The Department for Vocational Education and Training (VET) handles the vocational education of students aged 15 – 19 at secondary vocational and technical schools, including the vocational education programmes with the Maturita Exam (EQF 4) and vocational education programmes culminating in the final exam for the vocational certificate (EQF 2 and 3).
Work-based learning is an integral part of VET in the Czech Republic. The cooperation between schools and employers is key to the development of students’ vocational competencies. That is why the VET department emphasises the support of processes leading to the high quality of such cooperation, such as tools for improving the quality of work-based learning.
Important learning outcomes, skills and attitudes are gained during hobbies and leisure time activities of young people outside schools. We strengthen the link between formal and non-formal education to help improve educational methodology in schools.
NPI (experts) support(s) recognition and validation of experience from organizations such as school clubs, after school courses, centres for youth free time, and children’s and youth voluntary organizations.
The Department of Career Guidance and Adult Education oversees the certification of vocational qualifications and handles issues concerning the recognition of certified qualifications in the Czech Republic and in the European Union. The department maintains the National Register of Qualifications and keeps the data in the system up to date.
All approved standards of vocational CVET qualifications and all the information relevant to experts, authorised persons, employers, and the wider public is published on http://www.narodnikvalifikace.cz. The Department of Career Guidance and Adult Education also supports career guidance at schools and cooperates with career guides for the labour market via networks such as Euroguidance.
The Department for Pre-primary and Primary Education develops the national standards for kindergartens and elementary schools. We guide and support methodology for teachers while implementing school curricula, using relevant methods in education, and respecting every child as an individual. Our goal is to provide the basis for a good start in education that inspires the joy of learning
The Department for Primary and Secondary General Education develops the core curricula according to national standards for secondary and upper secondary general education, for art education, and for the general education requirements of vocational education.
We identify the priorities of general education as key competencies, transferable skills, relevant assessment, and up-to-date teaching methods. These priorities help pupils and students to identify their own advantageous strengths and talents.
NPI is committed to supporting students with special educational needs in mainstream schools. We strive to facilitate equal access to education and to provide guidance and counselling to teachers and school staff.
At NPI, we help teachers to use digital technologies so that they can experience success and joy in the digital world with their students. The NPI unit of Digitalisation in Education supports educators in the effective integration of digital technologies into school life.
We provide support particularly for the development of computational thinking and the digital competencies of students and teachers.
NPI provides comprehensive information about schools and educational programmes in various fields to both experts and the public via the website www.infoabsolvent.cz. NPI evaluates the quality of the education received by graduates by monitoring the transition of graduates from schools to the labour market, employment rates, whether graduates work within their fields of study, and what motivates them to enhance their qualifications.
The institute also monitors the employers' expectations regarding the graduates' abilities and proposes changes in education that could help graduates to be more successful on the labour market. The analytical department sets standards for the evaluation of support provided to pedagogical staff.
The Department of Counselling provides specialist and methodological support for education counselling centres: pedagogical-psychological counselling centres, special pedagogical care centres, education counselling centres in schools, institutional and protective care centres, and preventive educational care centres. We map out the educational needs of the centres and develop training programmes for the continuing professional development of support experts.
We identify priorities in terms of the educational policies and current needs in the educational system of the Czech Republic. The Department of Counselling supports thematic research and disseminates diagnostic and interventional psychological, special-educational, and pedagogical methods for the field of counselling.
NPI provides continuing professional development, support, and training to schoolteachers, directors, and school management.
We connect educators to stakeholders in education so they may share their best practices and develop ideas and projects in networks at the local, regional, national and EU levels. Our 14 regional branches communicate with schools directly, helping them through continuing professional development (CPD), workshops, trainings, methodology, and PR.
We provide the know-how of NPI and our other partners. Our Institute implements a wide range of national and international projects supported by EU programmes, such as Erasmus, NExt Generation EU, and the European Social Fund.
This website is run by Ministry of education, youth and sports and National Pedagogical Institute of the Czech Republic.
National Pedagogical Institute of the Czech Republic
Senovážné náměstí 25, 110 00 Praha 1 Show on map
Phone: +420 245 001 124, e-mail: podatelna@npi.cz
