Regional Challenge Fund

Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

Partners: WB6 Chamber Investment Forum

Project period: 2019 – 2030

• Lack of funding for Vocational Education and Training (VET) schools and outdated or even absent infrastructure and training equipment.
• A professional training approach that does not have the required quality and is not tailored to the needs of the labor market.
• Teachers often lack the necessary practical or methodological competencies to adequately transmit the required skills based on state-of-the art equipment.

The provided funds are utilized to promote a competitive process to select innovative proposals for the improvement of vocational training. The proposals, jointly developed and submitted by consortia comprised of VET schools and private businesses, are selected by an independent panel of technical experts based on predefined criteria. Those consortia that are successful will subsequently be supported by a Fund Management team in the implementation process to achieve the best possible results. Wherever possible, the Challenge Fund made use of and build on existing structures, and work collaboratively with other development partners.

• More than 3,100 young people and job-seekers in Serbia are gaining access to modern, practice-oriented training that matches real business needs.
• Thanks to the Regional Challenge Fund (RCF), vocational schools and companies are working hand in hand to create over 50 innovative training programmes in 31 vocational institutes that equip learners with skills in high demand.
• 30 projects worth more than EUR 12.7 million have already been supported (under implementation), bringing together 150 enterprises from diverse sectors
• This structured cooperation ensures that training is no longer just theory – it prepares students directly for the workplace and improves their chances of employment.