Education objective: revitalizing technical education

After years of research, authorities in the field of education have come to realize that the labor market needs young individuals who can effectively do something, who are prepared for a profession. The new law on pre-university education aims to revitalize technical education, with the goal that by the academic year 2029-2030, dual-system technical education will become widespread, according to Florin Lixandru, the State Secretary in the Ministry of Education. He also stated during a conference on the transformation of dual-system education that the Law on Pre-university Education brings a new approach to technical education, offering students the opportunity to follow "a complete path in the dual system." According to Florin Lixandru, the creation of regional consortia for dual-system education was a milestone in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) of the Ministry of Education, which was achieved between September 2022 and March 2023. Lixandru mentioned that a selection call was launched for these regional consortia for dual-system education, which involve a partnership between pre-university educational institutions, higher education institutions, local administrative units, and business operators. Multiple projects were submitted, and 29 such consortia were approved at the national level. According to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, 16 of these consortia are eligible to receive funding for the construction of dual-system education campuses, with two campuses in each region. "Out of the 29 consortia approved following the call, 16 will receive funding from the 338 million euros allocated through the PNRR for the construction of dual-system education campuses. The Ministry of Education's desire is to provide funding to all 29 regional consortia currently established at the national level for the establishment of dual-system education campuses. Solutions are being sought to supplement the budget from the PNRR (...), 580 million euros are needed to fund all 29 regional consortia in the dual system. At this time, two contracts have already been signed, one for a consortium in Bihor and one in Maramureş, the next ones are under review." According to him, the Law on Pre-university Education creates the conditions to attract young people to the system. Ciprian Ciucu, the mayor of Sector 6, stated regarding dual-system education in Bucharest that the challenges lie in the attractiveness of this form of education and in how the "chemistry" is established between the school's director and the industry representatives in the field for which the school has developed its curriculum: "The Ministry of Education has the mission to ensure certain competencies. The private sector wants to contribute to having the competencies it needs. Competencies desired by employers do not always align with those available in a labor market that requires new skills." According to the mayor, the main problem of dual-system education is its attractiveness and a small selection base, as children or parents do not see the prospects it offers.