Deadline for employers to apply for dual education extended until January 31, 2026

The Chamber of Commerce of Serbia (CCIS) has extended the deadline for employers to apply for dual education until January 31, 2026, giving companies additional time to assess their needs, select appropriate educational profiles, and make a decision on their participation in the education of future staff for the 2026/2027 school year.

- Employers will have the opportunity to apply for the implementation of dual education by the end of January, which enables them to plan the development of human resources in accordance with their business needs - said Mirjana Kovacevic, Head of the Center for Education, Dual Education and Educational Policies of the CCIS, adding that a significant number of companies had already applied for the dual education model for the 2026/2027 school year, including those that were participating in the implementation of this education system for the first time.

In the previous period, the CCIS worked intensively on identifying the needs of the economy for qualified labor, the chamber said in a statement. Through a campaign to encourage employers, representatives of the CCIS held a large number of individual meetings with interested companies, as well as a series of information sessions in cities across Serbia. As a result of these activities, several hundred statements of readiness to participate in dual education were submitted.

According to Kovacevic, companies have shown the greatest interest in educating students according to the dual model in the fields of mechanical engineering and metalworking, electrical engineering, trade, as well as tourism and hospitality.

Employers apply for inclusion in dual education through the web portal of the CCIS, where in a few steps they can create a company profile and submit an application for participation in this educational model.

- By getting included in dual education, employers get the opportunity to educate qualified and practically trained staff in accordance with their own needs, ready to immediately join the work process after completing their education. In this way, the costs of additional employee training are significantly reduced, which the economy recognizes as one of the key advantages of dual education - emphasized Mirjana Kovacevic.

Students who are educated according to the dual model, depending on their educational profile, spend part of the teaching process in companies, where they acquire practical knowledge, work habits and insight into the real business environment. Such an approach contributes to strengthening trust between students and employers and often represents the basis for continued cooperation after completing their education.

For the 2026/2027 school year, 93 educational profiles from 12 areas of work are offered within dual education.