DUALMON project and its results will contribute significantly to the objectives of the action through structured cooperation between partners in the consortium, exchange of experience and good practices between Montenegro universities and universities from program countries. The expected results of the project are modernisation of policies and legislation in the area of HE in Montenegro and strengthening of relations between higher education systems and the wider economic and social environment in the country. These are in the line with the proposed goals of the action “Capacity building in the field of higher education” (Erasmus plus program guide, 2019, p. 160) and in the line with national priorities for this country.
Building of the generic model for dual education in Montenegro will support the modernisation, accessibility and internationalisation of higher education in Montenegro through introduction of new teaching methodology and international cooperation. Dual education is innovative part that will enable students to acquire more relevant knowledge and skills by combining formal education with training acquired at the work place in companies and this will improve the quality of higher education and enhance its relevance for the labour market and society. Modernisation will improve the level of competences and skills in HEIs by developing new and innovative education programmes and it will be evident in the results of the pilot implementation and testing of specific dual models that will be introduced to students and teachers.
Internationalisation will be enhanced through study visits of Montenegro professors to institutions from program countries, through visits of experts from program countries in the field of dual education to Montenegro, through development of a generic model for dual education in line with existing European dual education models and according to Bologna requirements, and through wide dissemination of results in the region.
The project will support all stakeholders from Montenegro to address the challenges facing their higher education institutions, HE system and economy, like labour mismatch and employability, improvement of quality of teaching and quality of learning outcomes, relevance for the labour market, and equity of access through better opportunities for socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. Dual education is inclusive form of education that offers opportunity to disadvantaged groups of students to find the employment quickly through improved match between skills supply and labour force demand.
The project will develop a generic model of dual study programs. Each of involved faculties at University of Montenegro will develop specific dual education model for their field of education. Additionally, dual education will bring better and more intensive cooperation between industry and higher education and it will contribute towards increase of innovation capacities. Students on dual education will be the channel for transferring knowledge and ideas from companies to academia and vice versa.
The expected results of the project will impact HEIs in Montenegro by making significant improvement of the competencies of higher education graduates, according to the needs of employers, since dual education brings together theoretical knowledge but also practical skills and abilities for young educated people, and improvement of legal framework and accreditation standards in Montenegro in order to adapt to dual education. This will be another very important impact since the one of the most important issues in implementation of dual education is definitively the area of laws and regulations. Development of generic model of dual education will be conducted through transfer of knowledge from HE institutions from programme countries, Austria and Slovenia, where dual education is considered to be very successful and among the best in the word (in the case of Austria), and from Serbia where universities have participated in many dual education projects and have dual education programs. Results, a model and changes in regulations, will initiate changes and innovation in the area of HE in the Montenegro.
DUALMON project will contribute to the cooperation between the European Union and Montenegro as eligible partner country through intensive transfer of knowledge and experience from program countries in the field of dual education. Teachers from different countries will cooperate for three years in order to build a generic dual education model, to create innovation in the legislation and accreditation standards in the area of HE, and to provide its sustainability in the future. The ground for even wider cooperation will be established because the results of the project will be disseminated across the entire region of Balkan. Having that in mind, all deliverables and outcomes of the DUALMON project will be in two languages: English and Montenegrin. This is why our project through joint initiative and sharing of good practices and cooperation will contribute towards regional integration and cooperation across different regions in Europe.
All partners in the consortium are aware of cultural, historical, geographical, political and linguistic differences between them. Therefore, starting from the kick-off meeting, all partners in the DUALMON consortium will promote people-to-people contacts, intercultural awareness and understanding in order to develop long-term and successful cooperation.