Due to the great interest of young people in trade professions, three new trade courses were introduced in Bijeljina this year. The positions in the existing courses are filled in secondary vocational schools in this city, and the greatest interest is in the course of chefs and waiters.
For Anastasija Stankovic, there was no dilemma when enrolling in high school. She has always been interested in cooking and enrolling in the cookery course at the high school in Janja justified her expectations.
”I love this course, I love this occupation and I think that there will be a lot of work in the future. First, I would like to enroll in the fourth degree, and after that if there is an opportunity to go further, if not, then I hope that there will be some job for me,” said Anastasija Stankovic, majoring in cooking.
From the school desk to the workplace, professors say, emphasizing that artisans and craftsmen are in great demand.
”Most of the students have a job right away, some already get a job during their education in restaurants and facilities where they do their internship,” Aleksandar Cvijanovic stated, professor of practical classes.
”Every day we have calls from hotels and restaurants, we don’t have enough children to cover the market,” Aleksandar Matic points out, director of the Secondary Vocational School Janja.
Ceramicists, cooks, tinsmiths, toolmakers, car mechanics, and other trades courses have experienced an expansion in recent years in Bijeljina, partly due to subsidies for deficit occupations.
”Subsidized with 100 BAM and with free transportation. For now, chefs are the most popular, and waiters have woken up a bit this year,” Aleksandar Matic added, director of the Secondary Vocational School Janja.
However, the Chamber of Crafts and Entrepreneurs warns that it is necessary to look at the bigger picture, which is not positive.
”Unfortunately, for the most part, we train students for foreign countries. You have an absurd situation where the medical school enrolls three classes of medical technicians, even though there is no need even for one class. Those children are learning German during their high school education and are preparing to go abroad,” Mile Stevic emphasized, director of ”Preduzetnik”craft and business association, Bijeljina.
The labor market survey confirmed that in this part of the country there is a shortage of catering workers and hairdressers. In addition, there is a great demand in the woodworking industry for carpenters and operators of CNC machines.
