8,902 candidates apply for retraining in IT sector – Training program to start in April 2017

The Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government announced on March 4 that the two-week application for the IT sector retraining course had been completed.

A total of 8,902 candidates applied, most of them between 26 and 35 years of age and with secondary education, whereas a third of the applicants are female.

– The majority of the candidates are aged 26 to 35 (60%), whereas the smallest group is the one aged 46 to 62 (only 2%). Of the total number of applicants, 18% are aged 18 to 25, and 8% belong to the age group of 36 to 45. The majority of candidates are not currently employed (60%), whereas 40% have a job. When it comes to the degree of vocational education, 44% of the applicants have secondary education, of which 30% are attending a higher education program, and 27% have already completed the undergraduate studies. Candidates with completed master studies make up 17% of the applicants and those with a college degree make up only 13%. Among the applicant are also those with PhDs. Of the applicants, 35% are female, whereas 65% are male – says the press release by the ministry.

The retraining project is to be realized in three cities, and the applicants were able to choose where to take their courses. Belgrade is the choice for 62% of the candidates, 27% have chosen Novi Sad and 11% have chosen Nis.

The retraining project aims to increase the number of IT juniors in the market in order to make up for the insufficient workforce. The project is based on the results of the survey carried out jointly by the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government and Infostud in January, in which 118 IT companies took part. The first (pilot) phase entails the training of 100 select candidates, and the main phase entails the training of the additional 900 candidates. If the pilot phase gets a positive grade, the second one will be carried out in late 2017. The criterion of successfulness is the speed of employment in the IT industry following the completed course.

– The selection of the candidates will be carried out in two rounds. All applicants will be able to take part in the first round, which entails taking an online test measuring the abilities and the potential for working in the IT sector. The candidates will then be ranked based on their results, and those who have ranked the highest will be invited to take part in the second round, which entails additional testing, which will take place in Belgrade, Nis and Novi Sad. The candidates not selected for the pilot phase will be contacted again to take part in the testing within the main phase of the project – the ministry reported.

As added, the training program begins in April and will last for two to four months. The schools in which the training is to be carried out will be known in mid-March and the ranking criteria are: experience in informal and formal training, methodology ensuring the possibility of employment in the IT industry within the set deadlines, training staff expertise and the adequacy of the infrastructure for carrying out the training.

Ministarstvo državne uprave i lokalne samouprave Republike Srbije

Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self Government

retraining in IT sector

IT juniors

educating IT workforce

Infostud

employment in IT industry

IT workforce