Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142) - Czechia (Ratification: 1993)

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2023, published 112nd ILC session (2024)

Article 1(5) of the Convention. Formulation and implementation of education and training policies and programmes. The Committee notes with interest the Government’s efforts in implementing various educational projects and activities. These initiatives include the successful completion of the Modernisation of Vocational Education (MVE) Project, with six partial objectives achieved in 43 education fields across 105 Secondary Vocational Education schools. The Government has also taken steps to enhance counselling and vocational guidance, exemplified by the Education Policy Strategy and the Support to Regional Action Planning project. Additionally, the Master Examination project seeks to improve further education and recognition of craftsmanship. The Long-term Plan for Education and Development of the Education System, in collaboration with employers and ministries, focuses on upgrading the education system, especially tertiary vocational education. Innovative teaching methods, like “Man and the Digital World” and “Education in Information and Communication Technologies,” have been introduced. The Framework Educational Programmes of Secondary Vocational Education (FEP SVE) was updated to better link with the National Register of Qualifications (NSK) and professional education, requiring educators to adapt their programs. Government Decrees were amended to provide certificates of apprenticeship and school-leaving examinations in complementary fields of secondary education. During the COVID-19 pandemic, distance learning and online counselling services were implemented to address school closures. Various career counselling measures and initiatives, such as Infoabsolvent.cz and the National Pedagogical Institute, have been put in place to support individuals throughout their education and training journey, with detailed information and statistics provided. Moreover, the Government has been actively supporting educational and career counsellors at primary and secondary schools, organizing educational events and training courses to improve their knowledge and performance in counselling. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information, including statistical information, on the impact of the above measures as well as of future measures related to vocational guidance and training, notably in the context of the major transformations occurring in labour markets and the world of work and the importance of human resources development policies to harness the benefits of these transformations and prevent detrimental employment outcomes through improved access to vocational guidance, education, training and lifelong learning.

Articles 1(5) and 3. Equality of opportunity. Extension of systems of vocational guidance to specific groups of workers. The Government refers to the implementation of the Upskilling project, focusing on the needs of priority groups, including early school leavers and those with low education levels. It also refers to a PIAAC survey for the period 2022–23, assessing the key skills of the adult population (16–65 years) in terms of employability. The Government also states its commitment to promoting equal opportunities in employment policy, adherence to non-discrimination laws and launching projects to eliminate prejudices in career decision-making for women, particularly in the engineering field. The National Register of Qualifications has modified professional qualifications to promote gender balance. Information materials and brochures have been created to inform career counsellors about opportunities for women in engineering. Regarding persons with disabilities, the Government refers to a project supporting their employment by providing counselling and developing cooperation between stakeholders. Set to end in January 2023, this project has already benefited a significant number of individuals. The Government has also developed retraining programs to help job seekers adapt to labor market requirements, with many participants successfully completing their training. The Committee welcomes the measures to encourage young women to engage in engineering and requests ongoing detailed information on efforts to promote women’s vocational skills across all sectors and equal access to vocational guidance and training for specific groups of workers facing employment challenges, including young individuals, persons with disabilities, rural workers, and those in the informal economy.

Article 5. Cooperation of employers’ and workers’ organizations. The Government highlights cooperation with social partners, emphasizing the role of Advisory Councils in coordinating state policies and fostering collaboration between various educational institutions, labour offices, and employers. This cooperation between Advisory Councils, the Labour Office, public and private organizations allows shaping policies and strategies, including the Education Policy Strategy until 2030+ and retraining projects like “Increasing the quality and efficiency of the system of further education with employers (Kvasar).” Observing the crucial role of participatory policymaking and implementation in the area of human resources development, the Committee requests the Government to continue sharing information about collaboration with employers’ and workers’ organizations and other stakeholders in the development and execution of vocational guidance and training policies and programs, including the Long-term Plan for Education and Development of the Education System.

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2019, published 109th ILC session (2021)

