The Law on Secondary Education (Zakon o srednjem obrazovanju i vaspitanju) defines apprenticeship or professional practice as one of the forms of teaching defined by the curriculum for a specific secondary education profile. It is a mandatory part of the learning process in three-year and four-year secondary vocational schools. According to the Law, apprenticeship or professional practice may take place at school, at an employer’s premises, or as a combination of these two options. In the latter two cases, an agreement between the school and the employer must be signed. 

Apprenticeship or professional practice carried out at an employer’s premises is considered learning through work and is more precisely regulated by the Law on Dual Secondary Education (Zakon o Dualnom obrazovanju). The apprenticeship or professional practice programme, the elements of the contract (in cases where the practice is carried out at an employer’s premises), and other issues related to the implementation of practical training and professional practice are regulated by the minister in charge of education. 

Professional practice may be a mandatory or an optional part of a university study programme, as regulated by the Law on Higher Education (Zakon o visokom obrazovanju).  

Article 201 of the Employment act (Zakon o radu) states: 

“A contract on professional training may be concluded for the purpose of completing a traineeship or taking a professional exam, when a law or bylaw provides this as a separate requirement for independent work in the profession. A contract on internship may be concluded for professional development and the acquisition of specific knowledge and skills necessary to work in the profession, or to undergo specialization, during the period established for the internship or specialization programme, in accordance with a special regulation” (bold added). 

As a support measure for unemployed persons to gain their first work experience in the form of professional practice, traineeship, or similar arrangements, the National Employment Service may finance up to 12 months of professional training through the Professional Training Program. During the program, the National Employment Service: 

The funds are not paid to the employer but directly to the unemployed persons participating in the program. 

The Traineeship Support Measure is another National Employment Service measure intended for:   

For unemployed persons with a high level of qualification, the program is carried out at the premises of a private-sector employer, and the National Employment Service participates in financing the program for up to 12 months. An unemployed person must have at least an ISCED level 6 qualification, an average grade of at least 8.5 in previously completed levels of study, be up to 30 years of age, and have no prior work experience in the profession for which the qualification was acquired. 

For unemployed persons with a secondary school qualification, the program is also carried out at the premises of a private-sector employer, and the National Employment Service participates in financing the program for up to 6 months. Participants must belong to one of the following categories: young people up to 30 years of age who have been registered as unemployed for more than 6 months, unemployed persons with disabilities, unemployed Roma, and young people who have had or currently have the status of youth in foster care, foster families, or guardianship care. 

Although the above-described measures were not introduced for the first time with the start of the Youth Guarantee Programme (launched in Serbia in 2023), they have been reinforced and complemented with informational support measures for potential candidates and awareness-raising activities, as well as subsidy measures for employers.