New education law in Serbia improves position of students

The Chair of Education Systems has been working with Serbia since 2017 through the Center on the Economics and Management of Education and Training Systems (CEMETS). Serbia launched its Law on Dual Education in late 2017, which regulates dual vocational education and training (dual VET) to increase the rights and protections of students in the workplace. Key tenets of the law include company accreditation, licensed instructors, career guidance and counseling, student remuneration and compensation, and contracts.

The law went into effect in the 2019-2020 school year, and the Chair of Education Systems carried out a survey with Serbian research partners in late 2019 to assess the impact of the law and its implementation fidelity. The survey studies first-year secondary students in this school year and last year, comparing those in the new model to those in the pre-existing model in both years. Although the pre-existing model is still the main model of VET, the new model increased dramatically. In 2019-2020, 10% of VET schools offer the new model, compared to 5% in 2018-2019. The number of classes has more than doubled, and many more students are in the new model than there were in 2018-2019. Schools and companies report high satisfaction.

The law is having an impact on students’ experiences

The study also finds that all of the law’s key tenets are having an impact on students’ experiences in workplace learning. Companies training students in the new model are accredited training providers in 86% of cases, and nearly all of them (95%) have licensed instructors. Most (65%) have started participating in career guidance and counseling.

The proportion of students receiving remuneration in the new model has increased from 30% to 36% from last year to this year. In the old model, this share was approximately 3% in both years. Non-monetary compensation for transportation and similar needs increased from 26% to 36% in the new model, compared to a fall in the pre-existing model from 19% to 14%. Company-student contracts increased from 37% to 44% in the new model, compared to 29% then 15% in the pre-existing model. Finally, 75% of new-model students are protected by company-school contracts in 2019-2020 (down from 96% in 2018-2019), while only 52% of students in the pre-existing model are (down from 56% in 2018-2019).

Implementation is not completely perfect, but the growth in just the first-year cohort shows that the law is making an impact on students’ workplace learning experiences. Increased capacity for key organizations, increased number and variety of occupational profiles in the new model, and an evaluation of companies’ training costs and benefits can help support further growth. The next research project will explore students’ experiences and examine why some of the implementation fidelity gaps exist.