Article 1(5) of the Convention. Formulation and implementation of education and training policies and programmes. The Committee notes with interest the detailed information provided by the Government on the various policies and vocational guidance programmes, including the Long-term Plan for Education and the Development of the Education System in the Czech Republic 2015–20 (DMI 2015–20), approved by Government resolution No. 277 of 15 April 2015. The DMI 2015–20 is based on the prior long-term plan and, in line with the Strategy for the Education Policy in the Czech Republic by 2020, sets out the main objectives for regional education, which include support for secondary vocational education. The Government indicates that the objectives of the 2020 Strategy include the provision of individualized career counselling for young people and adults wanting to return to formal or further education, modernization of the vocational training system to enhance the development of knowledge, skills and competencies, including through increased practical training, as well as systemic use of internships and social partnerships between schools and employers to facilitate the transition from school to work. Moreover, the Committee notes the incentives provided to employers by the Government, in particular the 2015 amendment to the income tax, which introduced tax breaks for companies engaged in the provision of education in vocational schools. In addition, the Government has implemented the Modernisation of Vocational Training (MVT) project, which seeks to enhance the quality of vocational education in secondary school through educational programmes and increasing employers’ participation in the formation of the curriculum. The Government indicates that, pursuant to Act No. 179/2006 Coll; a system of verification and recognition of knowledge and skills acquired outside of the education system, including through informal education, is being established in cooperation with professional organizations. The Government indicates that employers’ representatives were involved in the development of the National Qualification System (NQS) through a network of sector councils, adding that 1,234 professional qualifications were established in the NQS as of June 2018. The Government reports that, in 2017, the Master Examination System project of the National Institute for Education (NIE) was launched. The project aims to set up a system for the recognition of handicrafts by providing the possibility of acquiring a master’s qualification certificate in the same manner as a certificate of professional qualifications. The Committee notes the detailed information provided by the Government on the vocational guidance system and career counselling within the framework of school education, including lifelong career counselling through the “Man and the World of Work” project, as well as career counselling provided at the Career Counselling Centre (CCC) of the NIE. The Government reports that the CCC provides vocational guidance for school leavers, persons with disabilities, minorities and other disadvantaged groups. The Government reports that the Framework Educational Programme (FEP) was also launched in 2017, with the objective of supporting lifelong learning and skills development for students. In the context of career consultancy, the Committee notes that, in the first half of 2018, the Information and Consultancy Centres (ICCs) organized 2,705 events for a total of 18,908 jobseekers, students and parents. In addition, the Employment Office of the Czech Republic (EOCR) organized information meetings on the subject of retraining and other forms of active employment policy measures for 53,223 persons. Moreover, 86,906 persons benefited from individual vocational guidance. In addition, in 2018, 1,450 persons benefited from 160 consultancy programmes implemented as a part of the Job Club programme. The Government indicates that the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy provides retraining through the EOCR, with the aim of responding to regional market needs and addressing qualification gaps in the future labour market. The retraining system has been linked with the NQS, constituting a significant change that enables participants to obtain a complete professional qualification. Based on the demand of employers and jobseekers, the courses include: driving, welding, engineering, computer literacy, accounting and social services. In order to provide additional incentives for retraining, EOCR funds selected retraining courses that cater to individual needs as well as covering the cost of retraining employees. In 2017, EOCR funds supported retraining for 18,174 persons. The Committee requests the Government to provide updated, detailed information, including statistics disaggregated by age and sex, on the impact of the vocational guidance and training policies and programmes implemented. Moreover, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on the manner in which it ensures women’s access to training in non-female-dominated professions. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information on the results of the Modernisation of Vocational Training project and progress made in respect of the development and impact of the Framework Educational Programme (FEP). In addition, the Committee reiterates its prior request that the Government provide extracts from reports, studies and inquiries and statistical data relating to the matters covered by the Convention (Part VI of the report form).

Articles 1(5) and 3. Equality of opportunity. Extension of systems of vocational guidance to specific groups of workers. The Committee notes the 2015 report of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD/C/CZE/CO/1), which took note of the high unemployment rate of persons with disabilities in the Czech Republic, observing that the unemployment rate of women with disabilities is higher than that of men with disabilities, and that close to one third of employed persons with disabilities work outside the labour market. The Committee further notes that, in its 2016 report (CEDAW/C/CZ/CO/6), the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women took note of the concentration of women in traditionally female-dominated professions and in the informal economy in the Czech Republic. In its 1991 General Survey on human resources development, paragraphs 285–286, the Committee noted that vocational guidance plays a decisive role in the promotion of equal opportunity, and that it is possible through vocational guidance services to overcome stereotypes limiting choice of occupation, for example through programmes to encourage women to follow training courses traditionally available only to men. The Committee recalls that the Convention provides that the national policies and programmes of vocational guidance and vocational training, closely linked to employment, shall encourage all persons, on an equal basis and without any discrimination whatsoever, to develop and use their capabilities for work in their own interests and in accordance with their own aspirations, account being taken of the needs of society (Article 1(5)). Information and guidance provided shall cover, inter alia, the choice of occupation, vocational training and employment prospects (Article 3(2)). Noting the importance of vocational guidance, vocational education and training to facilitate access to the labour market, particularly to decent jobs, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on the manner in which it ensures that specific groups of workers who encounter difficulties in obtaining employment, such as young persons, women and persons with disabilities, enjoy equal access to vocational guidance, education and training opportunities. In particular, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on measures taken or envisaged for the provision of vocational guidance, education and training that enables both men and women, including those belonging to specific disadvantaged groups, to access the labour market (including in non-traditional sectors of the economy).

