Vocational Education

Duration of the vocational education, according to the existing system, depends on the type of vocation. Therefore, there are schools: of 2 years duration - or of 2nd degree in which 60% of teaching is given to practical training, and 40% to general and vocational-theoretical subjects; of 3 years duration - or of 3rd degree - where up to 33% of teaching is practical training; of 4 years duration - or of 4th degree - where practical training takes 30%, and of 5th degree, where 18-68% of the teaching is practical training, depending on the profession.



As for the vocations of 2nd and 5th degree, the teaching process has not been organized in schools, but the qualifications have been obtained by taking/passing compulsory grade exams in a school years exam terms.

Vocational education in Montenegro is being performed in 36 schools, located in 20 cities, so that local vocational needs of the Republic can mostly be met. A small number of the schools are narrowly specialized, whereas most of the schools organize teaching and training for various vocations, and as such are treated as mixed vocational schools. Number of students per school varies from 43 to approximately 1500.

In the school year 2001-02, the total number of students in vocational schools was 22044 in 810 classes, and in 2002-03 this number was 21706 in 806 classes.
As much as 1947 teachers take part in the process of education and training in vocational schools, in addition to 584 employees of non-teaching staff. We have a student/teacher ratio of 12:1 in vocational schools. During the 2002-03, the students were being taught/trained for 36 different vocations of three-year duration, and for 49 vocations of four years duration. Even though the number of students attending vocational schools is decreasing from year to year, a trend of the increase in number of classes is quite noticeable.
The percentage of students in vocational schools in comparison to the total number of students in Secondary Education has decreased from 73,27% in 1997-98 to 68,82% in 2002-03. The average percentage of girls in the total student population in the Secondary Education is around 51%.

In 36 vocational schools in Montenegro, 15 subject areas are being taught: mechanical engineering, traffic, electrical engineering, geodesy and civil engineering, geology, mining and metallurgy, chemistry, non-metals and printing; textile industry and leather industry; agriculture, food production and processing; forestry and wood processing; healthcare, pharmacology and social security; trade, tourism and catering; economics, law and administration; music; fine arts and services.

The curricula structure is made of general education subjects, vocational-theoretical subjects and training.

For the 3rd degree education, 46 curricula were made for different vocations in 12 subject areas, and average percentage ratio between general subjects, vocational theoretical subjects and training, according to the curricula realized in vocational schools is 47:28:25.

For the 4th degree education, 63 curricula were made for different vocations, with percentage ratio between general subjects, vocational theoretical subjects and training of 54:33:13.

In the subject areas of economics, tourism and electrical engineering, in the school year 2002-03, there were 60,23% of students attending vocational education for the total of 23 vocations, which makes 25,84% of all the vocations students are being taught and trained for. In the other 12 subject areas, and 66 vocations, 39,97% of students attended the teaching.

In the school year 2002-03, vocational schools of three years duration, were attended by 7266 students, or 33,47%, and those of four years duration by 14440, or 66,53% of the total number of students in Vocational Education.
Vocational education in Albanian, in 2001-02, was attended by 485 students, or 2,2% of the total number of students. In the school year of 2002-03, 507 students, or 2,3%, attended the teaching in Albanian.
Dropout in Vocational Education, both three-year and four-year, is around 3,11%, and is obtained as the ratio between number of students who didnt complete a grade and number of students who successfully completed a grade.