SIOV is a professional – methodological, pedagogical, advisory, co-coordinative, and educational institution of the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic. It is the only professional and pedagogical guarantor for the issues of vocational education and training for the whole network of secondary VET schools in the Slovak Republic, with extensive expertise in the field.
SIOV is a modern state institution, fulfilling its responsibilities for improving and streamlining education at secondary vocational education in secondary VET schools, covering various national and international school projects.
SIOV is working on raising the level of the teaching process, underpinned by the high level of pedagogues’ expertise, and contributes to the increasing of employment opportunities for young graduates of vocational schools.
State Institute of vocational education and Training is an organization with experience in the field of vocational language training.
In the past, SIOV carried out several projects aimed at improving language learning in a number of professional areas e.g. Hotel management and gastronomy, agriculture and automotive sector.
SIOV has experience in creating of the worksheets for language learning, by utilizing the CLIL methods, in the field of electromobilty education.
The SIOV has 150 employees (including part time staff).
SIOV and the Slovak Centre of Training Firms (SCCF), which is a department of the State Vocational Education Institute, provides all the necessary background services for the training firms in Slovak republic.
SCCF runs all the bodies of state administration in a virtual form to simulate the real business environment. SCCF operate a virtual registry for trader’s licenses and virtual offices for the social security provider, the health insurance company, the tax office, the customs office and a bank.
By means of the Slovak Training Firms Centre, the member of the world-wide network EUROPEN PEN INTERNATIONAL,
- Developing a method for simulation of activities for training firms focusing on the development of competencies for establishing and managing small and medium size companies,
- Coordinating and methodical managing and innovating operations in the Slovakian network for training firms,
- Supporting international collaboration, organizing educational seminars for people in charge of the training firms and a national fair of the domestic and foreign training firms.
To simulate the real business environment as closely as possible, training firms also make partnerships with real companies.
A training firm serves as a bridge between the academic and practical world of business. It prepares young people for real work life – it enables them to get praxis which almost every employer requires and additionally it helps rid them of the fear of starting a business and of engaging in real-life work:
- TF uses mainly the method of simulation
- TF employees get familiar with the firm structure
- TF employees experience the establishment of a firm and all activities referring to it – cooperation with a trade register,
- Companies register, tax office, social and health insurance
- Companies – simulated by SCCF - entrepreneurial competencies
- TF employees experience various jobs and work in various firm departments
- TF employees is actively involved into solving tasks individually or in teams
At vocational schools the goal of training firms is to teach students more generally how to build a company, such as how to register and launch a company, how to prepare its pricelist and how to prepare a marketing presentation. This type of training helps overcome students’ fear of starting a business after they leave school.
The engaged personnel of the SIOV have long term experiences within the international project cooperation.