Qualifications Agency of the Republic of Serbia hosted an Erasmus+ mobility "Job Shadowing", during which professors Sandra Machado and Carla Barbosa from the School Center "Francisco de Holanda" in Guimarães, Portugal, stayed in Serbia from July 5 to July 11, 2026.
The Agency designed and coordinated the study visit program, aiming to present the qualification system, vocational education, and adult education in the Republic of Serbia to the guests from Portugal, as well as the mechanisms for linking education with the needs of the labor market.
During the visit, the Agency presented its competencies and activities in the field of developing the National Qualifications Framework of the Republic of Serbia, developing qualification standards, recognizing foreign school and higher education diplomas, accrediting publicly recognized adult education activity organizers, and improving the career guidance and counseling system.
Special attention was paid to the role of the Agency in ensuring the quality and relevance of qualifications, recognizing knowledge and skills acquired in various learning contexts, and creating conditions for lifelong learning and mobility of students, participants, and employees.
As the central institution for coordinating the qualifications system, the Agency included other significant national institutions, schools, higher education institutions, and vocational education and training centers in the visit program. This way, the guests were enabled to familiarize themselves with the system from different perspectives – from creating educational policies and developing qualifications to their application in schools, adult education institutions, and the economy.
The program included visits to the Office for Dual Education and the National Qualifications Framework and the Institute for the Improvement of Education and Upbringing. National policies and activities in the field of vocational and dual education, adult education, and lifelong learning were presented.
The mobility participants also visited the Aviation Academy, the First Economic School in Belgrade, a training center in Pančevo in the field of mechatronics and electronics, and the Hospitality and Tourism School in Vrnjačka Banja. The program also included familiarization with the work of accredited publicly recognized adult education activity organizers, as well as a visit to the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Belgrade and its Aerotunnel.
During the meetings, experiences and examples of good practice in the field of developing and recognizing qualifications, organizing vocational education, ensuring quality, and recognizing competencies acquired through formal, non-formal, and informal learning, including competencies acquired during international mobility, were exchanged.
By organizing this study visit, the Agency for Qualifications confirmed its important role in connecting institutions, exchanging professional knowledge, and presenting the qualifications system of the Republic of Serbia to international partners.
The mobility represents a significant step in strengthening cooperation between institutions from Serbia and Portugal and creating the foundations for future partnerships and joint activities within the Erasmus+ program.
The Agency for Qualifications will continue to support international cooperation and the exchange of good practices, recognizing them as an important instrument for improving the qualifications system, vocational education, and lifelong learning in the Republic of Serbia.