Project Partnership @t work

How a teenager from Novi Sad got a job offer in Germany

”When eighteen of us, the students of the High School of Economics and Trade from Kikinda, accompanied by three professors, got out of the bus and set foot on a sun-bathed Ettlingen in Germany, we were very delighted with it at a first glance. It was November 28, and the city welcomed us in its solemn whiteness. Ivana waited for me, my new acquaintance from this city, who provided for me, together with her family, a tremendous seven-day stay in this picturesque city. My friends from Kikinda had their hosts who familiarized us with the life in Ettlingen, showing us the school they attend, including our presence on the classes, and introducing us to their families, friends, fellow citizens…”.

High school student Natasa speaks in this way about her seven-day stay in a German city Ettlingen, where she visited partner school in Germany together with her friends from school, within the project “Partnership @t work”.

Their stay in this city at the foothill of Schwarzwald and socializing with peers, their families, witnessing the classes in the High School „Wilhelm Roepke“, getting to know local way of work and life – had offered to the teenagers from Kikinda entirely new and different perspective on the attitude toward others, toward the world, toward the values that the peers across Europe share.

This is the essence of the project  “Partnership @t work“ – to connect students and professors from Serbia and Germany and establish liaisons that they will continue to cherish, according to their needs and ideas.

During their stay in Germany, both students and professors worked on joint projects, visited the fair of virtual companies in Freiburg and toured through other German cities. Prior to the youngsters from Kikinda, German schools of similar profiles hosted the high school students from Pirot and Vlasotince. The youngsters from those cities have returned from Germany in October, full of impressions and with achieved school partnership with German schools.

“Partnership @t work“ is a new program designed for the high school students of economics in Serbia, with a goal of establishing long-term partnerships among high schools of economics in Serbia and Germany.

Program is led by the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) and European movement in Serbia in cooperation with German organization for technical cooperation GIZ, and it is financed with joint funds of USAID and German Government.

For the last year and a half, the program focused on the exchange of knowledge, experiences, up-to-date educational methods and on the advancement of the youth mobility. In this way, the opportunity for joint work in developing new teaching methods and approach has been created.

30 high schools of economics from Serbia have been selected via the public competition, which will sent 25 students, two teachers and school directors to the seven-day stay in the partner schools in Germany. In return, students and professors from the 30 high schools from Germany will visit schools in Serbia.

It is planned that more than 1.000 third grade high school students be involved in this program.

The students have the opportunity to present their countries, cities and schools, to get acquainted with the educational systems of their partner schools and to visit numerous cultural landmarks. By establishing cooperation among the schools, the requirements for the professional and personal advancement of the students, professors and management are met.

Within so far achieved partnership visits, the high school students from Serbia had visited numerous companies where their German peers have been going to practice. Through all these activities, new friendships have been established and the continuation of the partnership schools project has been agreed, including future employments.

The example that proves that these projects may result in very concrete action, including serious change in someone’s life is something that happened to a teenager from Novi Sad who visited the school in Wardenburg: general manager of „Dynapac“ Company has offered a job immediately upon graduation, to the young citizen of Novi Sad who showed immense interest for the functioning of the company.
Is there any better and more concrete result of the exchange program of the people and ideas?