses has risen in recent years, only about 5% of job applicants attend them, while the majority passively receive unemployment bene- fits, which is negative from the point of view both of the state and the job seekers themselves.
Therefore, we suggest increasing the numbers participating in retraining schemes, mainly through the following meas- ures:
– an increase in the volume of funding earmarked for active employment policy (this measure has been implemented since the National Employment Plan was approved last year)
– broadening of retraining programmes focusing on specif- ic groups of job applicants (e.g. school leavers, women, handicapped persons, people without qualifications, etc.)
– strengthening of the profit motive of job applicants to un- dertake retraining, by increasing the difference between the level of unemployment benefit for those on retraining courses, and those who are not
– improvement in information and guidance activities, fo- cusing on increasing the willingness of job applicants to attend retraining courses.
These measures should be carried out by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, which has already put some of them into practice. Greater involvement of upper secondary vocational and technical, post-secondary technical schools and higher education institutions in retraining could help to in- crease the numbers of participants in retraining courses. Schools’ commitment to retraining should be better ap-
praised by education, local and regional authorities. The Ministry of Education should make it possible for appli- cants who are not registered at Labour Offices, whether they are employed or not, to take part in retraining courses.