In the near future TSU Center of Vocational Education and Estonia’s Ida-Virumaa Vocational Education Center will develop a joint vocational program in the field of information technology as part of their collaboration. This decision was made during a working visit of TSU Vocational Education Center representatives to Estonia.

The TSU Vocational Education Center delegation visited Ida-Virumaa Vocational Education Center in three different cities of the Narva region - Narva, Ikhvi and Sillamäe. Throughout the visit, working meetings primarily addressed experience sharing between the partner vocational education centers and discussions on future cooperation.

During the meetings with the heads of vocational programs and representatives responsible for international cooperation at the Ida-Virumaa Vocational Education Center, discussions covered Estonia’s ongoing educational reform, teacher remuneration, student enrollment policies, employer relations, the development of short-term vocational programs, and other key topics. Notably, Estonian partners have extensive experience in creating short-term programs, including participating in and getting funding from various EU grant competitions for similar courses. As a result of these discussions, Georgian and Estonian partners reached an agreement to jointly develop a program in the direction of Information Technologies in the near future.

A meeting with representatives of the Career Planning Department at the Ida-Virumaa Vocational Education Center focused on psychological and career support services for students. The Estonian experience in organizing student support activities was particularly insightful. Additionally, it is noteworthy that the Ida-Virumaa Vocational Education Center offers scholarships to students as an incentive for academic achievement.

The visit also included an inspection of the Estonian partner’s infrastructure, allowing TSU representatives to observe firsthand how vocational studying is conducted within the own facilities of the center. They examined the different stages students go through during their studying and the expected learning outcomes of various programs.

A significant part of the visit was dedicated to exchanging experiences in the fields of accounting and freight transport logistics. The partners discussed the specifics of their work, the regulations and programs they follow, as well as principles for developing assessment tools and the use of software solutions. Additionally, they shared insights into the organization and mechanisms of qualification exams for vocational students.

As part of their future international collaboration, the parties agreed to begin cooperation on mobility programs for administrative and implementation staff, as well as for vocational students. In the long term, collaboration may extend to Erasmus+ institutional capacity-building projects in vocational education.