Association of Slovene Higher Vocational Colleges (Association HVC)

About our Organization

The Association HVC is a professional association of higher vocational colleges (HVCs) on the national level and the legal entity of public law. It was founded as a public institution on 20th April 2005, when its Establishing Act was confirmed and adopted by the Slovene government. The association functions on voluntary basis membership and includes 49 members (94 % of HVC institutions) all providing EQF level 5 as private or public providers. The Association HVC’s Mission is to promote the interests of higher vocational education in Slovenia and beyond its borders and to contribute to the progressive development of professional higher education and professional research area. Our members do not only provide higher vocational education programs, but also contribute to the field of applied research and professional studies as well as directly to the development of local communities and regions. The Association HVC is primarily focused on the development of policy and strategies in the field of EQF level 5 education and research with a focus on applied and professional segments. It also organises conferences, thematic seminars, roundtables and training programs and other events for its members and all stakeholders to collect and share relevant new knowledge and information and is focused on continuous development of leadership within member institutions.  

Why we are Participating in the Project

We have participated in the SELFIE WBL pilot as a researcher and are glad that the Erasmus+ Programme gave us the opportunity to join the SELFIE WBL Follow up project. Since we didn’t participate in the pilot with VET schools from Slovenia, it’s a significant reason for us to involve our schools to enhance their digital skills and competences for the Digital Transformation with the help of SELFIE WBL tool. For us it is important to educate and qualify our participating VET’s to be able to plan and develop their digital capacities, have digitally educated and confident teaching and training staff and strengthen their cooperation with companies and other stakeholders.  

Our Role in the Project

The Association HVC and its members have over 15 years of experience in coordination of national and international projects. As a consortium partner, our main role will be national coordination of Slovenian VET schools, which haven’t yet been involved in the SELFIE WBL pilot. Our main responsibilities will be helping VET schools with preparation of their Institutional Digital Action Plans and Digital Strategies; collecting good and bad practices with quality check; preparing solutions for leadership and management, teachers and students as well as strengthening internationalisation among participating VET schools. Since we are holder of the Accreditation for Erasmus consortia for student placements and staff mobility in Slovenia, we have a direct opportunity to influence and raise awareness of the importance and impact of mobility, which positively contributes to institutional development and innovative creative new approaches in the HVCs.