Šustar: Mismatch in Higher Education the Main Cause of High Youth Unemployment

Without cooperation with the economy, we will not be able to reform education. It is necessary to remove all barriers to collaboration between researchers and the economy so that Croatia can truly move forward, stated Predrag Šustar, Minister of Science, Education and Sports during the celebration of Engineer’s Day of the Republic of Croatia held today at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing in Zagreb.

– Without cooperation with the economy, we will not be able to reform education. It is necessary to remove all barriers to collaboration between researchers and the economy so that Croatia can truly move forward. Young people are being šchooled for professions that are not in high demand in the labor market, and such a mismatch in higher education is the main cause of high youth unemployment in Croatia – said Predrag Šustar, Minister of Science, Education and Sports during the celebration of Engineer’s Day of the Republic of Croatia held today at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing in Zagreb.

Šustar delivered the speech on behalf of Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković, the patron of this event.

– It is time for professionals from the exact sciences to take the lead in this country. Finally, things are moving in a better direction, the share of engineers in the Government has increased. The current Government instills optimism – said Vjera Krstelj, President of the Croatian Engineering Association (HIS).

The Dean of FER chronologically recounted the development of engineering associations from its beginnings when the Club of Engineers and Architects had only about 40 members, to today when HIS has 20,000 members. Academic Mirko Zelić, a member of the presidency of HAZU, also pointed out engineers as the fundamental driving force of society. Engineer’s Day is celebrated on March 2, the day when the Club of Engineers and Architects was founded in Zagreb in 1878, the precursor of the Croatian Engineering Association.