In almost half a year since the Croatian Employment Service, in collaboration with the Ministry of Labor, introduced vouchers for adult education, interest in them has not waned. As stated by the CES, initial interest from participants was significant, and the offer of educational programs and coverage across all parts of Croatia continues to increase.
As of September 13 this year, a total of 4,198 applications for vouchers for educational programs in green and digital skills, worth up to 10,000 kuna, have been received. Of this number, 3,211 have been approved, and another 987 are under review. However, the CES notes that interest is much greater in acquiring digital skills.
– Of the total 4,198 submitted applications for vouchers, 3,825 relate to digital skills, and 373 to green skills. Additionally, the current offer of digital versus green programs funded through vouchers is at a ratio of 2:1, meaning the offer of digital programs and skills is twice as large as that of green programs and skills – they say at the CES.
No One Wants to Go Green
Internet marketing and branding attracted the most interested participants, followed closely by programs in socially responsible business and programming in programming languages. Among green skills, the most interest is shown in forklift management.
– As previously mentioned, there is relatively little interest in acquiring green skills compared to digital ones, although there are also less popular programs among digital skills. The least interest among digital programs has been shown for acquiring skills related to the micro-qualification program Digital Video, as well as for acquiring skills related to programs in the educational sector Fashion, Textiles, and Leather, such as Digital Tools in Fashion Business and Presentation of Fashion Products, Digital Support in Fashion Sales, and Basic Computer Modeling of Shoes and Fashion Accessories – the CES states.
Intensive Period
The high interest in vouchers is also confirmed by Algebra University, where they currently have their hands full with numerous applications for vouchers.
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—– On a daily basis, we handle numerous inquiries and issue offers related to education through vouchers. Of all the programs that can be fully or partially funded through CES vouchers at Algebra, the highest demand is for the Python Developer and Front-end Developer programs. Following them in terms of inquiries are Database Administrator and UX Design – says Igor Kundić, a member of the Management Board of Algebra, which has already started educating about ten different groups of participants since the end of August.
– Due to demand, we regularly open new training sessions. Along with vouchers, Algebra continues to conduct all its regular education programs, so we are facing, to put it mildly, an intensive period in which we already have a confirmed large number of participants – adds Kundić.
A similar situation exists at VERN University, which opened applications for its educational programs about 40 days ago. They have received a large number of inquiries, and interest is growing.
– The mere fact that, for example, the top three currently most sought-after programs, Internet Marketing and Branding, Assistant for Managing (EU) Projects, and Accountant, each individually exceeded three-digit numbers of inquiries speaks volumes about the level of interest – they emphasize at VERN, where participants can also enroll in numerous other programs such as Mobile Robot Management and Waste Management, with some new ones in preparation.
The Internet Marketing and Branding program will start on October 17 in several groups simultaneously, while at the end of October, one or two groups will begin the niche program Object-Oriented Programming, which requires certain prior knowledge.
Vouchers Desired, but Also Needed
At VERN, they conclude that such enormous interest and the selection of programs by future participants reflect the state of the market and trends in the business world.
– It is evident that citizens are following trends and recognizing market needs, approaching their career planning much more seriously. Evidence of this is the double-digit numbers of applications for other programs such as Socially Responsible Business or Waste Management, which follow the very current ‘green trend’ – they say at VERN.
Although the CES is satisfied with the current interest in vouchers, they note that it would be ‘desirable to involve more users interested in acquiring green skills.’ By 2026, they aim to include 30,000 participants in the voucher education project. This means that everyone who meets the enrollment criteria will have the opportunity to acquire new or improve existing competencies that are urgently needed in the labor market.
– Already shortly after the introduction of vouchers, it was clearly visible how necessary and desirable they are. In Croatia, the share of people participating in lifelong learning programs is very low compared to the European average. However, the accelerated pace of digitalization that is changing business models does not allow individual development to end with formal education.
The CES’s voucher allocation model has encouraged a large number of people to take the step towards further education, whether for upskilling, career change, or better-paying jobs. However, perhaps the greatest impact is the growing awareness that all professions today must acquire digital knowledge to maintain their competitiveness – concludes Kundić.
