To support ninth-grade students in choosing secondary education, a new digital platform for vocational education and training (VET) has been launched in North Macedonia– kvalifikacii.crso.gov.mk. It is developed by the Ministry of Education and Science and the VET Centre, with support from Helvetas through the Swiss roject “Education for Employment- E4E”. The platform provides students and parents with clear and structured information on vocational education pathways. The goal is to support more informed decisions about secondary education and future careers.
Publishing Information Is Not Enough For Young People
The launch of the new digital platform for qualifications in VET marks more than the introduction of a new online tool. It represents a broader systemic change in the way students and parents in North Macedonia access information, explore educational opportunities, and make decisions about the future.
For years, information related to secondary vocational education was primarily communicated through official enrollment calls and extensive documents. While these formats fulfilled an important institutional function, they often required students and parents to independently navigate large amounts of complex information at a time when they were making one of the first major decisions in a young person’s life.
Recognizing this gap, Helvetas, through the Education for Employment (E4E) project, supported the development of the “Guide through Qualifications in VET”, which is a publication that for the first time consolidated comprehensive information on sectors, qualifications, schools, and career pathways in one place. The Guide became an important resource for students, parents, teachers, and school counselling services across the country, contributing to more structured and transparent career orientation.
However, as the education system and the needs of young people continued to evolve, it became increasingly clear that access to information alone was no longer enough. Students today expect information to be searchable, interactive, accessible, and adapted to the way they communicate and make decisions.
User- friendly Platform Which Serves the Students
The newly launched platform builds directly on the foundation established by the Guide, transforming static information into an interactive digital service designed around the needs of users. Through simple navigation and filtering options, students and parents can now explore qualifications by sector, school, region, and potential career pathways, allowing them to better understand not only what educational opportunities exist, but also where those opportunities can lead.
This shift reflects an important transformation in institutional communication itself. Rather than simply publishing information as a formal obligation, institutions are increasingly adopting a more user-centered approach, prioritizing accessibility, transparency, and practical guidance for citizens.
The timing of the platform launch is also significant, coinciding with the enrollment period for secondary education. At a moment when thousands of students and families are considering future educational paths, the platform provides timely support for more informed and confident decision-making.
At the same time, the initiative contributes to raising the visibility and attractiveness of vocational education, particularly dual VET, by presenting clearer connections between qualifications, practical learning opportunities, future careers, and labour market needs.
Public Institutions On Board
Importantly, the platform is not envisioned as a one-time project output, but as a sustainable public resource. The Ministry of Education and Science already integrated it into the enrollment process, while the VET Center will remain responsible for maintaining and continuously updating its content.
Ultimately, the platform signals a broader shift in how educational institutions engage with citizens, placing students and parents more directly at the center of the system and recognizing informed choice as a key element of educational and economic development.
