10th Seminar for EAfA Partner Countries cover image

AGENDA

09:00 — 09:30
Arrival and registration of participants 
09:30 — 10:00
Opening remarks

  • Welcome by Tatjana Ćalasan, State Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro 

  • Speaker: Mario Nava, Director-General, DG EMPL, European Training Commission (video)

  • Speaker: Georgios Zisimos, Head of the Policy advice and EU Programme Unit, European Training Foundation 

  • Speaker: Anna Banczyk, DG EMPL B.R, European Commission (online)

  • Speaker: Brigitte Kuchar, Program Manager, EU Delegation in Montenegro

10:00 — 10:10
Objectives of the seminar 

Facilitation: Floriana Folisi, Human Capital Development Expert, European Training Foundation

10:10 — 10:30
Key messages from EU Social partners
  • Speaker: Ludovic Voet, Confederal Secretary, European Trade Union Confederation
  • Speaker:  Robert Plummer, Senior Adviser, Business Europe (online)
  • Speaker: Guillaume Afellat, Head of Social Affairs at SGI Europe (online)
  • Speaker: Natacha Pernas, SMEunited (online)
Ludovic Voet picture
Ludovic Voet
Guillaume Afellat picture
Guillaume Afellat
Natacha Pernas picture
Natacha Pernas
10:30 — 11:00
EAfA and latest developments 

Facilitation: Beatrice Biolcati Rinaldi, DG EMPL B.3, European Commission  

  • Welcoming Newcomers in EAfA
    • Kosovo*
    • Ukraine
    • New pledgers

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence

11:00 — 11:30
Coffee break 
11:30 — 12:30
Learn from and exchange with new and old EAfA Members

Parallel Group 1: Facilitation: Lisa Rustico, European Training Foundation

  • Speaker: Sirma Ilijoska Trifunovska, Chamber of Craft (North Macedonia) 

  • Speaker: Tatjana Babrauskiene, Head of International Relations, Lithuanian Education and Science Trade Unions (LESTU)

Parallel Group 2: Facilitation: Floriana Folisi, Human Capital Development Expert, European Training Foundation

  • Speaker: Burak Öztemel, Unit Manager, Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, Project and Business Development Department, State Support and Vocational Education Unit, Türkiye
  • Speaker: Tom Muller, Director, Vocational Education and Training, Ministry of Education, Children and Youth of Luxembourg 
Tom Muller picture
Tom Muller
Burak Öztemel picture
Burak Öztemel
Sirma Trifunovska picture
Sirma Trifunovska
Tatjana Babrauskiene picture
Tatjana Babrauskiene
12:30 — 13:00
WBL in Montenegro: overview and latest developments

Facilitation: Emmanuelle Roure, European Commission, DG EMPL E.3, European Commission

  • Speaker: Marko Vukašinović, Director General, Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation 

  • Speaker:  Mladen Perazic, Head of Sector for Education and Quality, Chamber of Economy 

  • Speaker:  Aleksandra Lalevic, Director of VET Centre 

Mladen Perazic picture
Mladen Perazic
12:55 — 13:00
Introduction to site visits
13:00 — 14:00
Lunch
14:00 — 17:00
Site visits
  • Group 1: Secondary vocational school "Spasoje Raspopović" 
  • Group 2: “La Parisienne” factory
  • Group 3: Junior High School of Electrical Engineering "Vaso Aligrudić" 
19:30 — 22:00
Networking dinner
09:00 — 09:30
Welcome and feedback from the site visits 

Moderation: Christian Wagner, Team leader, EU4Youth 

09:30 — 10:30
Thematic focus 1: Financial and non-financial incentives in Apprenticeships 

Facilitation: Floriana Folisi, Human Capital Development Expert, European Training Foundation

Financial and non-financial incentives play a crucial role in shaping effective and inclusive apprenticeship systems. This panel will explore both aspects, starting with an EU-level overview of how such incentives are used to support apprenticeships, and then delving into two specific country cases: Serbia and Latvia.

  • Speaker: Katharina Jaik, Expert, DC dVET 
  • Speaker: Mirjana Kovačević, Head of Centre/Director of Academy, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia
  • Speaker: Ludovic Voet, Confederal Secretary, European Trade Union Confederation
  • Speaker: Marie Turlan, Expert in Apprenticeship Development, Mobility and Cross-border Cooperation, Ministry of Labour, France

 

Katharina Jaik picture
Katharina Jaik
Ludovic Voet picture
Ludovic Voet
Mirjana Kovačević picture
Mirjana Kovačević
Marie Turlan picture
Marie Turlan
10:30 — 11:00
Coffee break
11:00 — 12:00
Thematic focus 2: Matching of companies and Learners  

Facilitation: Stefan Thomas, European Training Foundation

In many ETF Partner Countries, apprentices start training before securing a company placement, with vocational schools playing a key role in the matching process. This session will explore the challenges and implications of this approach.

  • Speaker: Antonio Mota Cosano, Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports (MEFPD) - Spain 

  • Speaker: Gergely Pálmai, Deputy State Secretary for Vocational Education and Training at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation - Hungary 

  • Speaker: Marija Gošović, Director General, Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation - Montenegro

  • Speaker: Albert Philip Hendrik Janssenss, Board Member of the Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions (OBESSUS) and Member of the European Apprentices Network (EAN)  

Antonio Mota Cosano picture
Antonio Mota Cosano
Gergely Pálmai picture
Gergely Pálmai
Albert Janssens picture
Albert Janssens
Marija Gošović picture
Marija Gošović
12:00 — 12:30
Conclusions and closing of the seminar 
  • Speaker: Floriana Folisi, Human Capital Development Expert, European Training Foundation (ETF)
  • Speaker: Beatrice Biolcati Rinaldi, DG EMPL B.3, European Commission
12:30 — 13:30
Lunch and departures