The Skills@Work Challenge is a national and international competition to encourage young people to use their skills in enterprising and innovative ways, ultimately increasing their employability and entrepreneurial flair. Together with Junior Achievement – Young Enterprise (JA-YE) in Serbia we have created an enterprise competition for young people aged 15-18 in vocational schools.

In 2009/10 we organised four national challenges in Serbia (Belgrade, Novi Pazar, Novi Sad and Nis) as well as the international finals, held in Belgrade 22-24 April 2010. At the opening ceremony of the Skills@Work Innovation Camp, participants and guests were welcomed by Mr. Zarko Obradovic, Serbian Minister of Education and other officials.

At this major event, more than 60 participants from 12 European countries divided in small teams worked on finding  a solution of a business case given by our business partner Microsoft. The initial requirements for their solutions were to be innovative, efficient, feasible and of social benefit. Each of the 15 multi-national teams was challenged to devise a business plan for a futuristic school: an educational institution relying on technology to modernize teaching and improve student performance. Four girls – Laura Masevičiūtė (Lithuania), Saša Stojanović (Serbia), Daniela Gjorcheva (Macedonia) and Azra Murić (Serbia) – formed the winning team. Their solution, named 'GreenHouse by Ladies', skillfully applied technology to create a paperless school.

Our main partner in this project, JA-YE Europe, represents 40 European countries in the world's largest organization in the field of entrepreneurship education (JA Worldwide). JA-YE uses hands-on experiences at all ages to help young people understand the economics of life, inspiring and preparing them for today's global economy. In partnership with thousands of business people and educators, they bring the real world to students and open their minds to their potential. JA-YE Serbia is part of JA-YE Europe. If you want to know more about JA-YE Serbia, please visit their official website.

Skills@Work is a part of the Skills for Employability programme.

For more information about Skills@Work Challenge, please contact Ivana Djurisic in our Belgrade office.