Life-long Services in the Field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Romania during 2004-2007

This study presents the results of empirical research on life-long services in the domain of information and communication technologies (ICT) carried out within the framework of the project Matching educational supply with labour market in ICT sector in Romania: horizon 2015, co-ordinated by Institute of World Economy. Survey sample includes all providers authorised by National Council for Adult Vocational Training (CNFPA), a part of EDCL certification bodies, Microsoft Net Academy (programme implemented by universities, but also by a specialized firm in vocational training selected in survey), Cisco Net Academy, in total 215 vocational training providers from all around the country, out of which 77 (36%) are private companies. Empirical research results (52% response rate) allowed to analyze the actual state of vocational training supply in Romania in the period 2004-2007, including: (i) identifying the main pratices, strategies and problems of vocational training services providers in ICT sector; ii) emphasizing the main characteristics of lifelong learning programmes in ICT sector provided between 2004 and 2007; (iii) determining the programme types and their target segment of population; and (iv) pointing out the mechanisms of adjusting the supply to labour market needs.