The National System of Vocational Training

  One of the parts of the national system of education is professional education including professional-technical colleges, teaching centers and also a great number of non-state educational establishments, the main aim of which is formation of working and professional knowledge and practice.

  In general, the preparation of working personnel at present time is held in two main forms: in the system of professional-technical education and straight at work. However, the development of national system of education is routed so that in future professional-technical education becomes the main form of preparation of qualified workers.

  In accordance with the law "About education" professional-technical. Education is accomplished on the basis of secondary education, on the basis of basic secondary education with at the same time getting general secondary education or with getting only work profession.

  At present time the preparation of working personnel through the system of professional.-technical education is accomplished in three types of professional-technical colleges:

on the base of 8 classes (years). The graduates get secondary education and specialty on difficult and integrated professions;

on the basis of 8 classes without secondary education on mass or extremely scarce professions for people that for some reason are not able to get simultaneously secondary education and profession;

on the basis of secondary school on the most difficult professions connected with the new technology services.

  In 1996 in Belarus there were 248 professional- technical educational institutions with 123900 students in them. This very year they prepared 57600 specialists for the republican economy.

  It should be noted that in the general balance of workers preparation the share of professional- technical education system wasn't higher than 1/3 until resents time. Only in 1995this figure reached 38,2% (table 3). During last 10 years there is a decreasing tendency in the preparation of qualified workers. If in 1985 in the system of professional-technical education there were 88500 people, in 1995 only 59200 young workers, that's 1/3 times less. This is the result of general social-economical crises in the Republic.

  That's why an important role for the preparation of qualified workers in the Republic belongs to professional teaching straight at work. In this system of education on one side there is a flexible and varied preparation, on the other hand - retraining and mastering worker's qualification. In the first case this form supplements the system of professional-technical education, in the second it's the main link in the system of worker's preparation in mastering worker's qualification.

  At present time the number of workers who are taught at work itself is 60-70% of total number of workers. In 1995 95600 people got their profession on work, that's 61,8%. Besides, 217500 people mastered their qualification at different courses.

  All together with that it should be said that as a result of economical crises in the Republic the preparation of workers straight at work decreases (table 4). The volumes of mastering qualification are also decreasing during last years.