
New workshop equipment was officially showcased yesterday at the Technical School Gradiška, acquired through the Regional Challenge Fund (RCF) program in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In a successful partnership with six local wood and metal processing companies, the Technical School Gradiška received RCF funds for the project titled “Together Towards Quality Dual Education in Gradiška”. The consortium, which includes Tikt Manufaktura d.o.o, PMP Jelšingrad FMG A.D, Laguna Šped d.o.o, Tapetarija Matić, Tapetarija Nikolić and Reflex d.o.o will jointly with the School implement a training program for future CNC technology technicians, locksmith-welders and wood processing technicians CNC.
The delivered equipment and tools, worth 46,500 Eur, will enable students to work more efficiently and safely in school classrooms. The modernised training program will ensure that students acquire practical experience that meets the expectations of local and regional employers. The director of the Technical School, Vlado Tomić, explained that the School received special computers – programmable logic controllers (PLCs), which will significantly improve the teaching process in the professions of mechatronics technician and robotics technician, which this school, as a pilot profession, enrols as the only one in the Republic of Srpska.
The remaining part of the grant of about 186,000 Eur will be spent on purchasing IT equipment and adapting the school premises.
“In addition to the equipment and tools that you saw today, the project foresees the building of two classrooms for the education of students in the field of metal and wood processing. The school has obtained a building permit, and the city of Gradiška has provided free rent, which was our obligation in the project. The Chamber of Commerce has also fulfilled its obligations – 23 mentors from 12 Gradiška companies that were not all partners in the project were trained, so that they would be fully prepared to train students,” added Tomić.
During a tour of the classrooms with donated equipment, the Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Srpska, Željka Stojičić, emphasized the Ministry’s strategic commitment to the development of vocational education.
“The Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Srpska, in cooperation with partners, is continuously working to improve the quality of secondary vocational and technical education, as well as to ensure a skilled and qualified workforce adapted to the needs of the labour market, which is also a strategic commitment of the ministry. Today’s promotion of the project “Together Towards Quality Dual Education in Gradiška” indicates the importance of the dual education system and practical training with employers and represents another step towards improving secondary vocational education and bringing education closer to the needs of the labour market,” said Minister Stojičić.
The Regional Challenge Fund (RCF) improves the sustainable competitiveness of enterprises in six Western Balkan economies on the path to a single EU market, supporting vocational education providers to work with companies to meet business needs for skills. Sven Dominković, RCF Regional Coordinator, expressed his satisfaction that the new year was beginning with new equipment for one of the best projects in BiH that received funding in the first RCF call.
“The Fund has so far organized three rounds of calls in which it allocated about 5.33 million Eur to support a total of 12 projects, and the Government of Germany recently reaffirmed its support for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s economic development by signing a new intergovernmental agreement on investing 10 million Eur for the national window.”
Dominković announced the soon opening of a new call for grants to which all vocational education and training institutions in partnership with companies will be able to apply.
The German Development Bank KfW said that the RCF, co-financed by Germany and Switzerland, plays a key role in addressing employability at a critical time for the Western Balkans. As part of KfW’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the links between education and the labour market, the Fund supports the alignment of vocational training with the needs of enterprises, ensuring that schools can equip students with relevant skills for the ever-changing labour market.
“We are pleased to be part of today’s handover ceremony. Vocational training must be closely aligned with the needs of the economy, and the Regional Challenge Fund is an innovative tool that helps bridge the gap between the education system and the labour market,” said Jasmina Salihagić, Director of the KfW Office in Sarajevo.
The Regional Challenge Fund partner in Bosnia and Herzegovina is also the Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH, whose vice president Ahmet Egrlić said at the meeting that the FTC BiH and other chambers, members of the Western Balkan Chamber Investment Forum, justified the trust placed in them and with their active engagement contributed to the successful implementation of the first three calls.
“From Bosnia and Herzegovina, we have 12 consortia, recipients of grant funds, which shows the willingness of our companies to improve cooperative education programs and the quality of student training that takes place in companies. Thanks to the funds they receive, educational institutions will be able to provide new equipment and machines necessary for practical student training. In this way, they will better align their training with the needs of the economy, young people will be trained for specific jobs and, through their engagement in BiH companies, will contribute to increasing their competitiveness,” Egrlić emphasized.
The Deputy Mayor of Gradiška, Dragana Ilić, expressed her gratitude to the Government of Germany and all partners on this project, as well as to the companies involved in the project.
“On behalf of the mayor and on my own behalf, I can say that we are proud of the Technical School Gradiška. It has long been recognized for the quality and education of excellent professionals who are sought after by companies or who become excellent students. We are grateful to the Government of Germany and all partners in this project, as well as to the companies involved, and we wish for the project to continue and expand and we all be more successful,” said Ilić.
The event at the Technical School Gradiška was also attended by representatives of the German Development Bank (KfW), teachers and students of the school, as well as representatives of partner companies.
The Regional Challenge Fund (RCF) is a financing facility designed to increase youth employability and boost the competitiveness of enterprises in Western Balkan 6 by funding investments in selected cooperative training projects that are implemented through partnerships between vocational training institutes and the enterprises. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development commissioned 64.43 million EUR for the RCF, and the Swiss Government, represented by the SDC Swiss Development Cooperation, co-financed an additional 9.7 million CHF. The funds were commissioned to the KfW Development Bank and executed by the Western Balkans 6 Chamber Investment Forum (WB6-CIF), a joint initiative of chambers of commerce from the region.
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