The ILO supports teacher training in digital skills in vocational education in Montenegro

The ILO supports teacher training in digital skills in vocational education in Montenegro

As part of a joint UN project, the ILO is investing in strengthening the integration of digital content and technologies, as well as core employability skills into teaching practices.

5 December 2025

PODGORICA (ILO News) - The International Labour Organization (ILO), is supporting teacher training in the creation and use of digital content and strengthening secondary and vocational education. This is part of a transformative educational initiative aimed at preparing the youth for the labour market and equipping educators with twenty-first century teaching skills and preparing the youth for the labour market of tomorrow in Montenegro.

As part of the UN project "Digital, Inclusive and Transformative - Quality Education for All," jointly implemented with UNICEF and UNESCO and supported by the Montenegro Acceleration Fund (MAF), the ILO is promoting digitalisation, employability, and teacher empowerment in Montenegro's northern regions, where educational inequalities and youth unemployment remain pressing challenges.

Montenegro's education system has faced long-standing challenges, including outdated teaching methods, limited digital infrastructure, and unequal access-particularly in the North of the country. The ILO's interventions directly address these gaps by empowering teachers to become agents of change. Through exposure to modern digital tools, the application of AI in pedagogy, and addressing the core skills needed in the workplace , teachers will be better equipped to prepare students for the future world of work.

The ILO's support for teachers includes:

• Training on e-Pedagogy for the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) coordinators of Vocational Education and Training ((VET) schools, who support VET school teachers in the use of didactic approaches that use e-Learning and blended learning in combination with learner-centred methodologies. This aims to increase the capacity of teachers to use digital methodologies and learning materials, and create digital teaching materials themselves, including using Artificial Intelligence.
• Training on key competencies, such as problem-solving, critical thinking and career management, as well as self-reflection or analytical and critical thinking: the ILO developed a training course based on Montenegro's key competency framework, as well as on skills needs articulated by employers.
• Networking events between schools' Information and Communication Technology (ICT) coordinators and between vocational teachers and employers, including study visits to Education Technology (EdTech) hubs and companies. The networking events, through improved collaboration between educators themselves, as well as with employers, will ensure that vocational training aligns with real labour market needs. They will also allow participants to experience in situ the latest digital technologies and business processes used in companies (e.g. banks and four star hotels) and learn how to use the equipment of EdTech hubs in their training.

The project will contribute to bridging the gap between education and the labour market. It will reach over 150 teachers and ICT coordinators across Montenegro, with a strong emphasis on inclusion and regional equity. The training courses also represent an important pathway to helping teachers to enhance their competences, build their careers and receive formal certification. The project will ultimately equip more than 2,000 VET students with the skills needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital economy, thereby addressing the challenge of high youth unemployment and difficult school-to-work transition in Montenegro.

This approach not only enhances the relevance of education for the labour market, but also supports Montenegro's EU accession goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly SDGs 4.4 (quality education) and 8.6 (youth employment).

By supporting teachers and students in Montenegro's most disadvantaged regions, the ILO is helping to ensure that no one is left behind in the digital transformation.