Subsidies for professional traineeships of up to 55,000 dinars per month
Within the Action Plan for the period 2024–2026, which implements the Employment Strategy of the Republic of Serbia, active employment financing policy measures within local self-government units will remain in place this year as well.
The right to request participation of the national budget in financing certain measures is granted to autonomous provinces and local self-government units that, within their planning documents, secure more than half of the funds required to implement a specific active employment policy measure. An exception is предусмотрена for underdeveloped local self-government units, for which the minister responsible for employment affairs may approve co-financing even in cases where less than 50 per cent of the necessary funds has been secured.
Among the active measures planned for 2026 is the provision of funding for professional traineeships, intended for the professional training of unemployed persons for independent work in the occupation for which they have obtained appropriate education. This measure is implemented without establishing an employment relationship and serves for completing a traineeship period or acquiring the conditions to take a professional exam, where such an exam is prescribed as a condition for employment.
Funding for the professional traineeship measure may last for a maximum of 12 months. During this period, the National Employment Service pays engaged persons financial assistance and transport costs, amounting to a total monthly sum of 50,000 dinars for persons with secondary education and 55,000 dinars for persons with higher education. At the same time, the National Employment Service calculates and pays contributions for work-related injury and occupational disease insurance, in accordance with the law.
Employers from the private sector, where private capital accounts for 100 per cent of the ownership structure, as well as employers from the public sector, may participate in the implementation of the professional traineeship measure. In the public sector, the number of persons included in the measure may not exceed 40 per cent of the total planned number, with priority given to jobs in healthcare, social protection, education and upbringing, as well as in the judiciary. A special regime is provided for the territory of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija and for municipalities belonging to the fourth category of development and devastated areas, where both private and public sector employers may participate regardless of activity, with priority given to the private sector.
Funding of internships
In addition to professional traineeships, the Action Plan also provides for an internship measure for young people, as well as a specific internship scheme for young people with higher education. This measure involves professional training of unemployed persons for independent work in the profession for which they have obtained higher education, with the establishment of an employment relationship with a private sector employer. Internships are carried out for the purpose of completing an internship period or acquiring the conditions to take a professional exam, where this is prescribed by law or secondary legislation.
The National Employment Service finances the measure for a maximum of 12 months. For persons with a sixth level of qualifications and at least 180 ECTS credits, funding lasts up to nine months, while for persons with at least a sixth level of qualifications and 240 ECTS credits it may last up to 12 months. During implementation of the measure, the National Employment Service reimburses the employer on a monthly basis for the net minimum wage of the intern, increased by 20 per cent for full-time work, as well as the associated taxes and mandatory social security contributions, while the employer is obliged to pay wages in accordance with the law.
The internship measure may include unemployed persons who have been registered with the National Employment Service for at least three months, are up to 30 years of age, meet the general and specific conditions prescribed by the acts of the National Employment Service, have at least a sixth level of qualifications, and have no work experience in the profession or have less than the prescribed internship period. An additional condition is that, in the three months prior to the submission of the employer’s application, the person must not have been employed by that same employer.
Special rules apply to vulnerable categories, such as persons with disabilities, Roma men and women, as well as young people living in residential care, foster families or guardian families, who may be included in the measure regardless of age and the length of time they have been registered as unemployed.
Internships for those with high school education
Within active employment policy measures, the Action Plan also provides for a special internship measure for young people with secondary education, aimed at those who have recently completed schooling and do not have sufficient work experience for independent work in their profession. This measure involves professional training of unemployed persons for work in the occupation for which they have acquired secondary education, through completion of an internship period or acquiring the conditions to take a professional exam, where such an exam is prescribed as a mandatory requirement for employment.
Unlike professional traineeships, internships for young people with secondary education are implemented with the establishment of an employment relationship. During implementation of the measure, the National Employment Service reimburses the employer on a monthly basis for the net minimum wage of the intern for full-time work, as well as the associated taxes and mandatory social security contributions. Financial support lasts up to six months, while the employer is obliged to pay the intern’s wages in accordance with applicable regulations.
The right to participate in this measure is granted to unemployed persons with completed secondary education who have been registered with the National Employment Service for at least three months and are up to 30 years of age. In addition, candidates must meet the general and specific conditions established by the acts of the National Employment Service, possess a secondary education qualification, and have no work experience in the occupation for which they were educated or have experience shorter than the prescribed internship period. One of the conditions is also that, in the three months prior to the submission of the employer’s application, the person must not have been employed by that same employer.
Extended and practical skills acquisition measure
The Action Plan also provides for a measure aimed at acquiring practical skills, intended for unemployed persons who lack specific, applicable skills required to perform certain jobs. This measure involves acquiring practical skills and work habits through direct work with a private sector employer.
The practical skills acquisition programme may include persons without completed secondary education, as well as those who have completed functional adult basic education, with this category required to make up at least 40 per cent of the total planned number of participants.
The measure is also open to unemployed persons with secondary education who have been registered with the National Employment Service for more than 12 months, regardless of the type of qualification and previous work experience, and who do not have sufficient or adequate knowledge and competencies to perform specific jobs. Unemployed persons with disabilities, Roma men and women, as well as recipients of financial social assistance whose highest level of education is secondary education, may be included in the measure regardless of the length of unemployment.
The practical skills acquisition measure is implemented exclusively with private sector employers, who are required to establish an employment relationship with the unemployed person. If the employment relationship is established for a fixed term, the employer is entitled to reimbursement of wage costs for a period of three months, with the obligation to retain the person in employment for an additional three months after completion of the programme, making a total of six months.
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