Sladjana PETKOVIC is a senior, results-oriented European and UN Youth and Development expert with over 20 years of professional experience in managing and conducting research and comparative policy analysis in the field of youth in Europe and Central Asia, and the EU Neighborhood and Enlargement regions.

She holds an extensive portfolio of research (quantitative and qualitative) in supporting the programming and implementation of EU-funded projects and initiatives within the European cooperation in the field of youth (European Youth Strategy, Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps) through the EU-CoE youth partnership programme and the Pool of European Youth Researchers (PEYR Advisory group), including the European Knowledge Centre on Youth Policy (EKCYP) and the EACEA National Policies Platform Youth Wiki. She has also provided research input on innovative approaches to youth policy and youth work development and capacity building through the European Academy on Youth Work (EAYW), European Youth Work Convention (EYWC), Europe Goes Local (EGL) strategic partnership, European Platform for Learning Mobility (EPLM), RAY Network, and SALTO Resource Centers (SALTO I&D, SALTO I&D E&T, SALTO P&I, SALTO E&T TCA, SALTO SEE).

Sladjana has a longstanding track record of drafting a variety of written research outputs (analytical papers, policy briefs, reviews, studies, synthesis reports, country profiles, case studies, etc.) and providing tailored knowledge-based advice to policymakers and other stakeholders in the European youth sector in relevant policy domains (Youth, Education and Training, Skills intelligence, Sport, Research and Innovation). Examples include the EPRS’s EU education, youth, and sport policy study: Overview and future perspectives, and a Study EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027: Taking stock and the way forward, that informed a draft EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION on the implementation of the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 (2025/2115(INI)). Furthermore, to inform the development of the European Commission’s next program cycle (2028-2034), Sladjana has provided specific subject-matter expertise to SALTO I&D and SALTO I&D  E&T in developing the monitoring and evaluation framework for the revised I&D Strategy, and to the  EU-CoE youth partnership in collecting an updated input on the youth perspective and youth mainstreaming. She has also supported the European Training Foundation (ETF) in reviewing the multilevel governance of European youth/employment policy interventions, and skills anticipation practices in ETF Partner Countries, and the Enlarged Partnership in the area of sports and integrity policy of the Council of Europe and UNESCO (EPAS KAPTF3). Sladjana has conducted various Quality/Assessment/ Impact/Evaluation studies, including the European Commission’s Support study for the Erasmus+ 2021-2027 interim evaluation and the Erasmus+ 2014-2020 final evaluation, and the Strategic Analysis of the Erasmus+: Youth in Action Programme and the European Solidarity Corps in the Western Balkans (SALTO SEE RC).

She has extensive experience in leading multidisciplinary research teams, facilitating multistakeholder consultation processes, capacity building, and peer-learning activities, as well as expert groups, such as the European Commission DG EAC’s ‘EU indicators in the youth field’ expert group in the framework of the EU Youth Strategy (2019-27) and DG EAC Work Plan (2019-2021).

In addition to her European professional experience, Sladjana managed and led country-specific analysis and research studies for UNICEF (ECARO) and UNDP in cooperation with social partners. He also holds an extensive portfolio of research and consultancy for local authorities and CSOs.

Sladjana holds an MSc in Psychology and a Joint European Master in Comparative Local Development, with a specialisation in Developmental Youth Work and Social Education and the Local Government and Public Service Reform. 

Publications available at https://independent.academia.edu/SladjaPetkovic