8. Strategic plan for quality development

Quality assurance is provided by the interaction between objectives and framework conditions which are laid down by central government and freedom to act at local level. In 1995 the Ministry of Education published a "Strategic Plan for systematic quality development and effect assessment in the vocational college sector".

The programme constitutes a framework plan by the Ministry and comprises the college level as well as the interaction between the social partners on various levels, involving the Ministry itself. The strategic plan represents a systematic approach. It covers all fields of activity that contribute towards improved quality. Moreover, it promotes a coherent approach since it integrates most of the management instruments applied in vocational education and training.

Since the VET system is continuously being reformed and new approaches are required, only a "snapshot" evaluation can be made. Consequently, the snapshot will only focus on whether quality meets current and anticipated requirements of the labour market rather than whether it meets standards defined in the past.

Every college is obliged to introduce a mechanism for quality assurance. In the framework of the self-assessment process in vocational colleges, questions covering strategically selected fields have to be answered. In principle, these questions cover all school activities that are critical to quality assurance.

Answering these questions requires the individual college to have a clear plan and systematic methods to respond to changing demands. All 115 vocational colleges today have a quality assurance programme which is mainly focused on the input side.

Even though the responses to the questionnaire are forwarded to all vocational colleges, this does not necessarily mean that they have the status of a "response catalogue". The material serves primarily as a guideline and food for thought - based on the assumption that it is neither possible nor desirable to prescribe a definite concept with methods, objectives and values for vocational education and training.

Quality assurance programmes in the VET sector are currently being intensified. In the next few years, new instruments will be implemented: benchmarking will be introduced on a national level, greater emphasis will be put on quality control of output and external auditing will also be introduced. At present, performance parameters are under consideration.

The quality issue is given top priority, and in 1999 the Danish government established a new national evaluation centre which will cover all educational establishments in Denmark.

Denne side indgår i publikationen "New structure of the Danish Vocational Education and Training System" som kapitel 8 af 8
© Undervisningsministeriet 2000