The Workforce Development component works actively with educational institutions and the private sector on developing models of cooperation and workforce improvement programs. If Serbia’s food processing industry is to become competitive in demading export markets, research, innovation and knowledge transfer have to be tailored to respond to immedite and future industry needs.
1. Internship model
Through the Project`s internship program, targeted companies will be empowered to develop and implement high-quality internships. It will allow them to gain the best and most promising young people to join their workforce in order to increase productivity and competitiveness, with the final goal to expand business further within Serbian, but more importantly export markets.
Responding to the biggest weakness of the university system in Serbia, which is lack of imparting students with practical knowledge after graduation and readiness to enter professional life in future job places, the Project is collaborating with Youth for Impact, Serbian Association of Food Technologists, and several agricultural faculties in Serbia. This collaboration will serve as a tool to develop a cooperation framework to strengthen ties between companies and students and build students’ skill sets in the field of agribusiness and food-related technical sciences.
2. Educational system improvement
Due to rapid changes in the market and fast technological developments in the food industry, companies often face challenges how to meet these demands and to be competitive in domestic and international markets. To overcome these impediments, the Workforce Development component works on two streams:
- Work with academia on development of innovative, short-term certification courses in collaboration with Serbian universities and UC Davis California to respond to industry needs. These courses should offer more flexibility to attendants (company employees), compared to regular academic courses in terms of timing and means of delivery. This program will resemble standard practices in the US, where the educational system regularly responds to critical market needs.
- Working with companies on developing new educational models that will equip students with skills and knowledge that are missing during their regular studies and to prepare them for entering the job market. As one of the main issues in the labor force is lack of effective communication and problem-solving skills, both analytical and creative, the Project works with the LUKOWA company on its LUKOWA Académie program, designed specifically to target these areas. The program helps students to gain theoretical and practical knowledge, through organizing cases studies simulating specific, real-world company problems to help build analytical problem-solving skills. This program is implemented with the Faculty of Organizational Sciences.
