TRANSFORMATION OF THE INTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM IN UKRAINIAN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS BASED ON SWISS EXPERIENCE
Abstract
Relevance. The article examines the challenges and prospects for transforming the internal quality assurance system in Ukrainian vocational education institutions in the context of European integration commitments, public governance decentralization, and the urgent need to rebuild human capital during martial law and post-war recovery. It is argued that the current model of internal quality assurance is predominantly process-oriented and largely confined to self-assessment practices. This creates a gap between formal compliance with standards and the actual demands of the labour market. The study highlights that the key scientific problem lies in the absence of well-founded institutional mechanisms for integrating employers and local communities into internal quality management procedures in vocational education. The Swiss experience in quality assurance in vocational education and training (VET), based on the concept of collective partnership, the regulatory role of employers, and a multi-level quality control system, is analysed.
Purpose: to provide a theoretical justification for a model of transforming the internal quality assurance system in Ukrainian vocational education institutions through the adaptation of Swiss institutional mechanisms and quality assurance instruments in vocational education and training.
Methods: analysis of scholarly literature indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, and the repositories of Cedefop and ETF (2020–2025) to identify the current state of research and the theoretical foundations of quality assurance in vocational education and training; regulatory and legal analysis of the legislation of Ukraine and Switzerland to determine the governance frameworks of internal quality assurance systems in vocational education institutions; comparative institutional analysis to compare stakeholder engagement mechanisms and the distribution of responsibilities among labour market and vocational education actors; and system-functional modelling to substantiate and develop an adaptive model of internal quality assurance for Ukrainian vocational education institutions.
Results: the study identifies key institutional gaps between the Ukrainian and Swiss quality assurance systems in vocational education and training, including the absence of sectoral quality commissions in Ukraine (analogous to the Swiss CODQ bodies), asymmetry in quality evaluation due to insufficient monitoring of workplace-based learning, and a low level of digitalisation in assessment procedures. The role of the Swiss Federal University for Vocational Education and Training (SFUVET) in professional development, certification, and quality enhancement processes is substantiated.
Conclusions: the findings demonstrate that transforming internal quality assurance systems in Ukrainian vocational education institutions from purely administrative control mechanisms into market-oriented governance models enhances their adaptability to the needs of a post-war economy. The effectiveness of the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project has been confirmed through the transfer of vocational education institutions into municipal ownership and the development of regional educational networks. The practical significance of the study lies in the formulation of recommendations for improving internal quality assurance systems in vocational education institutions through the adaptation of advanced Swiss practices.
Keywords
Vocational education and training (VET), quality assurance, EQAVET framework, institutional audit, educational monitoring, DECIDE Project, Swiss VET system.
Author Biography
Yuliia Lulkova
Junior Research Fellow, Laboratory of Foreign Vocational Education and Training Systems, Institute of Vocational Education, National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine.
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4452-5104
E-mail: julialulkova@gmail.com
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