The Faculty of Maritime Studies Kotor participant in the DUALMON project
The Faculty of Maritime Studies Kotor is one of the participants in the Erasmus + structural project called Strengthening capacities for the implementation of dual education in Montenegro higher education DUALMON (Strengthening capacities for the implementation of dual education in Montenegro higher education - DUALMON) for three years.
The project was launched with the aim of improving the competencies of graduate students in Montenegro, through the development of a generic model of dual education and the legal framework for the introduction of this type of education with the support of different needs and interests of students, companies and higher education institutions. In cooperation with experts from the Universities of Serbia, Austria and Slovenia, a model of dual education for Montenegro will be developed, modeled on the Austrian model, which is among the best in the world. This approach model will be tested by four faculties of the University of Montenegro from different fields: Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality and Faculty of Maritime Studies Kotor.
The first meetings on the occasion of the DUALMON project were held on April 22-23, 2021, and the host of the event was the Faculty of Economics in Podgorica. The project was presented in the presence of the Acting Rector of the University of Montenegro full prof. Vladimir Božović, PhD, Vice-Rector for Internationalization full prof. Sanja Peković, PhD, dean of partner faculties, representatives of project partners from the state and business sector, as well as the national Erasmus + office.
The introductory speech and presentation of the project were given by the representatives of the University of Montenegro, assoc. prof. Nikola Milović, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, assoc. prof. Boban Melović, PhD, project manager, and full prof. Mirko Savić, PhD, project coordinator and representative of the University of Novi Sad. Also, representatives of the members of the consortium of the University of Novi Sad, the University of Montenegro, FH Joanneum Gesellschaft MBH from Austria, the Academy of Service Companies l.l.c. OE Higher Vocational School Academia Maribor, Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro, Crnogorske plovidbe AD Kotor, company Voli Trade d.o.o. and Hotels Group Montenegro Stars, the Agency for Control and Quality Assurance of Higher Education and Crnogorski Telekom AD Podgorica. The Faculty of Maritime Studies in Kotor was represented by the Dean, assoc. prof. Špiro Ivošević, PhD, Vice-Dean for Teaching, assoc. prof. Milena Dževerdanović Pejović, PhD, and assistant prof. Senka Šekularac Ivošević, PhD.
During the two-day work program, project work packages, tasks and activities from the research and analysis of dual education needs, definition of generic dual model, legal framework and quality assurance conditions for implementation of dual higher education, pilot model testing, quality monitoring and presentation of results, as well as the project management itself.
It is concluded that the results of the DUALMON project will have exceptional effects on providing conditions for training and development of competencies of new generations of graduates of the Faculty of Maritime Studies Kotor of University of Montenegro by connecting theory and practice, in accordance with the needs of the modern maritime labor market.
In the specific case of the Maritime Faculty of Kotor, by purchasing equipment worth over 30,000 euros, which includes the purchase and installation of AMOS EMS software and Didactic set for electrical measurements, students of academic studies will be able to implement practical exercises that will have direct application in the company Crnogorska plovidba, i.e. different business processes. Detailed elaboration of dual education modalities, scope and content of the program, financing and other aspects important for the sustainability of the program will be harmonized during the first year of the project, while full implementation of dual education at the Maritime Faculty Kotor and Crnogorska plovidba is expected during the 2022/23 academic year.