60 Million Euros for Vocational Education: Teachers and Mentors to Learn New Technologies

Croatia is launching a significant initiative to bolster its vocational education system, allocating 60 million euros to enhance the skills of teachers and mentors. The project, titled "Encouraging Vocational Education – Learning Based on Work," will run from 2025 to 2029 and is co-financed by the European Social Fund+.

The primary goal is to ensure that vocational training aligns with the current demands of the labor market. This involves providing teachers and mentors with opportunities to learn about and implement new technologies and modern work practices. The program aims to foster closer collaboration between educational institutions and businesses, creating a more dynamic and relevant learning environment for students.

Schools and regional centers of competence can apply for grants ranging from 1,000 to 20,000 euros. The Technical School of Slavonski Brod has already secured 7,000 euros to send some of its teachers directly into companies. These teachers will work alongside mentors in real-world settings, gaining practical knowledge and insights into current industry procedures and technologies.

"This is a truly important contract," stated Vikica Lukić, the school's principal. "Part of our teachers will go directly into companies during the first semester of the next school year, where they will collaborate with mentors in a real working environment, further developing their knowledge and learning about the procedures and technologies they will later transfer to students."

Additionally, other teachers will participate in structured courses focused on emerging technologies, particularly in fields like electrical engineering and architecture, where software solutions evolve rapidly. A key aspect of this project is the increased investment in the competencies of mentors from the business sector, recognizing their crucial role in practical training and knowledge transfer to students.

“

This is a truly important contract. Part of our teachers will go directly into companies during the first semester of the next school year, where they will collaborate with mentors in a real working environment, further developing their knowledge and learning about the procedures and technologies they will later transfer to students.