The Office for Dual Education and the National Qualifications Framework is founded on the basis of a regulation adopted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia, that came into force on November 18, 2022.
The Office is established in order to ensure the performance of professional and technical tasks of common interest of the Government and other state administration bodies. It constitutes a unit of the Government and is responsible to the Government for its work.
Main activities of the Office are developing plans in the field of dual education, and implementing measures taken in this field by other state bodies. It performs these tasks within the legal framework composed of laws, national strategies, and international treaties and conventions. The Office prepares drafts of laws and bylaws on dual education in secondary and higher education, career guidance and counseling, as well as on the National Qualifications Framework of the Republic of Serbia (NQFS).
Responsibilities of the Office include monitoring the application of the legal framework in the area, and evaluating the effects of the introduction of dual education in secondary vocational education and higher education and NQFS in accordance with various strategic documents. The Office monitors the developments in the field of dual education, prepares methodologies, analyses, studies, and reports, but also brings about initiatives to resolve any ambiguity in the field.
In addition, the scope of the Office’s work is to improve social partnership, securing professional support for social partners included in the processes of dual education and NQFS. Besides competent state organs and bodies, these include educational institutions incorporated in the system of dual education.
The Office analyzes and prepares proposals for improving the enrollment policy in the field of dual education, career guidance and counseling, as well as NQFS. It monitors the work of officially authorized organizers of adult education and other interested parties in the field of dual education, NQFS and lifelong learning. It aims to improve the work of employees in educational institutions in the field of dual education, and it develops standards of space, equipment, teaching instruments, etc. Also, by participating in the preparation of strategic and planning documents, drafting laws and other regulations, study-analytical documents, and preparing proposals for improving the enrollment policy, it provides the connection of the public and private sectors.
The Office monitors the work of publicly recognized organizers of adult education activities, provides support for the implementation of international cooperation and development initiatives, scrutinizes expenditures in the field of dual education, NQFS and lifelong learning. It also stimulates improvements of the Unified Education Information System in the part related to dual education, lifelong learning and NFQ, and its reference with European qualifications databases. The Office improves various types of partnerships, monitors the work and provides professional support to the activities of state institutions and social partners included in the processes of dual education, NQFS, recognising professional qualifications and professions of special importance for the Republic of Serbia.
The Office provides support for development initiatives; it coordinates activities and participation in the programming and implementation of projects of national and international origin, and is the coordination point for referencing the NQFS with the European Qualifications Framework. For the purposes of performing its duties, the Office uses data from the Unified Education Information System, the Central register of mandatory social insurance, the National Employment Service and the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia.
