Presentation of the Program – Key Competencies for Human Resource Management

The Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro, along with the Human Resources Management Authority,
HRMA, organized the presentation of the Educational Program for Key Competencies in the area of
human resource management on 10 May 2019.

The presentation was organized for the managers who wanted to improve their HRM skills as well as for
the owners of private companies and representatives of public enterprises.

The introductory speech was delivered by Prof. Dr. Mladen Perazić, Director of the Sector for Education
and Quality within the Montenegrin Chamber of Commerce and Jadranka Đurković, Deputy Director in
HRMA. Sonja Vojinović, Chief Officer in the Sector for Training and Human Resource Development
within the HRMA, presented the Program itself.

Representative of the Chamber of Commerce, Mladen Perazić, told that the meeting was organized
because there was a need to further develop all the factors which affected business environment having
in mind the need for strengthening the human resource capacities in the transition countries, such as
Montenegro is.

“Special attention should be paid to key aspects of developing human resources and managerial
structures. Managers are facing more and more challenges, especially in the process of joining the
European Union, EU,“ said Perazić.

He added that the first accredited educational program in the area of human resource management was
developed with assistance of the experts from Great Britain, while HRMA coordinated it. The Program
consisted of four thematic areas and 25 topics. Thematic areas were: key activities in HRM, legislative
framework in the area of HRM, relations with employees and HRM, as well as providing support in the
process of HRM.

The first cycle of the Program has already been completed and it lasted four months. It was noted that it
represented a comprehensive educational program and the participants were very satisfied with the
new approach used throughout the Program. They also said the newly-acquired knowledge and skills
have been completely applicable in practice.

Jadranka Đurković said the Montenegrin state bodies have had a centralized manner of HRM.
“The European integration will lead to decentralisation in this process and that is why we need to have
strong units for human resource management in every state body,” noted Đurković.

She emphasized that HRMA, by launching this accredited Program, wanted to meet the needs of the
market as they [needs] were not adequately included in the academic programs.

“We believe that the accredited programs will assist employees in their work. We have to take care of
human resources and introduce new organizational and motivational climate. Happy employees result in
productive employees,” said Đurković.

The goal of HRMA is to have around 200 participants in this Program by the end of 2020.
-We have to raise awareness in this context and finally integrate a more complex system of human
resource management,” she concluded.

Beside this Program, HRMA has been organizing programs that refer to the strategic planning, ethics and
integrity, as well as finances. All those attending the financial program will acquire the international
certificate in the area of accounting and audit. HRMA will also prepare the leadership program for the
managerial staff.

Sonja Vojinović said that the aim of presenting the Program was to motivate the participants of the
meeting to attend it and thus bolster their knowledge and skills in the area of HRM. HRMA has been
striving to ensure the implementation of standards in the area of HRM, she added, which would finally
enable proper implementation of the civil service system based on the European standards and
principles.

“It’s about the first program in Montenegro and even in the region that enables managers dealing with
HRM to educate themselves on each activity included in this process: recruitment and selection, a needs
assessment for further vocational development, performance appraisal, mentoring along with
competencies and their implementation, including the whole legislative framework in the area of HRM,
protection at work, personal data protection, mobbing and administrative procedures,” explained
Vojinović.

In addition, the Program includes all the skills needed for performing affairs as an integrity manager:
managing skills, absenteeism, integrity of employees, teamwork management, motivation, mediation,
change management, time and stress management. It also has the topics that provide support in
performing everyday duties, referring to the strategic planning, role of the IT system, drafting of reports
and presentations.

Vojinović stressed that the Program would encompass other target groups as well, beside civil and local
self-government servants, having in mind that HRMA has had close cooperation with other institutions
and organizations in charge of HRM.