Developing and using people’s skills effectively is crucial for Slovakia’s ability to thrive in an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world.

This National Skills Strategy project provides Slovakia with tailored findings and recommendations on its skills performance from an international perspective. It was launched at the Skills Strategy Seminar in Bratislava in January 2019, with senior representatives from the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport; the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family; the Ministry of Finance; the Ministry of Economy; and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic for Investments and Informatization. Also present were representatives of the European Commission. During two further missions to the Slovak Republic in April and June 2019, the OECD engaged with a range of ministries and government agencies and over 100 stakeholders in interactive workshops, group discussions and bilateral meetings (see Annex A). This process provided invaluable input that shaped the findings and recommendations in this report.

This chapter applies the OECD Skills Strategy Framework to examine the characteristics and performance of the Slovak skills system. The findings are the basis for identifying, in consultation with the National Project Team, the four priority areas for action on skills use in Slovakia. This chapter introduces the priority areas and summarises the key findings and recommendations. It provides an overview of the policy context of the Slovak skills system, including descriptions of strategies and recent and new reforms related to skills and education. Subsequent chapters on each priority area provide an in-depth analysis of opportunities, present good practices and make policy recommendations.

To ensure that countries are able to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world, all people need access to opportunities to develop and maintain strong proficiency in a broad set of skills. This process is lifelong, but the foundations are laid during childhood and youth. Providing young people with the necessary skills not only benefits their own prospects and self-esteem, but also builds strong foundations for economic growth, social cohesion and well-being. This chapter explains the importance of strengthening the skills of youth for the Slovak Republic and provides an overview of current practices and performance. Three opportunities to strengthen the skills of youth in the Slovak Republic are discussed, specifically: increasing enrolment in pre-primary education, especially among vulnerable groups; supporting schools and teachers in their work with vulnerable students; and building a strong teaching workforce.

Skills imbalances are costly for individuals, firms and the economy as a whole, leading to lower investment and lower overall productivity. Attracting skilled workers from abroad can contribute to reducing skills imbalances in the short term. In the longer term, a wider set of policies can help reduce skills imbalances. These range from framework policies to improve resource allocation to strengthening the responsiveness of the education system. This chapter explores the importance of reducing skills imbalances for the Slovak Republic and provides an overview of current practices and performance. Subsequently, it presents four opportunities to reduce skills imbalances: improving the dissemination of information on labour market and skills needs; strengthening the responsiveness of students and their families to labour market needs; strengthening the responsiveness of secondary vocational education and training (VET) and tertiary education institutions to labour market needs; and moving from “brain drain” to “brain gain”.

This chapter provides an overview of the Slovak Republic’s adult learning system and specific recommendations to foster greater participation. Slovakia’s economy has shown strong performance, which is reflected in low unemployment rates and rising wages. However, Slovakia faces high risks of job automation, and its degree of economic openness makes it vulnerable to external trade shocks and fluctuations in foreign demand for Slovak products and services. In this context, adult learning is an essential tool to shield the Slovak Republic against these risks and to lead the country to higher levels of development and well-being. This chapter identifies three opportunities to raise participation in adult learning: improving the governance of adult learning, increasing participation among adults out of work, and supporting the capacity of employees and firms to engage in adult learning.

The effective use of skills in workplaces has potential benefits for employers, employees and society as it can raise productivity, wages and job satisfaction. Public policy makers can work with employers to help create the conditions or provide direct support for strengthening skills use in workplaces. This chapter explains the importance of the effective use of skills for the Slovak Republic and provides an overview of current practices and performance. Three opportunities are discussed to improve skills utilisation: creating the conditions to facilitate the adoption of high‑performance workplace practices (HPWP) in Slovak firms, providing incentives and support to Slovak firms for the adoption of HPWP, and enhancing the governance of policies and strategies affecting skills use.

The National Skills Strategy project involved ongoing oversight and input from an inter-ministerial team (the National Project Team) co-ordinated by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic and composed of experts from various other ministries and organisations, as outlined in  below.