Study called Development of National Qualifications Framework refers to a kind of mechanism that is at the service of development, description and systematization of qualifications in education systems.It was created with the financial support of the European Union, withincreated under the project "Fostering community - SPEED UP", which Juventas implemented in cooperation with the NGO SOS Phone Podgorica, and the Coalition of NGOs "For social change" with the support of European Commission through the EU Delegation in Montenegro.
Establishing a common qualifications framework at EU level is a process that began in 2005, when the Prime Ministers of the EU Member States have requested the creation of a European Qualifications Framework, aimed to create a closer connection between education systems and to improve understanding of qualifications while increasing transparency and confidence in the recognition of qualifications among EU member states.By creating such a unique system of qualification, the conditions for easier understanding, comparison and recognition of qualifications from different educational system were created, encouraging the mobility of citizens in the field of labor and employment.The reform process of the education system in Montenegro, among its priorities has positioned the need to define a comprehensive qualifications framework, and since 2004, the activities are aimed to develope a national qualifications framework, which define the direction of strategic development in this field.
Six years after the establishment of the strategic framework of state action in this area, after the adoption of Report on referencing the Montenegrin Qualifications Framework to the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning and the Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area, at the end of 2014. the Advisory Group for the European Qualifications Framework European Commission adopted a decision on the compliance of the Montenegrin qualification framework with the European qualifications framework.Thus Montenegro became the only candidate country for membership in the EU, which has harmonized its Qualifications Framework to the European Qualifications Framework.However, there are still many challenges in the process of further modernizing the framework.
Through normative and legal framework of this study, key documents such as laws and regulations governing the qualifications system in Montenegro were mentioned, and the most important are the Law on the National Qualifications Framework ("Off. Gazette of Montenegro", No. 80/10) and the Law on the National Vocational Qualifications ("Off. Gazette of Montenegro", No. 14/09).
When it comes to international standards, taking into account the integration processes that are taking place in Europe two decades ago, an indispensable document is the Lisbon Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Union (1997), which represented a starting point for the adoption and the adoption of future acts that regulated this field.
Starting from the analysis of the current situation, we can say that Montenegro has a qualifications framework that is aligned with the European framework.System planning and development of a national framework of qualifications is entrusted to the Council for Qualifications, sectoral committees for individual sectors qualifications framework, and the Department of qualifications within the Ministry of Justice, which acts as the center for qualifications at national level.Through the establishment of an institutional framework, the principles of multi-sectoral cooperation were proclaimed, with the aim to integrate all available capacities that exist, in state bodies and institutions, and on the other side - civil society organizations.
Considering the activities that Montenegro should be successfully implemented in this area, while watching the Institutional preparedness, through the study were given the key recommendations, namely:
1. The Ministry of Education must conduct a detailed analysis and cross-section of the four-year period of operation of the existing Council for Qualifications - before the appointment of a new Council (which is expected soon), to determine the results of previous work and on that basis to prepare clear guidelines for the development of the system of qualifications in the framework mandate the new Council.
2. It is essential that, in accordance with the provisions of the national qualifications framework, form the two remaining sectoral: Sectoral Commission for the Humanities and the Arts and sectoral committees for interdisciplinary areas.
3. Sectoral Commission must intensify its work on reviewing plans for qualification in all sectors, through the analysis to include the needs of the labor market and educational offer that will result in a number of proposals for the development of new qualifications.
4. The capacity of the members of the sectoral committees it is necessary to continuously strengthen, through a variety of specialized training programs that will aim to have them closer to the action and the importance of proactive participation of sectoral committees in the planning and development of sectoral policy frameworks of qualifications.In this section, it is important to use the available EU funds to make it through international projects, presented best practices of functioning qualifications framework at the level of EU member states.
5. Department of the Ministry of Education qualifications necessary to reorganize the professional body, which will bring together a number of experts in the field of qualifications framework that will be able to provide expert assistance in the implementation of policy framework of qualifications that the Council for Qualifications, as well as sectoral committees.
Adoption of the recommendations and their implementation in the Montenegrin qualification system should lead to significant displacement and improvement of the same system that will comply with required standards and be acceptable to the EU.
The publication can be downloaded here.pdf