Osijek is a beautiful city in mainland Croatia located along the right bank of the Drava River with a population of 108. It is a student city with many universities, a green city with many parks and beautiful architecture. It is considered a city of movement due to the large number of bikes and runners you encounter on its streets. The city has a relaxed air, the population is welcoming and cheerful. In the four corners of the city, you meet young people, families with children, satisfied people who live their lives to the full.
In this beautiful city, the VET4Change project continues with a new transnational meeting. It took place on September 1st and 2nd in Osijek, Croatia. The objectives of the meeting were to share the achievements and practices of VET4Change within the "Land Without Borders" Festival , the role of the education system and vocational training in the vision for the future, and to understand the prospects for vocational training in rural areas.
The Breza association formalized a meeting at the Osijek-Baranya County Council headquarters, where we were welcomed by Ms. Miranda Glavaš Kul, head of the Education and Youth Department. The institution is organized into 14 departments, funds over 74 schools in the region, and ensures they have all the necessary facilities to operate at full capacity and achieve excellent results.
In Croatia, the trend is for most students to attend vocational schools: over 70% of students. Croatian students want to acquire practical skills because it helps them develop and enter the job market more easily.
The Osijek School of Tourism. Miranda and the school's director gave us a glimpse into the world of the best culinary school in the country. The school has over 600 students specializing in cooking, pastry, bartending/waitressing, tourism, and hospitality. They secured €11 million in European funding to modernize the school's equipment, buildings, and courses, and to implement changes in teaching methods and textbooks. An interesting example of this is the presence of a mirror in the bartending/waitressing workshop, allowing students to observe their body language and demeanor, thus striving for the highest standards. The school boasts several workshops equipped with specialized equipment for each specialty. They have the best equipment in the country, making it a true pleasure for the students to learn using the latest technology.
The school also organizes cooking classes and workshops. VIRTUOS (Virtuos+Osijek) is a project that offers cooking classes for students and adults who want to specialize in a particular cooking technique or retrain professionally. In the workshops, they use screens to broadcast live instruction from chefs from across the country and around the world. This is revolutionary for specialized high schools.
The school has a boarding facility for students from other towns, which they convert into a hotel during the holidays, thus increasing their income. They also brew their own beer on-site, which they use at the national and international fairs and exhibitions they attend. They would also like to purchase a mobile food truck in which they can cook at these events.
Also within the institution there is a psychological office, an IT office, a sports arena, a career guidance office and a career center, the place where students are guided to discover their passions, improve their skills , learn how to present yourself to be able to have a successful career after completing their studies. We show them the opportunities that exist in the job market and we help them reach the best employers in their field.
The institution's motto "Be yourself!" ". This is an example of good practice that all vocational schools in Europe could follow.
