Institutional Cooperation and Coordination in Skills Development in Serbia

Institutional Cooperation and Coordination in Skills Development in Serbia

A report describing the context for and implementation of a short, accelerated Review of Institutional Arrangements (RIA) that was carried out, with help from the ETF, in Serbia in 2017.

Short description:

This report combines the RIA methodology with a practical case study in observing one crucial VET system function that required coordination at the national, sub-national and sector levels.

The analysis of institutional cooperation and coordination was prompted by the fact that by 2016 the rate of progress in VET reform in Serbia was slower than expected, according to both national stakeholders and EU partner institutions.

The initial Foresight action had provided a vision and roadmap for reform. The RIA had then identified a low level of social dialogue involved in policy design and under-developed inter-ministerial cooperation. Moreover, proper mechanisms to support social dialogue and inter-ministerial coordination were missing.

To dig deeper into this, the analysis focused on a core function of VET systems, that is, the connection between the skills assessment stage and the process for updating qualifications.

The case study concentrated on the assessment of ICT skills needs, a sector driving exports and economic growth in Serbia, and on the process whereby this skills intelligence feeds into qualification renewal. The analysis allowed the observation of information flows between the sector, the sub-national authorities and the national authorities, including agencies, expert centres and ministries, and detected where this was working or not working.

This document provides a detailed account of the methodology employed, findings of the analysis and conclusions about the steps that, if taken, would foster the implementation of VET reform in Serbia.

The methodology has a wider application in different functions of VET systems. This report can therefore inspire other countries’ public authorities, private sector organisations or expertise centres to run their own analyses in order to identify the mechanisms that enable or slow down change implementation in VET systems.

You may read the document here.

For the Social Partnership point of view, please go to Area 5, by clicking here.

Please, find below the action point agreed by the Stakeholders in Serbia following the analysis.