Reference year 2026
Version 2026
Drafted by Mirela Laković, Advisor, Department for Education, Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts - Member of Cedefop Community of apprenticeship experts for Croatia
In 2004 the apprenticeship scheme called the Unified Model of Education (UME) replaced the previous dual model of education.
The following aspects are regulated by different legal documents:
-Act on Crafts (Official Gazette 143/13, 127/2019, 41/20) (regulates in general education and training for crafts)
-Regulation on the procedure and method of issuing permits (licenses) for apprenticeship implementation (Official Gazette 107/20)
-Regulation on the minimum conditions for apprenticeship contracts (Official Gazette 107/20)
- Rules of procedure and manner of taking an apprenticeship exam (Official Gazette 48/21)
-Act on Primary and Secondary Education (Official Gazette 87/08, 86/09, 92/10, 105/10, 90/11, 16/12, 86/12, 126/12, 94/13, 152/14, 07/17, 68/18, 98/19, 64/20, 151/22)
(regulates primary and education)
-Act on VET (Official Gazette 30/09, 24/10, 22/13, 25/18, 69/22) (regulates VET system and indicates that apprenticeships are regulated by the Act on Crafts)
-Teaching Plans and Programmes as per the Act on Crafts*. The same legal basis applies to all apprenticeships.
With the introduction of new curricula as part of the VET reform in Croatia, in school year 2025/26 the phasing out of the Unified model of education began. After this curricula reform, programmes previously offered only through apprenticeship can now be also offered as other type of VET that includes work-based learning periods. Apprenticeship will be still an option; however, a new legal basis has not been adopted yet. The new curricula are based on National Framework for VET (MZO, 2018).
Apprenticeship is broadly defined in Act on Crafts (127/2019) as a way of implementation of the vocational part of the vocational curriculum of craft occupations. Through apprenticeship, students acquire the appropriate learning outcomes prescribed by the vocational curriculum, develop independence and collaborative relationships, and gain relevant work experience in a particular occupation.
See more details in Q5.
There is no new definition of apprenticeship following the recent VET curricula reform.
The scheme Jedinstveni model obrazovanja (Unified Model of Education, UME/JMO) is offered at upper secondary level. It is offered as alternative pathway to school-based education at this level.
With the introduction of new curricula within the VET reform in Croatia in school year 2025/26 the phasing out of the Unified model of education began. The new curricula should enable the implementation of apprenticeship in various VET occupations alongside other VET options; however, but a new legal basis has not been adopted yet. In any case, following this reform, the new curricula – for which apprenticeship will be an option - are offered at upper secondary level.
Cedefop’s VET in Europe database provides additional information on the national VET system and the position of apprenticeships within it: https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/vet-in-europe/systems/croatia-u3
The apprenticeship scheme of the Unified Model of Education is in place since the school year 2004/2005. Apprenticeship under this scheme is available for 61 craft occupations.
Prior to that, there were apprenticeship programmes (dual model of education) since the school year 1995/96, but were replaced by the UME/JMO scheme.
With the introduction of new curricula within the VET reform in Croatia in school year 2025/26 the phasing out of the Unified model of education began. Apprenticeship will remain an option of implementation of the new curricula; however, the legal basis has not been adopted yet.
In the Croatian education system, school-based VET is the prevailing model of VET. It includes compulsory work-based learning either at company or in school workshop.
The Unified model of education (UME/JMO) was the only apprenticeship model in Croatia (offered since 2004/05, replacing the pre-existing dual model that was introduced in 1995/1996). It was offered for 61 occupations for associated trades and crafts. In the 2024/25 school year, the share of students in UME comprised 12,61 % of all VET students (12,825 students of total 101,678 VET students).
Source: Ministry of Science and Education’s public database: https://mzom.gov.hr/ser-skolski-e-rudnik-3419/3419