Analysis of the labour market and secondary vocational schools in the Bijeljina region
The City Administration of the City of Bijeljina, for the purposes of the "COTON" project, implemented within the Opportunity Plus programme supported by the Government of Switzerland and carried out by the Development Agency of RepublikaSrpska (RARS) for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, conducted a survey on the needs of companies for missing occupations and the available capacities of educational institutions. The aim was to meet the needs of the labour market in the City of Bijeljina and the municipalities of Lopare and Ugljevik. The survey was conducted during November and December 2015, and the first half of January 2016. Surveyors from the Section for Local Economic Development and European Integration of the City of Bijeljina visited companies and filled in questionnaires on site together with company representatives in order to collect the most realistic and accurate data possible. The companies showed great interest in participating in the project in this way and contributing to solving the significant issue of the mismatch between the needs of the economy and the existing occupations in secondary vocational schools in the Bijeljina region.There has been little positive change in aligning the educational system with the needs of the economy and society. An increasing number of people are unable to find employment in their profession or at their level of education, particularly among university graduates. On the other hand, the business sector lacks certain, primarily production-related occupations, which forces companies to provide for them through retraining, additional training, labour import, and other measures, thus increasing their financial burden. This clearly demonstrates a significant gap between education and the labour market, which significantly reduces the value of human capital and burdens economic development.These circumstances call for new, comprehensive research efforts aimed at better aligning education with the labour market. It is necessary to identify the main factors that positively influence such alignment.
Society, through its enrolment policy and based on strategic development priorities, has a decisive influence on the structure of the labour force supply. Education generally succeeds in meeting the long-term needs of the economy and society for human resources. The alignment between supply and demand for occupations and education levels is relatively high. However, education still poorly adapts to short-term and, in particular, long-term labour market needs, usually addressing them through temporary educational programmes, retraining, and additional requalification.
In addition to long-term strategic development priorities, labour market indicators are crucial for building a comprehensive education concept. Following the positive experience of developed countries, these indicators should serve as the foundation of such research. A critical analysis of previous experiences and a contextual understanding of local circumstances is needed to make proposals for better alignment of education and the labour market in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and more specifically at the local level.Following the example of developed countries, the focus of research should be placed on the institutional foundations of education, which must be able to meet long-term labour force demands while also responding effectively to short-term challenges. The emphasis on social influences and the labour market as a corrective factor stems from the very nature of education and its relationship to employment.
The education system is the most important element of the life and development infrastructure of every individual, society, and country, as its overall impact determines the scope, quality, and effectiveness of the construction and use of all other systems and resources, as well as the overall quality of life and development potential of individuals and communities. Therefore, the education system should be developed to carry out its role in a timely, high-quality, and efficient manner.
The task of the education system is to provide timely, high-quality, and efficient education in line with development priorities focused on sustainability and to respond to the lifelong learning needs of the population. Consequently, the education system becomes a key development factor, as a well-educated population is the true resource for the proper use of natural and other inherited resources.
It is evident that the current education system faces numerous problems that require action to eliminate or improve them in order to respond effectively to the needs of the economy and the rapid emergence of new requirements and labour market demands. In this context, the priorities include improving the quality of education by increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the educational system.
Within the project “COTON – Contributing to increased functionality and employability in RepublikaSrpska and Una-Sana Canton”, efforts are being made to improve the quality of education and labour force effectiveness through initial interventions in the targeted region. Accordingly, there is a need to obtain more detailed information about the capacities of secondary technical and other schools that will cooperate in the project and the degree of their misalignment with the needs of the local labour market.
Society, through its enrolment policy and based on strategic development priorities, has a decisive influence on the structure of the labour force supply. Education generally succeeds in meeting the long-term needs of the economy and society for human resources. The alignment between supply and demand for occupations and education levels is relatively high. However, education still poorly adapts to short-term and, in particular, long-term labour market needs, usually addressing them through temporary educational programmes, retraining, and additional requalification.
In addition to long-term strategic development priorities, labour market indicators are crucial for building a comprehensive education concept. Following the positive experience of developed countries, these indicators should serve as the foundation of such research. A critical analysis of previous experiences and a contextual understanding of local circumstances is needed to make proposals for better alignment of education and the labour market in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and more specifically at the local level.Following the example of developed countries, the focus of research should be placed on the institutional foundations of education, which must be able to meet long-term labour force demands while also responding effectively to short-term challenges. The emphasis on social influences and the labour market as a corrective factor stems from the very nature of education and its relationship to employment.
The education system is the most important element of the life and development infrastructure of every individual, society, and country, as its overall impact determines the scope, quality, and effectiveness of the construction and use of all other systems and resources, as well as the overall quality of life and development potential of individuals and communities. Therefore, the education system should be developed to carry out its role in a timely, high-quality, and efficient manner.
The task of the education system is to provide timely, high-quality, and efficient education in line with development priorities focused on sustainability and to respond to the lifelong learning needs of the population. Consequently, the education system becomes a key development factor, as a well-educated population is the true resource for the proper use of natural and other inherited resources.
It is evident that the current education system faces numerous problems that require action to eliminate or improve them in order to respond effectively to the needs of the economy and the rapid emergence of new requirements and labour market demands. In this context, the priorities include improving the quality of education by increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the educational system.
Within the project “COTON – Contributing to increased functionality and employability in RepublikaSrpska and Una-Sana Canton”, efforts are being made to improve the quality of education and labour force effectiveness through initial interventions in the targeted region. Accordingly, there is a need to obtain more detailed information about the capacities of secondary technical and other schools that will cooperate in the project and the degree of their misalignment with the needs of the local labour market.
