The mismatch between the education system and the labor market represents a serious threat to the growth and development of any economy, especially a small one like Montenegro, was assessed at the international conference on economics, which was organized in Bečići by the Chamber of Commerce (PKCG).
The participants of the panel entitled (Mismatch) of the educational system and the labor market, said that the mismatch between supply and demand in the labor market gives rise to long-term unemployment, and that the causes should be sought on the side of the educational system, but also the economy.
Professor of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Montenegro, Boban Melović, said that the mismatch between education and the labor market is a serious threat to the growth and development of any economy, especially small ones like Montenegro.
"This mismatch also leads to the mismatch between supply and demand, and thus creates an underutilization of human potential." It is precisely this discrepancy that is positively correlated with long-term unemployment," said Melović.
According to him, the causes of such a situation can be found on the side of the education system, but also the economy. He added that the service economy currently dominates in Montenegro, which led to the need to develop new knowledge.
"Better defined learning outcomes and their compliance with new challenges on the labor market, insufficiently developed concept of practical teaching and dual education, and continuous monitoring and evaluation of achieved results are areas that need to be significantly improved," Melović said.
He presented a project related to capacity building in dual education, which is implemented in cooperation with PKCG.
"That project represents a model for the development of teaching at higher education institutions, which, in addition to theory, also provides the possibility of learning while working, that is, practice. In this way, students strengthen their competencies and better prepare for the future labor market," Melović said.
He announced that it is necessary to create adequate conditions for the development of dual education and the improvement of the competencies of graduate students in Montenegro according to the needs of employers, in order to increase their employment opportunities, motivation to study while acquiring practical competencies, as well as to enable access to higher education to students from low-income families.
"In this way, they will acquire competencies that are more in line with the needs of modern companies, which is why it is expected that in most cases companies will offer jobs to students after the internship," Melović said.
This, he added, will increase the interest of companies to offer internships and scholarships to students who have gone through the process of dual higher education, and students will be able to cover their own expenses during their studies.
Melović invited businessmen and higher education institutions in Montenegro to participate in that project and continue to work on its implementation.
"All of us who are engaged in education are aware of the privilege and responsibility that this job carries, and in this time we are expected more than ever to educate our pupils and students in accordance with the needs of society and the labor market," said Melović.
The director of a hotel group, Nikola Milić, announced that the hotel industry has recently been investing a lot in staff, both through internal education programs and by bringing in external trainers.
He looked back at the beginnings of his business, when he and his wife relied more on personal feelings when managing processes and forming a team, so that today, 13 years later, they turned more to the formalization of training, with the aim of personal and development of their employees.
"We are now formalizing a lot of processes that we used to feel, in which European projects help us. We have a talent development program, functional skills training according to defined standards and procedures. "We have formed a human resources department that, in communication with employees, contributes to their training according to their expressed preferences," Milić said.
According to him, a major problem in the hotel industry is the lack of staff educated in secondary vocational schools, as well as the fact that children should be motivated to enroll, presenting them with successful examples from the world.
"The economy must participate in the continuous training of employees in order for business success to be better and greater." At Casa, we always have students on practical classes as well as students from secondary vocational schools, and many students from the practice have become permanent members of the team," said Milić.
Professor of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Belgrade, Dejan Šoškić, believes that it is difficult to estimate which jobs will be sought in the future, and that the education system should offer quality and applicable knowledge, because it is impossible to create a competitive economy with people who do not have competitive knowledge.
He added that the education system has a great responsibility for where the country will be in the international division of labor in the future.
"In the current context, we must ensure that at every level of education, we strive for quality, competitive and applicable knowledge," said Šoškić.
According to him, the education system must be based on a clear social commitment that we want to create a society of knowledge, such as the Finnish and other technological leaders.
"There must be a clear determination that knowledge is the main development lever of the economy." The educational process is of crucial importance in this," said Šoškić.
He said that the region should perceive the future based on where the educational system is in terms of social value.
"These are the directions that countries like ours can lead to create GDP in sectors where the greatest possible value is created." A knowledge-based society is the key to overall social development. This directly affects the quality of foreign direct investments, which also affects the creation of domestic investors," Šoškić said.
The general manager of the University of Donja Gorica and moderator of the panel, Sandra Tinaj, said that the solution to numerous problems of the economy and society is sought precisely in education.
According to her, there is no doubt that education must meet the demands of the labor market, but also beyond that, because employers are mostly looking for short-term solutions of up to five years, and education must be focused on imparting knowledge for a much longer period of time.
Team leader of the project of the Austrian Development Agency in Kosovo, Efka Heder, referred to the relationship between the economy and the world of education, emphasizing that it is not a binary process, but a constantly changing dance.
"The only constant is change, and what surprised us all in the technological transition is the speed with which it happens, so we have to react quickly and efficiently," said Heather.
According to her, the technological development of the industry enables the use of various instruments that can contribute to better data collection and decision-making. She believes that it is necessary to introduce the principles of smart management of the development of education and skills.
"In Kosovo, we started collecting data in order to monitor the state of the labor market, the so-called Kosovo Labor Market, then a web parameter related to how many students completed certain programs and in what direction they continued after completing their studies, as well as the monitoring of qualifications and their harmonization . Also, in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce of Kosovo, we have developed a skill barometer, which deals with the forecast of required skills in the labor market and which will detect what the business world thinks, in order to get smart information about the necessary skills in education. "Education and the business world must work together, in order to develop the society we live in," said Heather.
She believes that it is time again for the academic community to strongly contribute to evidence-based development, so that the power of people's knowledge, thought and commitment creates a vision and the whole system moves forward.
"The entrepreneurs of tomorrow are in our schools today, and let's not kill that entrepreneurial potential," Heather concluded.
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