Young people who opt for the dual education model have a unique opportunity to acquire modern competences in accordance with technological development, and thus become the staff of modern companies – said today in Novi Pazar the Director of the Office for Dual Education and the National Qualifications Framework, Professor Gabrijela Grujić.
At the promotion of the National model of dual education and the qualifications framework in Novi Pazar, Mrs Grujić has said that at the moment, more than 10,000 students are attending classes according to that model, while more than 850 companies training those young people have been accredited.
“I am happy to see this great response and interest of schools from the Raška district in the dual model. This shows that they recognized the importance and benefits that the dual education programme can bring, which is of great importance, since dual education is a perspective for the further economic development of the country”, said Mrs Grujić.
According to her, 36 study programmes have been accredited so far according to the dual study model, while another 20 new study programmes are in the accreditation procedure.
The mayor of Novi Pazar, Nihat Biševac, has said that dual education is important, because it makes it easier for young people to connect with employers.
“Every employer wants to have employees in their ranks who are ready to produce and do specific jobs right from the start. The interest of businesses and our schools is exceptional and this is a good start to the development and affirmation of dual education at the local level”, said Mr Biševac.
The promotion of dual education in Novi Pazar was held in order to better inform the participants about the advantages of this model, past experiences, as well as examples of good practice in the implementation. Experiences were shared with those present by the principals, pupils attending dual educational profiles, students studying under the dual model, as well as company representatives
In addition to representatives of the Office for Dual Education and the National Qualifications Framework, the event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Education, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, local self-governments and pupils, students, representatives of schools and the companies “Radijator inženjering d.o.o.” and “MIZAN LINE”.
Director of the Office for Dual Education and National Qualifications Framework of Serbia (NQFS) Professor Gabrijela Grujić has attended today, with the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, the President of the Provincial Government Igor Mirović and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević, the opening ceremony of the second “Continental Automotive Serbia” factory in Kać, near Novi Sad.
The German company “Continental Automotive Serbia” has opened the largest factory in Europe in Kać, and the value of this investment is EUR 140 million. It will dictate the trends in the automotive industry, which is undergoing complete transformation, and the leaders say that they did not come to Serbia for cheap labour force, but for the minds and knowledge of our experts.
President Vučić had the opportunity to see the “invisible cockpit” – the cutting edge technology that will be part of the latest cars to be produced in Novi Sad, after the successful presentation in Las Vegas. According to the President of Serbia, history will be made in Novi Sad, the “mega” factory of Continental will be the centre of the transformation of the automotive industry, and in three years from now, it will have exports of three billion euros, which is a huge shift and something that makes a difference.
The representatives of Continental emphasized during the tour that they have an incredible team with exceptional Serbian experts and that they expect that team to expand. Continental has invested about EUR 140 million in the factory in Kać near Novi Sad and as the management told President Vučić on that occasion, their plan is to invest another EUR 150 million and create 1,500 additional jobs in the next four years.
The German company MTU presented today to the Aviation Academy in Belgrade, in the presence of Serbian PM Ana Brnabić and the Director of the Office for Dual Education and the National Qualifications Framework Professor Gabrijela Grujić, an Airbus 318 aircraft engine, which will be used to train high school students and students who plan to work in the air transport sector.
This is the first generation of future pilots to attend classes in the reconstructed Aviation Academy in Belgrade which, together with Vršac, is a unique aviation training centre and the donation will contribute to making the training even better.
Prime Minister Brnabić thanked the MTU company for the donation and the decision to choose Serbia as their investment destination and build a factory in Stara Pazova, which now employs 230 people, with the plan for this number to reach 500 in a few years.
“We hope that, in partnership with MTU and the Aviation Academy, we will bring foreigners to our country for education and work,” said the Prime Minister, adding that new investments are planned for the purpose of developing the regional training center at locations in Belgrade and Vršac, and that the center will become the only one of its kind in this part of Europe.
The principal of the Aviation Academy, Goran Cvijović, added that the capacity of the training centre, that is, the college, when everything is finished, will be around 1,500 pupils and students who will acquire European aviation licenses.
Mrs Brnabić also emphasized the importance of dual education carried out by MTU and the Aviation Academy through their mutual cooperation.
“Dual education helped us bring some of the biggest investors from Germany to Serbia. I call on pupils, students and their parents as well as companies to get even more involved in dual education models,” said the Prime Minister.
The MTU Chief Program Officer Mihael Schreyögg assessed that today’s donation is a small gift compared to what the company receives in Serbia.
“The result of our cooperation serves also as motivation for future generations. We expect this gift to contribute to the further prosperity of our cooperation,” he said.
Director of the Office for Dual Education and the National Qualifications Framework, Professor Gabrijela Grujić and the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Odile Renaud-Basso, have signed today, in the presence of Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, a Memorandum of Understanding on improving the cooperation between the two institutions, greater engagement of the economy in policy making and further improvement of the dual education model.
This Memorandum, as stated, envisages more intensive cooperation between the Office for Dual Education and NQFS with the EBRD to promote public-private partnerships in skills development and data-driven policy making.
Cooperation is established with the aim of including the private sector in the process of policy making, and special attention will be paid to providing support in the work of sectoral councils and ensuring the relevance of their recommendations to the system, as well as the development of dual education programmes.
“The agreement represents a significant step in terms of improving formal dual education, but also non-formal education,” said the director of the Office, Gabrijela Grujić.
