26.3.2019
- Hrvatski Telekom has been leading the STEM revolution in Croatia for the third year
- Deutsche Telekom Stiftung, Institute for Development and Innovation of Youth (IRIM) and Hrvatski Telekom have invested in a program of cooperation between educational institutions with the business sector
- The first Junior Engineer Academy network outside Germany has been set up, which brings together 15 vocational schools in Croatia aiming to promote STEM knowledge as a key to the jobs of the future
Nina Išek Međugorac, Nenad Bakić and Sandra Heidemann (Deutsche Telekom Stiftung)
At the Zagreb Innovation Center today, the Junior Engineer Academy program was presented, the project created by the collaboration of Deutsche Telekom Stiftung, the Institute for Development and Innovation of Youth and Hrvatski Telekom, the leader of the STEM revolution in Croatia. A key feature of the program is to establish and maintain close contacts with companies and universities that provide students with an early insight into the world of engineers and skilled professionals in all areas of technology and science.
In the first phase of the project, IRIM selected 15 vocational schools to participate in the project, distributed advanced technology and money donations to schools, and trained mentors who would transfer learned knowledge to students and work with them in the process of transforming creative ideas into solutions using IoT technology. The second phase is connecting the selected schools with related educational institutions and the business sector. Throughout the process of creating project solutions, IRIM provides continuous mentoring by its experts. The ultimate goal is to establish permanent cooperation between the educational and business sectors, which will result in a stronger and more productive link between educational institutions and the labor market.
One of the main goals of Hrvatski Telekom's activities, through STEM literacy programs, is to bring technology into every corner of Croatia and provide everyone with equal opportunities, and education is the starting point for creating such changes in society. In two years, supported by IRIM as a partner, HT has equipped 160 schools with technology, educated 130 mentors and over two thousand students to prepare them for the future brought by the technological revolution Croatian public is constantly witnessing the outstanding successes of young creatives at global competitions in creating innovative IoT solutions The latest among many is the win of the Vukovar high school students at the world competition on the occasion of marking Arduino's birthday - the technology HT provides to a growing number of schools in Croatia
“Bringing STEM knowledge closer to everyone is essential for young people to learn how to properly use technology to find solutions. That is why for the third consecutive year we have been completely changing the approach to learning in schools and we are the leader of the STEM revolution in Croatia. We are proud that young people today in schools have the opportunity to make their ideas into products using the latest technologies. Successes like this one of the Vukovar high schoolers best show that we are heading in the right direction and encourage us to continue developing such programs.” said Nina Išek Međugorac, Director of Corporate Communications Department of HT, and pointed out: We will not stop until all schools have accepted the challenge and become part of HT's educational program because only by this we are creating generations that lead our society forward. We want this kind of successes and motivated and creative individuals with the competences of the future to be the motivation for the entire society to join the wave of change that will result in simpler and better lives.”
“With this project, we want to expand IRIM’s activities and empower high schools by providing them with cutting-edge technology, financial donations, and continuous support through professional mentoring. By establishing the Junior Engineer Academy network in Croatia, we want to foster cooperation between the educational and business sectors, as well as to develop competencies that will prepare the young people for the future”, said Nenad Bakić, President of IRIM.