Telekom Srbija takes part in dual education system

 By obtaining an accreditation for participation in the dual education system implemented by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development in cooperation with the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, the Telekom Srbija company has participated in the innovative model of education in the system of secondary vocational education, starting from the school year 2020/2021.

Through the monitoring of progress of learning through work, in cooperation with the PTT Vocational High School, Telekom Srbija will grant scholarships to students with excellent school achievements, with the possibility of their employment in the company immediately upon the completion of schooling. The essence of the dual education system is mutual benefit of both students in terms of combining the acquisition of theoretical and practical knowledge, and the company - through the obtaining of competent and qualified personnel. 

Regarding the participation of the company in the dual education model, the chief HR officer of Telekom Srbija, Draško Marković, said that Telekom Srbija was significantly investing in education as a traditionally socially responsible company committed to giving a chance to young people, and that it fully supported the Serbian government in this program. “I wanted to emphasize the constructive cooperation that we had with the PTT school, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of Education. Also, I want to congratulate our colleagues from Telekom on obtaining a license for dual education instructor”, said the chief HR officer, Draško Marković.

By signing a contract on dual education with the PTT Vocational High School, with which Telekom Srbija has long-term cooperation in the sphere of student practice, the company made it possible for the students of the PTT school who opted for the deficient educational profile – telecommunications network fitter, to enter an organized process of so-called learning through work.

“Telecommunications network fitter is a profile introduced last year. For the next school year we have prepared another profile –electrical technician of telecommunications – which we will include in the procedure of creating qualification standards in order to have a modern profile that can keep up with the development of the company such as Telekom Srbija and we expect to have one more class starting from this year”, said  Gabrijela Grujić, the assistant minister for dual and entrepreneurial education in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development.

Mirjana Kovačević, the director of the Centre for Education, Dual Education and Educational Policies of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce said that the dual model of education was introduced at the initiative of Serbian businessmen who recognized the advantages that this educational model brings. She emphasized that Telekom Srbija had made very important guidelines regarding the description of work, tasks and activities when it initiated the introduction of the telecommunications network fitter profile.

“The PTT Vocational High School, in cooperation with Telekom Srbija, came to a conclusion that we should increase the educational level of our students to better prepare them for work. In cooperation with the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of Education, we came to a conclusion that the department for telecommunications network fitters and electrical technicians of telecommunications should be innovated and transformed into dual education. By dual education students would acquire quality knowledge at school, while they would get the necessary skills once they start working for the company”, concluded Goran Stanojević, the assistant headmaster of the PTT Vocational High School.

Telekom Srbija is planning to expand the dual education program to other technical schools in Serbia to enable the creation of new, young and qualified personnel for future professions through a combination of modern technological tendencies and the desire to contribute to the strengthening of competitiveness of the Serbian economy.