The development and implementation of education policy in Montenegro is principally the responsibility of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports.

The following institutions and professional bodies take part in Montenegrin adult education system organization:

Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports is responsible for all levels of education. One of the organizational units of the Ministry is Directorate for Secondary General Education, Vocational Education and Adult Education within which Division for adult education operates. The Directorate carries out the activities of: planning, monitoring and analysing the situation in the area of secondary general education, vocational education and adult education.

Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare adopts programmes of education that lead to the acquisition of national professional qualifications, as well as programmes of education for professional training, retraining, additional training, professional development and specialization, following the proposal of a competent Council.

National Council for Education, along with the Qualification Council, represents the largest professional body in the area of education. Standing working bodies of the National Council include: General Education Committee; Vocational Education Committee; Adult Education Committee.

Qualification Council works on the improvement of the system of qualifications, their approval and classification into the Qualification Framework. Members of the Qualification Council are representatives of: National Council for Education, Council for Higher Education, Directorate for Secondary General Education, Vocational Education and Adult Education at the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Department for qualifications at the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare, universities, Centre for Vocational Education, Bureau for Education Services, Examination Centre, Employment Office, Union of Employers, Chamber of Economy and Trade Union for Education. In order to make comprehensive analyses of the situation and tendencies on the labour market, analyses of the existing qualifications, identify the needs for certain qualifications and qualification development, the Qualification Council has established 15 sectoral commissions.

Centre for Vocational Education, among other things, carries out the activities of adult education development and promotion of lifelong learning.

Department for adult education operating within the Centre and conducts the activities of:

• research and development of adult education system
• preparing of education programmes
• proposing norms and standards staff is required to meet in order to carry out education programmes
• preparing and proposing a network of institutions for adult training
• providing opinions on introducing experimental programmes of education and monitoring their implementation
• participating in the preparation and drafting of methodological and other documents for the area of adult education
• cooperating with social partners and undertaking activities aimed at the development of social partnership
• initiating the procedure of adopting and amending legal regulations required for regulating the adult education system
• promoting the concept of lifelong education and learning.

Examination Centre, in accordance with provisions of the General Law on Education, trains institutions for the preparation of conducting external examinations, advises and provides services for external knowledge assessment, explores and develops external knowledge assessment of students and learners, performs international comparability of quality of educational system and carries out international testing.

External assessment of candidates’ knowledge, skills and competences needed for the acquisition of professional qualifications is conducted by examination panel composed of licensed examiners. The list of examiners is prepared for each professional qualification. The Examination Centre establishes the list based on a public call and arranges the training of examiners for the procedure of acquiring national professional qualifications. Following the proposal of the Examination Centre, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports issues five-year licences for the work of examiners.

Bureau for Education Services performs activities related to: determining and ensuring the quality of educational work in institutions and performing development, advisory, research and professional work in the field of preschool education, primary education and upbringing, secondary general education, vocational education, education and upbringing of children with special educational needs, adult education and upbringing in students' dormitories and determining the quality of implementation standards of educational work in institutions; improvement of educational work in institutions; monitoring, analysis and development of the education system; preparation of standards for textbooks and manuals for preschool, primary, secondary and children's education with special educational needs; professional work in the preparation of educational programs, catalogs and standards of knowledge; organizing professional development of teachers and principals; proposing measures for the development of certain levels of education, new teaching technologies and their applications; affairs of organization of international cooperation within the competence of this body; as well as other tasks assigned to its jurisdiction.

Employment Office performs a set of measures and activities in the field of education and vocational training of the unemployed, as well as workers whose services are no longer required (redundancies).

Chamber of Economy organises various seminars, consultations, workshops, lectures, presentations, etc. for all members of the Chamber, regardless of whether these are small, medium-sized or large enterprises, to train human resources for the needs of the economy.

Human Resources Administration has a leading role in defining and meeting the needs of civil servants for training, professional development and human resource development. Activities of the Human Resources Administration are concerned with:

• preparing proposals of relevant professional development programmes and other programmes for human resource development and
• assisting public authorities with implementation of staff policy, training and human resource development.