Bilateral Exchange within the SKYLA Project

08/01/2026

EARLALL is pleased to inform, in its role as Communication Manager of the SKYLA Interreg project, about a recent exchange visit organised in southern Sweden.

On 26–27 November 2025, Region Skåne and IUC Syd (Industrial Development Centre Southern Sweden) hosted an exchange in South of Sweden by welcoming representatives from the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro and the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro for in-depth presentations and discussions around regional good practices and innovation.

The programme combined experience and knowledge transfer with practical field insights, including study visits to regional innovation actors and a local industry. Participants gained a deeper understanding of Skåne’s regional innovation ecosystem, with a particular focus on the twin transition and the implementation of Skåne’s Smart Specialisation Strategy. Two key good practices from Skåne were highlighted during the exchange: Mind the Gap and AMK (Labour Market Knowledge). Mind the Gap is a strategic tool designed to identify current and future skills as well as competence development needs from both short- and long-term perspectives. The tool supports organisations in planning and implementing strategic skills management, enabling more favourable conditions for growth and competitiveness in the context of the twin transition.

The second good practice, AMK (Labour Market Knowledge), focuses on providing information about the labour market to students through school visits. This enables students to engage directly with communicators, receiving a broader insight in the current environment on the labour market, professions and required skills. Ultimately, guiding them through making more informed career choices.

The Montenegrin delegation participated in several study visits illustrating how these good practices are embedded in Skåne’s ecosystem. Such as a study visit to Protega, a company producing fire-resistant paints and coatings, as well as Media Evolution, One of southern Sweden’s leading cluster organisations and a hub for innovation and creativity. The programme concluded in a visit to MINC, an incubator supporting start-ups and scale-ups, that showcased a practical context for applying and adapting the Mind the Gap approach.

The study visit confirmed that the Swedish partners’ good practices are highly relevant and of significant interest for Montenegro’s current context of skills development and educational reform. And the partners from Montenegro expressed strong interest in both AMK and Mind the Gap as best practices.

The Region Skåne’s approach by combining smart specialization and active cluster involvement, offers valuable inspiration that could be effectively adapted to the Montenegrin ecosystem. To bridge skills gaps and strengthening dual education requires coordinated action across regional, clusters and industry participation in curriculum development.

Following the visit, representatives from the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro presented the key lessons learned to the State Secretary with the intention for these models to be considered in the future development of career guidance and skills strategies in Montenegro. The partners remain hopeful that the value of the presented approaches will consider continued collaboration around Mind the Gap and AMK as part of long-term strategic development. As Communication Manager of the SKYLA Interreg project, EARLALL will continue to support the visibility of project results and facilitate knowledge exchange among regions to strengthen skills development and innovation policies across Europe. Read more about the SKYLA project here.

The Region Skåne’s approach by combining smart specialization and active cluster involvement,
offers valuable inspiration that could be effectively adapted to the Montenegrin ecosystem. To
bridge skills gaps and strengthening dual education requires coordinated action across regional,
clusters and industry participation in curriculum development.
Following the visit, representatives from the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation of
Montenegro presented the key lessons learned to the State Secretary with the intention for these
models to be considered in the future development of career guidance and skills strategies in
Montenegro. The partners remain hopeful that the value of the presented approaches will
consider continued collaboration around Mind the Gap and AMK as part of long-term strategic
development.
As Communication Manager of the SKYLA Interreg project, EARLALL will continue to support
the visibility of project results and facilitate knowledge exchange among regions to strengthen
skills development and innovation policies across Europe.
Read more about the SKYLA project here https://www.earlall.eu/project/skyla/