Article 5. Cooperation of employers’ and workers’ organizations. In its 2013 direct request, the Committee requested the Government to provide information regarding the manner in which the cooperation of employers’ and workers’ organizations and other interested bodies is ensured in relation to the formulation and implementation of vocational guidance and vocational training policies and programmes, including the National Register of Vocational Qualifications (NSK) and the International Competiveness Strategy for Czech Republic 2012–2020 (ICS). The Government indicates that the NSK, in which employers exercise decisive influence on the qualifications content, completed its second phase “NSK 2 – development and implementation of the NSK” in 2015. The system of retraining is currently being implemented as a follow-up to the NSK to align labour market needs with active employment policy tools. The Committee notes that, according to the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP), up to October 2017, 171,164 vocational qualification certifications had been issued to jobseekers and 1,359 authorizing bodies had been certified. The Government indicates that, from 2012 to 2015, it partnered with employers to implement a programme on “Supporting Cooperation between Schools and Companies with a Focus on Vocational Training in Practice”, which aimed to strengthen cooperation between schools and employers and facilitate the transition from school to work. The Committee notes that one of the objectives of the 2020 Strategy and the DMI 2015–2020 is to promote the development of social partnerships between schools and employers. The Committee recalls its 2018 observations on the application of the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122), in which it noted that the Czech Public Employment Service establishes advisory councils which meet at least twice a year and are composed of representatives of trade unions, employers’ organizations, cooperative bodies, organizations of persons with disabilities, the Czech Chamber of Commerce and self-governing territorial units, to coordinate the implementation of the employment policy and human resources development in their respective administrative districts. The Committee notes that the Government has not provided information on the implementation of the ICS. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the formulation and implementation of vocational guidance and vocational training policies and programmes, including the ICS, and to indicate the manner in which these are carried out in cooperation with employers’ and workers’ organizations and other interested bodies, as required by the Convention. It also requests the Government to indicate the manner in which workers are consulted in the process of development of new policies, and to provide up-to-date information on the activities and the impact of the work of the advisory councils on human resources development in all areas of the country.

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2013, published 103rd ILC session (2014)

Article 1 of the Convention. Formulation and implementation of education and training policies and programmes. The Committee notes the Government’s detailed report received in September 2013 which includes information in reply to the 2011 observation. The Government indicates that the Strategy of Lifelong Learning has continued to be implemented and so far, two reports have been submitted to describe the status and course of the implementation of individual measures. The final report on implementation of the Strategy is due in 2015. The Committee notes the Government Resolution No. 836 of 16 November 2011 which approved the Long-Term Policy Objectives of Education and Development of the Education System in the Czech Republic (2011–15). The long-term objectives describe the main reform steps together with further measures aimed at enhancing the quality of education. It also states that an information system should be developed to promote qualified decision-making concerning the selection of a profession and the relevant education path. In reply to the Committee’s previous comments, the Government indicates that vocational guidance and vocational training policies have been the subject of close collaboration between the Ministries of Education and Labour. Effective coordination with the public employment service is ensured, at the national level, by the fact that one section of the Ministry of Labour is responsible both for employment and vocational training policies, and at the local level through regional Information and Counselling Centres, which are established within structure of the Labour Office. The Centres provide services to pupils, students and jobseekers and other interested people. The Government indicates that vocational counselling is also, together with retraining, among the most used activities in the framework of individual action plans prepared for jobseekers registered at the labour office for more than five months. These plans take account of the jobseekers' personal history, employment situation and vocational opportunities in the region. In the 2009–12 period, vocational counselling mostly focused on groups with special needs and groups at risk of long-term unemployment (young persons, persons with disabilities, workers with low skills or competences, older workers and workers dismissed in the wake of the economic crisis). Furthermore, the Government describes a national project called ‘Support to Cooperation of Schools and Businesses Focused on Vocational Training in Practice’ (Pospolu), which is being implemented by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports with the National Education Institute as its partner. The project aims to support cooperation between secondary vocational schools and vocational apprentice centres and to enhance the vocational education quality. The project is financed by the European Social Fund and the State budget of the Czech Republic. The project will create models of school-employer cooperation, which will be further specified according to individual education branches. Based on the created cooperation models, the project will select at least 25 partnerships of schools and businesses to participate in a model evaluation process. Following an evaluation of the cooperation and verification of models, proposals of legislative and other systematic measures will be elaborated and amendments to support future cooperation of vocational schools and businesses in practice. The Committee invites the Government to provide in its next report information on the policies and programmes of vocational guidance and vocational training, including information on their implementation and outcomes. Please also include extracts from reports, studies and inquiries and statistical data relating to the matters covered by the Convention (Part VI of the report form).

