Dual education or hiring foreign workers?
The Serbian Chamber of Commerce (PKS) is marking Dual Education Month in November, which also commemorates a decade since this model was first introduced in our country.
Since then, more than 19,000 students have either completed or are currently participating in this system, with the involvement of over 1,100 companies. However, the PKS Centre for Dual Education warns of a significant shortage in domestic labour and is urging businesses to apply by January 15th to participate in this education model for the next academic year.
“One of the key challenges for businesses participating in the dual system is the fact that it requires an investment in the future, to create a skilled workforce ready in three to four years, while they also face an immediate need for workers,” noted Mirjana Kovačević, Director of the PKS Centre for Dual Education, during a media event.
She points out that employers in Serbia often address this urgent need by hiring workers from abroad or retraining existing staff.
“Last year, over 50,000 work permits were issued to foreign nationals in Serbia. This not only indicates a lack of workers for ongoing tasks but also a serious shortage of those who could train new generations, making it harder for such companies to participate in the dual education system,” Kovačević explained. On the other hand, the system is adapting by creating new educational profiles.
“For the next school year, in addition to the existing 86, six new educational profiles are available: print finishing technician, waste management technician, optics mechanic and technician, photography technician, and automotive engineering technician,” said Aleksandra Milićević from the PKS Dual Education Service.
The PKS has invited all interested employers to apply by January 15th to implement dual education in the 2025/26 academic year via the portal dualnoobrazovanje.rs.
For the first time this year, non-repayable funds totaling 50 million dinars were available to strengthen the capacities of employers involved in dual education.
These funds could be used either to cover part of the compensation for work-based learning that employers pay to students in their final school year (2024/2025) enrolled in dual educational profiles, or to co-finance instructors for work-based learning.
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