Vocational education and training (VET) is being increasingly challenged to adapt better and faster to changes on the labor market, to provide the requested skills for employment, and to empower learners to respond to these changes. Modularisation in vocational education and training is generally perceived as part of the response to this need for flexibility, both in relation to the labor market and in relation to the students themselves.

Modularisation in VET has been the subject of debate at the European level for the past 40 years (e.g., Howieson, 1992; Sellin, 1994; De Bruijn and Howieson, 1995), and in recent years it has been seen as part of a broader strategy to modernize VET, particularly due to the need for flexible education systems that are able to respond to the challenges of contemporary society (CEDEFOP, 2015). Modularisation refers to the creation of educational programs through educational modules.

The CEDEFOP study (2015) analyzed conceptual approaches to modularisation in 15 EU member states and also described their development of modularisation. The study by Pilz et al (2018) focuses on an investigation of modularisation as a tool for achieving flexibility based on analyses of 7 European countries. Neither the CEDEFOP study (2015) nor the Pilz et al. (2018) paper mentions the development of modularisation in the Czech Republic. The aim of this paper is to present the development of modularisation in the Czech Republic.

The first modular educational programs were created at several secondary technical schools and secondary vocational schools in the early 1990s as part of the ESF Phare-VET program (Kofroňová et al. 1990). The strategic document National Programme for the Development of Education in the Czech Republic – White Paper (2001, p. 72) adopted by the Czech government already called for "Modular study programs using a credit system that provides for changes during the course of studies allow people to continue studying when necessary throughout their whole life, in the same institution or a different one, at home or abroad. Nevertheless, this must always be under the condition that the requirements of the study program (module) are met."

The NRP EQAVET CZ (2025) reports that the national project MOV (Modernisation of VET), executed from 2017 to 2020, sought to enhance the quality of VET by modernizing initial vocational education and training (IVET) through the development of educational modules across 105 participating schools. Two years after completion of the MOV project, a subsequent survey by the National Pedagogical Institute of the Czech Republic (NPI) revealed that only 23 out of these schools, representing approximately 2% of VET institutions in the country, continued to implement modularization in their curricula, with only four doing so systematically.

The Strategy for Education Policy of the Czech Republic up to 2030+ (Strategy 2030+) identifies modularisation as a key instrument for improving flexibility, quality, and permeability in Czech education, particularly within vocational education and training, that is significant structural shift in Czech education. While initially implemented through pilot activities within the national project MOV, it gradually should being integrated into national policy through curriculum reform and systemic innovation, however, as a voluntary component.

However, its success depends on the creation of conditions for modularisation in schools. Therefore, this paper addresses two research questions: RQ1: How has modularisation developed in IVET in the Czech Republic at specific schools? RQ2: What conditions have facilitated modularisation at the VET schools studied?

As part of the research investigation, data from the project “Support of implementation of the EQAVET quality assurance cycle in VET curriculum design” (EQAVET NRPCZ 2023-26, No. 101124871 ERASMUS-EDU-2023-EQAVET-IBA) solved by NPI. The project creates case studies aimed at describing the modularisation of education in 9 VET schools, i.e. the school is characterized as an organization, the processes of creating educational modules and their implementation into the school educational program (SEP) are described, the education implemented in modularized educational programs is described (SEP characteristics, educational module characteristics), the school conditions for modularisation (personnel, material, financial) are described and the evaluation of the school related to modularized education is characterized. To find answers to the research questions, multi-case study are used from: Higher Vocational School, Secondary School, Vocational Training Center, Sezimovo Ústí; Integrated Secondary School of Automobile Engineering Brno; Business Academy, Hotel School and Secondary Vocational School, Turnov; Secondary School Brno, Charbulova. These are schools that offer fields of education with a Maturita examination and a 3-year school based VET programmes leading to EQF level 3, ISCED 353 (with VET certificate) from the following groups: Information Technology; Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing; Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, and Computer Technology; Food Industry and Food Chemistry; Printing, Paper, Film and Photography Processing; Transport and Communications; Economics and Administration; Business in Fields and Sectors; Gastronomy, Hotel Management and Tourism; Trade; General Vocational Training. Each case study should provide broader answers to the following partial research questions: a) How was the implementation of modularized education at the school? b) How is modularized teaching organized in school? c) What are the conditions (e.g. personnel, material, financial) for modularisation at school? d) How is evaluation carried out in connection with modularized teaching? The case studies are based on data obtained from the analysis of documents (e.g. inspection reports, annual school reports, school educational program(s), school action plan for educational development, school presentation, school website), information provided by the principal and school representatives during workshops in Prague (2024-2025), the principal's answers to questions sent by e-mail (2024 or 2025), based on participant observation during a school visit and information provided during meetings with school and employer representatives and an individual semi-structured interview with the school principal on the topic of school financing and discussions with teachers who implement modular teaching at the school.

All schools according to the spectrum of VET modularisation (Pilz et al 2018) are examples of traditional holistic training. In the multi-case study is a school in Sezimovo Ústí, which has been using modular teaching since around 1992. It gained experience in various projects, particularly abroad (BBL2 and BBL3, SCOTVEG). School was involved in the PILOT S (2005-2008) and KURIKULUM S (2009-2012) projects, which focused on the creation and verification of SEP in selected VET schools and cooperation with employers, who helped define the learning outcomes. The school also participated in the UNIV´s projects, whose goal was to create and pilot-test modular continuing education programs. School participated in MOV project (2017–2020). The automotive school from Brno and the VET school from Trutnov had a similar development of modularisation since 2005. Secondary School Brno, Charbulova, only began modularisation in 2017–2020. Modularized teaching at these schools was facilitated (RQ2) in particular by the strong vision of the school management. According to one headteacher, the introduction of modularisation was very difficult – "in terms of genres, it could be a drama, a horror story, but also a fairy tale with a happy ending." The positive aspect was definitely the flexibility to reflect changes in technology and the labor market in the module without having to change the entire school curriculum. Teachers at the time were rather opposed to the modules due to the significant change in the organization of teaching and the increased difficulty of teaching by combining all specialized subjects into a module. A constant challenge is finding VET teachers who have knowledge of the theory of the field, who can convey it to students in a didactic way, who are also capable of practical training of students, and who are not afraid to show students any detail of the craft.

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