“If there is a lot of interest, if there are needs for certain jobs, but there is no space or money for these programmes, we will provide the premises and funds, and the enrolment will increase. The interest of the professors will also be greater if the salaries are better,” Prime Minister Janez Janša said. He added that the structure of supply and demand on the labour market shows us that we need to change something about our education system, “and above all, we need to make sure that educated people do not leave and move to other countries just because they are not able to get a job in Slovenia.” The Prime Minister also said that the government is determined to reform the salary system, which will also affect the university, the professors and assistant professors.
On Thursday, the Prime Minister Janez Janša convened a consultation session at Brdo pri Kranju, before the final discussion of the consent to the content of the call for enrolment in undergraduate and masters study programmes in the academic year 2021/2022. Determining the number of places available for certain study programmes in public schools and faculties, which are financed from taxpayers’ money, is, in his opinion, one of the most important strategic decisions of any country. Therefore, before the final adoption of the document, the Prime Minister also wanted to consult with the representatives of the universities, the independent higher education institutions, the chamber of commerce, and several associations.
The Prime Minister initially pointed out that we have important segments in the country, where there is a shortage of staff. “When the government gets the lists for enrolment to study programmes, we see one thing, however, when we actually go to the companies, hospitals, we often hear that there are no engineers, no doctors, as well as other profiles,” the Prime Minister said and added that in addition to the acquisition of useful knowledge, it is also very important to be able to use this knowledge. In the sea of available information, it is important to be able to find what you are looking for, which means you know where to look. “This is the part of knowledge, these are the skills that young people need to acquire, regardless of whether they are studying something in the field of social sciences or technology, healthcare or anything else,” the Prime Minister added and pointed out that overall, we are still too focused on quantity and less on ingenuity.
At the beginning of the conference, the general picture of the labour market and its greatest needs were presented, as well as Slovenia’s position, in relation to other trends. The main part of the conference was dedicated to the discussion with the representatives of universities and independent higher education institutions, and the representation of their offer, which is also presented in the proposal for the available places for new students, prepared by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport.
If there is interest, the government will provide funding
The Prime Minister pointed out that the consultation is not a meeting at which a decision would have to be made, but rather, it is a meeting, for which we hope it will greatly assist the government in making the right decision. The Prime Minister then presented some information about the lack of certain professions in Slovenia – the reason for this not only being that there are not enough educated profiles, but also that the pay is too low or that the employees do not have satisfactory working conditions and therefore decide to look for work elsewhere. Among the surpluses on the labour market, the categories of business, administrative sciences and law stand out. Data on the lack of suitable staff for employment and the number of unemployed graduates were also presented, as well as the main programmes for which we have a limited number of places for enrolment in Slovenia, and where the applications far exceed the number of enrolment places.
Nursing, general medicine and dental medicine stand out in particular, as the interest exceeds the number of available positions more than twice. There is also more interest than there are available positions in the field of computer science. “We have an obvious deficit, there is a lot of interest among young people who want to study this, but this is not possible because of the number of available places,” the Prime Minister said and added that it is necessary to shed some light on the situation and find solutions. “If there is a lot of interest, if there are needs for certain jobs, but there is no space or money for these programmes, we will provide the premises and funds, and the enrolment will increase. The interest of the professors will also be greater if the salaries are better,” said the Prime Minister Janez Janša.
He added that the structure of supply and demand on the labour market shows us that we need to change something about our education system, “and above all, we need to make sure that educated people do not leave and move to other countries just because they are not able to get a job in Slovenia.” He also stated that there is no way to predict the future, “so it does not make sense to go for targeted education – it is more important to make sure that the people, when they finish their studies, are able to get a job, and the companies and others are able to get the necessary staff.”
Prime Minister Janez Janša also said that the government is determined to reform the salary system, which will also affect the university, professors and assistant professors. He went on to point out that he does not agree with the idea that “nothing can be done.” The rectors of the universities highlighted the issue of brain drain, wage disparities, and the need for cooperation between the government, ministries and universities. They emphasised the importance of finding integrated solutions, creating successful work environments, and the importance of a quick confirmation of the number of available places for the study programmes for the next academic year.
Representatives of the chambers of commerce and the associations drew attention to the changes that have taken place in the world due to the epidemic of the novel coronavirus. They highlighted the problem of vocational education, the need to adopt an appropriate scholarship policy and the promotion of shortage occupations, the need to establish a modern-day apprenticeship system, the importance of cooperation between companies and educational institutions, and the importance of adaptation and rapid action.
The Minister of Education, Science and Sport, Simona Kustec, Ph.D., Minister of the Economy, Zdravko Počivalšek, Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Janez Cigler Kralj, State Secretary at the Ministry of Health Alenka Forte, and Marijana Bednaš, M.Sc., Director of the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development of the Republic of Slovenia also spoke at the meeting. They highlighted the needs of the labour market, supply and demand, the need for rapid adaptation, staff shortages in the field of healthcare, and projections for the future. The conference also highlighted Slovenia’s lack of integration into the international environment.
More money for the research projects
At the end of the consultation, the Prime Minister said that some things were much clearer after the consultation and that some things have to be fixed as soon as possible. He pointed out the need to secure more places at the Faculty of Medicine and promised that amendments would be made to the Implementation of the Republic of Slovenia Budget for 2020 and 2021 Act, which makes it possible to employ people for research projects. He emphasised the importance of creating a network of schools which will include quality vocational education, and the need to correct salary relations. He also pointed out the incorrect and unfair division into private and public, as the government should have the same attitude towards public and private institutions, as long as they implement the same public programmes. It is in everyone’s best interest for us to have a quality education system that is accessible to young people under the same conditions, so that they have the same basic opportunities for success in life, and that is why competition is also needed in the field of education. He also said that this will not be the last meeting on this topic, that the future cannot be predicted, but that nevertheless, many things were made clear. “We know that some professions will no longer exist in the future, we know that there are already shortages that will become even greater, but we also know where our strengths are, and where we can be a model of excellence.”
Sara Kovač