Article 5. Cooperation of employers’ and workers’ organizations. The Government indicates that the National Register of Vocational Qualifications (NSK) is a state-guaranteed national system built on real requirements on work performance for individual occupations and job positions. The NSK defines requirements on professional competences for individual qualifications, notwithstanding the manner of acquisition thereof. Employers have a decisive influence on the qualifications content. In addition to public administration bodies, sectoral boards are involved in defining and implementing the qualifications. Sectoral boards are independent associations of experts organised by employers, acting in the sphere of human resources for all industries and branches. The NSK enables not only the identification, sorting and classification of qualifications but also their recognition and certification. The NSK does not replace the current qualification and education systems; it tries to act as an interlinking umbrella element, making the systems transparent. The Committee refers to its 2011 observation on the application of the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122), in which it noted that the International Competiveness Strategy for Czech Republic 2012–20 (ICS) aims at increasing the employment of certain population groups, such as older workers, women, people with low qualifications and young people. As part of the ICS, the Changes in the Content of Education Programme was implemented to change the educational system in order to help young persons acquire a wider range of skills and to motivate them to take part in lifelong learning. The Committee invites the Government to continue to provide information on the cooperation of employers’ and workers’ organizations and other interested bodies in the formulation and implementation of vocational guidance and vocational training policies and programmes, including on the NSK and the ICS with respect to the matters related to the Convention.

Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2011, published 101st ILC session (2012)

The Committee notes the Government’s report, received in March 2010, for the period ending in August 2009, including comments from the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions (CMKOS) and the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic.

Article 1 of the Convention. Formulation and implementation of education and training policies and programmes. The Government indicates that the Strategy of Lifelong Learning constitutes a comprehensive concept for lifelong learning to be promoted with European funds through the 2007–13 period. The Government further explains that the basic strategic directions of lifelong learning are defined on the basis of analysis of its current state of development in the country and that of its individual segments (initial general, technical and vocational, tertiary, further education). The strategy aims to remove barriers and to provide targeted support in order to allow lifelong learning to become a reality for everyone. CMKOS indicates that the Government’s report is confined only to the area of competence of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. CMKOS also indicates that Resolution No. 1670 of 21 December 2005 regarding the implementation of the Human Resources Development Strategy has been replaced by Resolution No. 761 of 11 July 2007, which focuses only on lifelong learning issues. The Committee requests the Government to supply information on the policies and programmes of vocational guidance and vocational training, indicating the manner in which it ensures effective coordination between these policies and programmes, on the one hand, and employment and the public employment services, on the other. The Committee also requests the Government to provide extracts from reports, studies and inquiries and statistical data relating to current policies and programmes of vocational guidance and training (Part VI of the report form).

Article 5. Cooperation of employers’ and workers’ organizations. The Government indicates that the Employment Act provides for the Labour Offices to establish advisory boards composed principally of representatives of trade unions, employers’ organizations, cooperative bodies, organizations for persons with disabilities and regional self-government units. The purpose of these advisory boards is to coordinate the implementation of Government employment policies and human resources development in the relevant administrative districts. The Government further states that the advisory boards provide recommendations on issues such as the assignment of contributions to employers within the scope of active employment policies and retraining programmes. The Labour Offices create working groups, mainly composed of representatives of organizations for persons with disabilities and representatives of employers whose workforce includes more than 50 per cent of employees with disabilities for the purpose of examining suitable forms of work rehabilitation for them. The Committee notes the comments formulated by CMKOS indicating that the Government Board for Human Resources Development, which had been managed by the Deputy Prime Minister due to the cross-sectoral and regional nature of these issues, was terminated without any consultation with the social partners. The Committee also notes that the Confederation of Industry requested the Government to re-establish and use the Board for Human Resources Development with the participation of the social partners. The Committee invites the Government to provide information regarding the manner in which the cooperation of employers’ and workers’ organizations and, where applicable, other interested bodies is assured in the formulation and implementation of vocational guidance and vocational training policies and programmes. The Committee also refers to its comments formulated on the application of the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122).