The Digital Serbia Initiative and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Serbia are launching Level Up Academy. This pilot study programme will enable participants to develop skills essential for entering the labour market through practical work and collaboration with experts from leading companies.

According to the research “remAIn relevant: Skills for Future Jobs”, conducted with companies in Serbia, 90.9% of employers expect skills related to the application of artificial intelligence (AI) to be crucial in the near future, while 81.8% highlight adaptability and continuous learning among the most important non-technical skills. At the same time, more than half of companies cite the lack of candidates with experience in specific technologies as their biggest challenge - from the application of AI and data work to cybersecurity and digital tools - and this is precisely where the gap emerges for those entering the labour market.

Level Up Academy was developed in response to these changes, aiming to give students a tangible advantage - helping them take their next step better prepared, with a clearer understanding of what a modern work environment entails and which skills will be required in the future.

The programme will be implemented at several faculties of the University of Belgrade (Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Economics, etc.) in collaboration with 12 companies that shape the labour market (A1, Ananas, AikBank, EY, Inspira Group, Delta Holding, LEVI9, Microsoft, Nordeus, PwC, Schneider Electric, VEGA IT). Lectures and workshops will be delivered by professors, as well as company experts, who can share up-to-date knowledge and skills in real time.

The programme is open to final-year students from all faculties in Belgrade, as well as to graduates who have completed their studies within the past two years. Students from all fields – technical, social sciences, humanities and natural sciences – who wish to upgrade their knowledge and align it with market needs are encouraged to apply.

“The market today is not looking only for technical profiles, but for people who understand how technology is applied in practice. This means we need lawyers, economists, and journalists who understand AI, but also engineers who can work effectively in teams and integrate technical knowledge into a business context. Level Up Academy is a way to start closing the gap we see between education and the labour market, through collaboration between universities and the industry”, said Tanja Kuzman, Director of the Digital Serbia Initiative.

A special focus of the programme is on empowering girls and young women by supporting the recognition and development of their role in areas where digital and technological skills are increasingly relevant, thereby contributing to their stronger presence in the modern labour market.

“Future skills are no longer reserved for technical profiles. Analytical thinking, working with data and understanding AI tools are now competencies that can be developed by psychologists, doctors, economists and many others. That is why it is important that access to this knowledge is open to diverse profiles, especially to girls and young women who are still underrepresented in the technology sector. Level Up Academy is one of the ways to address this, through a programme that develops skills needed for the modern labour market”, said Maja Branković Đundić, Gender Inclusivity Analyst at UNDP Serbia.

Through an introductory lecture and 10 elective thematic modules, participants in the Level Up Academy programme will work on tasks based on real business scenarios and develop skills used in modern organizations - from product development and data analysis to the application of AI tools, marketing, sales and teamwork.

Applications for the Level Up Academy are open from 19 May to 19 June, while the programme begins in September. The number of places is limited and the selection process will be completed by the end of June 2026.

Further information and application details are available at: https://levelup-academy.co/