The roundtable on leadership in vocational education, as well as a workshop dedicated to launching peer learning in Serbia’s VET system, was held in Belgrade on 19–20 November 2025 organized by the Ministry of Education within the project “National Reference Point Serbia 2 – Vocational Education and Training for the Future” (VET4F).
The two-day event gathered representatives of the Ministry of Education, the Qualifications Agency, the Institute for the Improvement of Education, as well as principals and teachers from vocational secondary schools from Belgrade, Kragujevac, Bor, Niš, Valjevo, Čajetina, Vrnjačka Banja, and Požarevac.
Support to the Ministry of Education in conceptualizing and delivering the two-day programme was provided by the Centre for Education Policy as experts engaged within the project “EU Support to Education Policy in Serbia” funded by the European Union.
Presentation of Key Findings and Results from the Roundtable “Leadership in Vocational Education”
This two-day event followed a meeting held in April this year within the work programme of the EQAVET network, attended by representatives of national VET institutions from Greece, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Portugal, and Serbia as the host country. The roundtable was organized as part of the final phase of the peer learning process, in line with the methodology developed by the EQAVET network.
During the sessions with colleagues from EU countries, several areas for further development and improvement of the secondary VET system were identified, particularly regarding the role of leadership in strengthening quality culture in vocational schools. Discussions focused on key predefined questions: What is considered an optimal approach in selecting school principals? How should training and licensing processes for VET principals be organized? Which characteristics and leadership styles define a principal who successfully builds a culture of continuous quality improvement? Considering the indicators that schools find most challenging to achieve, what are the prospects for improvement and how do participants view the role of the EQAVET approach in supporting it?
Following comprehensive preparation related to familiarizing participants with the VET system and its key aspects, EU representatives prepared a peer review report on the role of VET school leaders in developing a culture of quality.
The key findings of the report were presented at the roundtable by Radovan Živković, Head of the Department for Secondary Vocational Education at the Ministry of Education and Coordinator of the National Reference Point for VET Quality. He emphasized that improving the quality of secondary VET is among the Ministry’s priorities.
The roundtable was opened by Anđelka Mirković, Assistant Minister for Secondary Vocational Education, followed by remarks from Marija Krneta, Head of the VET Department. Both highlighted the importance of the peer learning process and the broader activities, as well as the priority directions for the development of the VET system.
The event was moderated by Sofija Vujović from the Centre for Education Policy. Participants discussed the challenges VET school principals face in their daily work—from financial to managerial—and reflected on the issues raised by peer reviewers during the April meeting.
After a detailed presentation of the peer learning process and reviewers’ recommendations, and a plenary discussion focusing on the overall evaluation of outcomes (including questions such as: What is your overall impression of the peer learning process and its results? What does the reviewers’ feedback indicate? How relevant and significant are the recommendations? Were any unexpected? Are some proposals difficult to implement in our context and why? Which changes can be made easily or quickly?), the group reached consensus that this international peer learning experience was highly relevant and innovative, that the recommendations are largely relevant and mostly feasible, and that most of them require time, careful conceptualization, and strong involvement of principals, schools, and practitioners.
Group work followed, during which participants divided into two groups assessed individual recommendations based on four criteria (relevance, urgency, feasibility, and expected effectiveness) using a five-point scale, with explanations for each rating. They also discussed whether the reviewers’ recommendations were already reflected in the current Education Development Strategy and Action Plan, and whether additional activities might be needed.
Analysis of the evaluation matrices and the plenary discussion showed a high degree of agreement among participants, along with several important differences reflecting their various professional experiences, roles, and perspectives.
Both groups emphasized that the selection of school principals remains a long-standing systemic challenge and that the current procedure does not consistently identify competent candidates. However, while one group believed that modest procedural adjustments could improve the selection process, the other was more skeptical, arguing that existing regulations and practical constraints still significantly limit the possibilities for substantial progress.
Regarding licensing and training for principals, both groups agreed that this is among the most relevant and urgent recommendations and that a structured and consistent programme tailored to the specificities of VET schools is essential. Differences arose in interpreting the causes of current shortcomings: one group stressed the lack of ongoing support and mechanisms to accompany principals after licensing, while the other emphasized that the training content itself is insufficiently defined and lacks a clear differentiation between vocational and general leadership competencies.
In discussing leadership characteristics, both groups agreed that principal leadership styles should be based on responsibility, predictability, and the ability to motivate and guide staff.
However, they highlighted different aspects: one group focused on the importance of distributed leadership, while the other stressed pedagogical leadership and cultivating a culture of continuous improvement—although these approaches are not mutually exclusive.
The overall results of the roundtable will be integrated into the Action Plan for improvements, in accordance with the EQAVET methodology, to be finalized by the Ministry of Education and key institutions with the coordination and support of Serbia’s National Reference Point.
The second-day workshop gathered representatives of the Ministry of Education and three-member teams from seven schools selected by the Ministry and the National Reference Point of Serbia to participate in the peer learning activities within the VET system, together with representatives of the Centre for Education Policy:
1. Technical School, Valjevo – One Step Ahead: A Smart Student Support System
2. Hospitality and Tourism School, Čajetina – Cooperation with Industry to Meet Labour Market Needs
3. Technical School “Drvo-art”, Belgrade – International Cooperation
4. Hospitality and Tourism School with Dormitory, Vrnjačka Banja – Learn, Share, Support
5. Electrotechnical School “Mija Stanimirović”, Niš – Innovative Teaching Practices
6. Agricultural School with Dormitory “Sonja Marinković”, Požarevac – Improving the School Through Modernized Teaching and Student Support Approaches
7. Technical School, Bor – School Organization and Management of Human and Material Resources
The meeting concluded with a reflection on all presentations and an overview of the structural elements of the Self-Evaluation Report, activity timelines, and an announcement of the forthcoming “Guidelines for Implementing the Peer Learning Process,” which will include key information and a template for developing the Self-Evaluation Report. The guidelines will be distributed to all schools following the event.
The project “National Reference Point Serbia 2 – Vocational Education and Training for the Future” (VET4F) is implemented by the Ministry of Education with the support of the EU, as part of Serbia’s activities within the European Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training (EQAVET) network. The National Reference Point of Serbia serves as a hub connecting all national institutions responsible for improving the quality of VET, as well as the link between Serbia and relevant European institutions in this field.