The initial conference of the project "Competence Center in Koprivnica-Križevci County" was held

The Initial Conference of the project "Competence Center in Koprivnica-Križevci County" was held today in the premises of the County Administration, which will improve the infrastructure of the Trade School Koprivnica and the partner institution of the Đurđevac Vocational School. In this extremely valuable project, in which the County participates as a partner, the mentioned schools will be reconstructed, upgraded and equipped with all relevant specialized equipment related to (sub) sectors of electrical engineering and computer science. This will furthermore provide access to quality work-based learning and the development of workforce and competencies of future employees of local and regional companies.

Prefect Darko Koren, who attended the conference together with deputies Darko Sobota and Ratimir Ljubić, thanked everyone who participated in this very important project which will create the conditions for modern secondary vocational education in the 21st century.

"This is a significant meeting that we have been waiting for a long time because it has a multidimensional value when it comes to the education sector, ie the segment of vocational education that has been recognized as extremely important at the national level in recent years. The center will influence the circumstances in education and the economy in the county and improve the infrastructure that is a prerequisite for education to have the predisposition to produce staff of professional and competent young people for the labor market. The value of the project is 30 million HRK. Through the Ministry of Regional Development and European Union funds, grants in the amount of 100 percent have been provided. This is one of the most important projects we are implementing along with the project of building five school sports halls whereby we create conditions for vocational education to be ready to meet all the challenges of the 21st century," said the prefect, adding that the goal is to educate professionals for local and regional companies, thus helping the further development of the county's economy.

The prefect reminded that contracts for the preparation of project-technical documentation in the value of 600,000 HRK have already been signed and that the implementation of the public procurement procedure and the implementation of infrastructure works is planned for this year.

"It should be emphasized that in addition to this first part, which we present today, the second part of the project worth 30.6 million HRK has also been reported. The second part refers to the improvement of regular vocational education programs, development of new occupations and creation of vocational curricula for adult education programs," added the prefect and thanked all the institutions, associates and members of the Project Team who participated in the preparation of the project.

On behalf of the project applicants, the principal of the Trade School Koprivnica Zlatko Martić addressed the audience and thanked them for their help, saying that the Competence Center in Koprivnica-Križevci County has a great impact on the development of education in the future.

"I express my gratitude to the County, PORA and partners, without them this would not have been possible. This means a lot to the employees and students of our school because we will be given the space and equipment that enable the acquisition and adoption of new knowledge and the opportunity to create new vocational curricula providing professional staff for our businesses, " said Martic.

The principal of the Đurđevac Vocational School, Darko Špoljar, who is participating as a partner in the project, thanked the County for recognizing the school as a valuable partner and stressed the importance of synergistic action of all project participants.

"During this period, we cooperated a lot and made numerous contacts not only with each other but also with businessmen who will benefit greatly from the Competence Center. I have been in vocational education for a long time and I can say that this is a big step forward. We are thankful to PORA, the County and professional services, and to all those who were the maximum support, " said Spoljar.

PORA Regional Development Agency of Koprivnica-Križevci County provided professional assistance in the preparation and application of the project, and as the head of PORA Melita Birčić said, PORA employees participated with great pleasure in creating a beautiful story that everyone will benefit from.

"We are always glad when we can be a part of such important projects. It is the result of good cooperation of all stakeholders, and we as a county institution are involved from the very beginning of writing the development plan, preparation and now implementation. In the same way we will participate in the second phase of the project which we also hope will be funded by the European Social Fund. The center of competence will ensure that this place is a meeting place for education, science and economy by preparing students and adults to become more competitive in a demanding market," said Birčić.

Deputy Mayor of the City of Koprivnica Melita Samoborec also addressed the audience, emphasizing that the Center will provide an added value to the education system. The representative of the Ministry of Science and Education Sonja Jeđud Tabula expressed satisfaction that Koprivnica-Križevci County will receive the Center saying that the vocational curriculum is indispensable for the economy of the north-west, but also for the whole of Croatia.

The conference also included a presentation of project activities presented by the Head of the Administrative Department for Finance and Public Procurement, as well as the project manager, Darko Masnec, who emphasized that the project will involve more than a hundred experts in education and economy of various profiles. All of them will be included in the work of the establishment of the Competence Center in the next period.

"I believe that we will have an extremely important factor in education, not only in our county but also in the entire region, which will be able to respond to all the challenges that the economy poses to education. This is the first real reform in the creation of schools for the 21st century that are adapted to the needs of life and the economy. The most important thing is that people will gain much-needed knowledge through the education process that will help them in life," Masnec emphasized.

In addition to these speakers, the inaugural conference was attended by heads of county administrative bodies, representatives of partners from the University of Economics Križevci, Croatian Chamber of Crafts - Koprivnica-Križevci County Chamber of Commerce, POUKA, HGK - Koprivnica County Chamber, Croatian Employment Service and associates and members of the Project Team of the Competence Center in Koprivnica-Križevci County.

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