In October and November 2021 students from the University of Pannonia in Nagykanizsa (UP), Hungary, and from the Faculty of Organization and Informatics, University of Zagreb (FOI), Croatia, had the chance to learn about digital transformation, its methods and techniques and how to use them. Besides learning, students have spent a lot of quality time together visiting museums and other important institutions in Čakovec and sightseeing in Varaždin city centre.

The second round of intensive learning courses about digital transformation, implemented by FOI, started November 1st 2021 and lasted until November 12th. The course consisted of an online part on eLearning platform IC4HEDS (first week of the training when students have studied the materials individually), face to face lectures (the second week of the training, Croatian students participate face-to-face and the lectures are being streamed to Hungarian students) and the final part when Hungarian students go on a study trip to Croatia.

Students have spent the first day of the study trip, 11th November, participating in the workshop organized and held at TICM: “Stuff they don’t teach you in school: how to maximize your potential after college”. The concept of the workshop has pushed students to be actively involved in the process of discovering what they want to do for a living and how to achieve it.

 

Lecturer Nikola Brežnjak has enviable knowledge and experience to share, he is currently leading a team of 30 engineers, as VP of Engineers, but at the beginning of his career, he had to go through the same process. In the workshop, he helped students to find answers to the questions that trouble the minds of many high school graduates and students: what do they want to do for a living, what are they good at and how to get there. The discussion has been very active, students have received well the “tough truth” Nikola has confronted them with.

The goal to pass to the students the knowledge they cannot get in school has been achieved successfully, students have shared their plans, some of them are big and ambitious.

After the workshop students visited institutions in Međimurje which are important for economic and cultural development and good examples of using EU funds to contribute to economic and cultural prosperity. They have visited the Development and Educational Centre for the Metal Industry – Metal Centre Čakovec, Ecomuseum “Međimurje malo” and  Museum of Intangible Heritage “Treasury of Međimurje”.

On the second day of the study trip, students presented innovative digital business models they’ve developed using methods and techniques they have been learning about in the course. All the students, 33 of them, accomplished the task.

We can say with great joy that the course about digital transformation has given the participants new and relevant knowledge, the experience of networking, working in teams, public speaking and pitching, all of which will help them stand out in the labour market and will hopefully teach them to continuously invest in their professional development.

 

This article has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The content of the document is the sole responsibility of Technology innovation centre Međimurje Ltd. and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union and/or the Managing Authority.