Montenegro towards better apprenticeships

Dado Mujovic is a student at the Ivan Uskoković secondary vocational school in Podgorica, Montenegro. Every Monday after breakfast he goes to Auto Service Šahović, to do practical training. With the support of the employer he gets acquainted with the business and how to deal with customers. ‘Initially, everything was new and unknown to me because I learned at school and the bench. Now I spend my entire day at a service station. The master already gives me small tasks and auxiliary jobs. I get a lot better at the service and I like the carmaker's work’, says Dado.

This is the first year that the Ivan Uskoković school is exploring dual education, following an initiative of the Ministry of Education implementing the amendment of the Law on Vocational education, in 2017. The students spend one day per week at the workplace in their first year, two in the second and three in the third. The Ministry of Education subsidises the pay of students in dual education to the extent of 10% in the first grade, and 15% of average net salary in the second grade.

Montenegro is not the only country investing in more training at work. Four Western Balkan countries (Albania, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia) and Turkey joined forces in Budva (Montenegro) on 26-27 October 2017 to strengthen the quality of apprenticeships and increase the employability of young people. The event was organised by the European Commission in cooperation with the European Training Foundation (ETF), in the framework of the European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA) – a platform bringing together governments and key stakeholders to strengthen the quality, supply and image of apprenticeships in Europe. With Serbia joining in 2017, all five candidate countries are now part of the Alliance. The European Alliance for Apprenticeships regional seminar was part of the European Vocational Skills Week, a series of events organised all over Europe to improve the attractiveness and image of vocational education and training.

By helping its neighbouring countries to improve the quality of apprenticeships, the EU is supporting the development of human capital opportunities for growth. In this area of work, it  relies on the expertise of the ETF - the only EU agency working for political stability and opportunities for growth through learning in the EU’s candidate and neighbouring countries.

Improving the quality of apprenticeships contributes to the EU's priority on jobs, growth and investment. Last 5 October the EC has proposed a European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships. This is part of the New Skills Agenda for Europe and is in line with the European Pillar of Social Rights, which defends a right to quality and inclusive education, training and life-long learning.

To know more, read the press factsheet on Montenegro< /a>.