Third National Grant Award Ceremony Successfully Held in Montenegro

April 18, 2024, Podgorica

Three new skills-building projects from Montenegro received investment commitment letters today in a ceremony hosted by the Regional Challenge Fund in Podgorica. The Germany- and Swiss-supported Fund recently announced the winning applications in the third round of its program which provides grants for vocational education and training (VET) courses designed jointly by the companies and VET providers from the Western Balkans region.

A complete list of winners is available here.

The Regional Challenge Fund (RCF) enhances the sustainable competitiveness of businesses in the Western Balkan 6 on the way to the EU single market by financing VET providers and addressing skill needs in cooperation with companies.

“In three open calls so far, RCF has committed 3,25 million euros to support a total of 7 vocational education and training projects from Montenegro, with 40 partnering enterprises. We remain dedicated to contributing to the country’s economic growth by upgrading the skills and knowledge of youth to produce a job-ready workforce that companies here need,” said Mr. Balša Ćulafić

The third round of applications organised last year attracted 155 expressions of interest from the region, eight of which were from Montenegro. The Selection Committee selected the three most successful projects to finance in the country with close to 1,62 million euros. The funds will be used to improve the infrastructure of five educational institutions and deliver training to the participants in the cooperative education program.

“From our point of view, the Regional Fund for Challenges is a true model of success. It encourages direct collaboration between educational institutions and employers, ensuring that the curriculum provided by educational institutions accurately matches the demands that the labour market places on young people today. It contributes to opening an attractive professional perspective for young people on the Montenegrin labour market and helps Montenegrin employers to attract qualified workers”, stated H.E. Peter Felten, German Ambassador to Montenegro.

 “We are pleased that the German Federal Government can provide the Regional Challenge Fund with a total of over 65 million euros for Montenegro and the Western Balkans, through the German Development Bank KfW. It can provide strong seed capital to successful partnerships between educational institutions and businesses for their cooperation,” explained Felten.

On the same day, 75 high-performing personal computers worth 140,000 euros purchased within the Regional Challenge Fund were officially handed over to the in Podgorica to use in the training of their students.

The Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Prof. Dr. Anđela Jakšić-Stojanović, congratulated the grant winners and expressed her satisfaction that the projects in which four secondary vocational schools from Montenegro participated were awarded.

“Investing in education means investing in all the positive processes of society, especially in the part of secondary vocational education through the development of professional competencies, in cooperation with the real sector. The improvement of vocational education directly affects the alignment between supply and demand in the labour market. I particularly appreciate that the investment of the Regional Fund for Challenges is exceptionally important for the education system since it coincides with the reform goals of the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, among which is certainly the further development of secondary vocational education”, said Prof. Dr. Jakšić-Stojanović.

Dr Nina Drakić, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro, reminded that the RCF was a financial mechanism designed to improve employability in the Western Balkans, and pointed out the importance of the project for both the country and the region.

“Why this project is of great importance for Montenegro and neighbouring countries? – Because both our country and neighbouring countries show the need to strengthen the knowledge of employees in the economy. It is also because we are increasingly realizing that this is the only way to better quality personnel energy and because there is no economic competitiveness without practical education included in economic flows. I believe that the economy of Montenegro, and the economies of the countries of the region, will progress even more strongly through projects like this, and thus get closer to full membership in the European Union“, said Drakić.

The ceremony was also attended by the director of the Center for Vocational Education, Aleksandra Lalević.

“Center for Vocational Education strives for excellence and efficiency in vocational education, and above all to create an environment in which innovative vocational education will be created that enables the comprehensive acquisition of competitive skills, competences and qualifications for employability, lifelong learning, inclusivity, personal development and active citizenship individuals”, concluded Lalević.

A new RCF call for grants is expected to open in the fall of this year, inviting all vocational education and training institutions in Montenegro to apply in partnership with companies. All information will be available in due time on the RCF website and social media.