Divjak: 41 vocational school in competition for one billion kuna from EU funds

Based on the Public Call to founders for the nomination of vocational schools as regional competence centers in competition for one billion kuna from EU funds, 41 vocational schools are involved, and after the evaluation process, it is expected that around 25 competence centers will be appointed by mid-July.

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The Minister of Science and Education, Blaženka Divjak, explained in a statement to Hina that competence centers bring new equipment to vocational schools, new accommodation capacities for students and teachers, more practical experience for students, entry of students into the world of work, close cooperation with employers, and teacher education.

“With one billion kuna from EU funds, we are initiating a reform of the unjustly forgotten vocational education. In competence centers, students will have the opportunity to learn in conditions that will later greet them in the workplace,” emphasized Minister Divjak.

A total of 42 applications from vocational schools have been received for the Public Call to founders for the nomination of vocational schools as regional competence centers as part of the vocational education reform and the secured one billion kuna from EU funds for regional competence centers.

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The working group of the Council for Vocational Education determined that out of 42 applications, 41 met the conditions prescribed by the Vocational Education Act and the document of the Network of Regional Competence Centers in Vocational Education.

One or more applications were submitted by all counties and the City of Zagreb, except for Virovitica-Podravina County and Lika-Senj County, which did not submit independent applications. At the subsector level, the most applications are in the field of electrical engineering – ten, followed by agriculture with nine applications, eight applications in tourism and hospitality, and also eight applications in healthcare, while there are seven applications in mechanical engineering.

One application, the Ministry of Science and Education states, did not meet the conditions prescribed by the Public Call as it was a proposal from a school that is not on the list of schools that founders could nominate for regional competence centers.

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Now, the evaluation process of the submitted development plans for these applications follows, and the appointment of approximately 25 competence centers is expected by mid-July.