For several years now, certain occupations – above all trades and crafts – have been in high demand among high school students.
The job offer has been constant and employers are looking for welders, machine operators, and auto mechanics. Since these occupations are in deficit on the labour market, many vacancies remain unoccupied for a long time.
The starting salary for tradesmen, such as machine operators and auto-mechanics, is around 60,000 and 80,000 dinars but can grow to over 120,000 dinars.
Despite the fact that students who choose to study a trade are practically immediately guaranteed a job and a salary that is far above the average in Serbia, vocational schools have not been enrolling enough students for years, and this was especially visible in three-year vocational courses. However, judging by what the Principal of the Mechanical Engineering High School in Novi Sad, Vladimir Gavranić, says, this year it seems that something has changed for the better because the young people’s interest in this school has exceeded all expectations.
“On Monday, practically all the available places for first-grade students were filled. More precisely, 97 percent of them. This year, we are enrolling students for 10 classes, that is, on September 1, there will be about 300 first-grade students in our school. What makes us happy is our future students showing great interest in trades, primarily in dual education. To compare, seven years ago we enrolled three times fewer children in the first grade than this year,” Principal Gavranić adds.
The courses for machine operators, welders, and industrial and motor vehicle mechanics are all in the dual education system. During their schooling, students spend a significant number of days in practice that take place in companies from industrial segments for which the students are being educated, Principal Gavrić adds.
“Students spend a lot of time in practice during their schooling – one day a week in the first year, two days a week in the second year and three days in the third year, and they leave school with great practical knowledge. Also, they are involved in the production process from the very beginning and learn from experienced masters. After graduation, most of our students continue to work in the companies where they went for practical training,” Principal Gavranić adds.
(Dnevnik, 05.07.2023)
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