55 No.1, Vol.1, Summer 2012 © 2012 Published by JSES. THE SHORT TERM ANTICIPATION OF THE DEMAND FOR ROMANIAN VOCATIONAL, COMPLEMENTARY OR APPRENTICESHIP EDUCATION AT COUNTY LEVEL * Cristina LINCARU a , Gabriela PREDOŞANU b , Speranţa PÎRCIOG c , Vasilica CIUCĂ d Abstract Under the dynamic rhythm of change – in path dependence development - the need to anticipate the demand for vocational, complementary or apprenticeship education at county level (VET) is strongly connected with two dimensions: the development dimension and the growth dimension. The development dimension (Saviotti) is represented by the “quality” aspect explained through variety/diversity of demand (enterprises diversity of economic activity at county level) and also of the offer (qualification under the domain of specialisation criteria). The growth dimension is represented by the quantity aspect of the “potential” demand shaped mainly by the county economic potential and strategic perspective (Marshall, 1920) with important effect also on productivity and competitivity (Jaffe 1993 et al; Anselin 1997 et al). We develop an secondary analysis using the aggregate date at county level offered by the National Institute for Statistics based on (Varga, Anselin) - using as instruments GIS (Arc Gis 9.0) applications and GEODA software. Keywords: Short Term Anticipation, VET Demand at NUTS 3 -county level, Conversion matrix, Supply structure, Satisfied demand, Demand structure. JEL Classification: J23, J24, R11, E27, I25 *An earlier version of this paper was presented at the “Youth Unemployment and Joblessness: Causes, Consequences, Responses”, ADAPT – UNAM Conference, Mexico City, August 2011 Authors’ Affiliation a – PhD, National Scientific Research Institute for Labour and Social Protection - INCSMPS, Department: Demography, Labour Market, Prognosis Strategies, cristina.lincaru@yahoo.de (corresponding author); b – PhD, National Scientific Research Institute for Labour and Social Protection – INCSMPS; c –PhD, National Scientific Research Institute for Labour and Social Protection - INCSMPS, Scientific Manager; d – PhD, National Scientific Research Institute for Labour and Social Protection - INCSMPS, General Manager.