Modern approach to dual education in higher education institutions

Abstract

The issue of the dual education system at the institutions of higher education is the focus of the education policies of many countries. Education experts stress that the dual education system has been characterized as a successful and forward-looking model, which combines formal, university education and informal acquisition of applicable technical skills through student work on practical problems in companies. The paper aimed to analyze and review dual education models at the institutions of higher education in European countries (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland), as well as the evolution of the dual education system at the universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and countries in the region. Germany, Austria, and Switzerland face challenges of how to attune the existing dual education models to EU recommendations for dual study programs, i.e. how to innovate the current programs based on the criteria for quality and efficient dual education. These countries still aim to promote their dual education model in the future, as well as support and help the countries interested in this model. On the other hand, the development of dual education in Bosnia and Herzegovina and countries in the region is rather slow. Of all the countries in this region, only The Republic of Serbia adopted the Law on the dual model of studies in higher education and launched two dual study programs. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are conflicting opinions about dual education. Some believe that dual education is the key to increased employment, while others warn that it significantly lowers the educational threshold and reduces the competencies of young people. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out a complex analysis of the current situation at the institutions of higher education and to determine which areas allow the possibility of developing dual studies. The following steps concern the development of regulations for the creation of a dual education model by educational, social, and economic goals and needs, strengthening the capacity of higher education institutions, and involving social partners in the dual education decision-making process.