Archives: Novice

22 April 2024 – The School of Economics Murska Sobota, in cooperation with the other project partners of the TALENT LAB project, hosted an event that brought together young talents of Pomurje and the regional economy.

The opening greeting was given by Darko Petrijan, Headmaster of the School of Economics Murska Sobota, that emphasised the importance of innovation and cooperation for the development of the region. Dr Timi Gomboc, Vice-Mayor of the Municipality of Murska Sobota, and mag. Marko Močnik, Director of the Pomurje Technology Park, expressed their support for the project, which strengthens the link between education and the economy. Dr. Thomas Berker from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology underlined the value of international partnerships in education and innovation.

At the main part of the event – Pitch Day, final year pupils and undergraduates presented their solutions to real entrepreneurial challenges.

The TALENT LAB project was designed as a platform to connect the education sector with the needs of the local economy, allowing young people to build their competence in a real business environment.

The event was marked by presentations by young talents that in a creative way presented their solutions to challenges posed by various companies. From improvements in catering, agriculture, and engineering to innovations in wastewater treatment plants and viticulture, the participants proved that the Pomurje region is full of untapped potential from young innovators.

Over the past few months, the participants, including pupils from the School of Economics Murska Sobota, the Bilingual Secondary School Lendava, the Biotechnological School Rakičan, the Secondary School for Catering and Tourism Radenci and students from the University of Maribor, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, have been working intensively on projects set for them by renowned companies in Pomurje region. Among the companies that participated in the challenges were Pomurske mlekarne, CEROP, VERMIS, Grede Tešanovci, Atharia, Kmetijsko gospodarstvo Lendava, Čistilna naprava Lendava, Elektromaterial Lendava, Nutrivita, Paradajz and Radgonske gorice, which gave pupils and students the opportunity to test their theoretical knowledge in practice.

The event was closed with the presentation of awards to the participants of the Pitch Day and a summary of the achievements created jointly by the young talents, educational institutions, and companies. TALENT LAB not only proved that innovation is key to the region’s development, but also laid the foundations for the future projects that will further foster cooperation between academia and industry.

The TALENT LAB project, which is co-financed by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism, brought together the Pomurje Technology Park, Ltd as the project promoter, and project partners University of Maribor, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, School of Economics Murska Sobota, Bilingual Secondary School Lendava, Biotechnological School Rakičan, Secondary School for Catering and Tourism Radenci and Norwegian partner Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Humanities.

SOURCE: Pomurje Technology Park

22 April 2024 – In the framework of the studioKroG project, which is co-financed by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism, the project partners organised a closing conference entitled “Waste prevention and circular utilisation of resources through reuse.”

In the opening speech, Jadranka Plut, Head of the Financial Mechanisms Sector at the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development, said that “the circular economy is a long-term strategic orientation, and successful projects represent an effective way for comprehensive change and the realisation of the transition to a more responsible society of the future.”

The project partners presented the results through a practical demonstration of the circular economy to increase understanding of how circular resource utilisation works.

Activities to promote reuse are underway in Slovenia, but this field needs bigger changes. The key is to create a comprehensive system that encourages all stakeholders to work together. This includes the introduction of economic incentives, flexibility of legal solutions, optimisation of capacity and adequate communication. Legislation must be put in place to provide a stimulating environment for circular business models. These activities must of course also be supported from a communication point of view, as changing consumer behaviour is a long-term process. Looking to the future, the reuse of materials and products shows the need to integrate the circular economy into all segments of society. To achieve this, further cooperation between the government, the industry, the scientific community, and civil society is crucial.

The project has formed many partnerships with EU projects, businesses, universities, NGOs, government ministries, municipalities, and the public. The main objective of the project is to raise awareness and understanding of the circular economy concept, where waste is used as a resource in a circular way.

The project involves the Scientific Research Centre Ptuj as the project promoter and project partners Reuse Centre, implementation of procedures for the reuse of used equipment, Ltd, OKP Public company for communal services Rogaška Slatina, Ltd, Research and Development Center RRC Ormož and Fonix AS from Norway.

SOURCE: Scientific Research Centre Ptuj

19 April 2024 – The closing ceremony of the project ZAGON with the opening of a new nature trail in the Radenci field took place yesterday in Mala Račna at the Nature Conservation Centre Frog’s House.

On this occasion, the Mayor of Grosuplje, Dr Peter Verlič, and the Head of the Financial Mechanisms Sector at the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development, Jadranka Plut, addressed the attendees of the closing ceremony. The opening of the ceremony in a beautiful natural environment was musically highlighted by Klara and Ernest Miklič, Duo Tvoja Glasba.

The Mayor of Grosuplje, Dr Peter Verlič, said that “the municipality of Grosuplje also has the colour green in its coat of arms. Those who come to Grosuplje from Ljubljana are impressed by nature. When they come to the municipality, they want to enjoy all the amenities that the city centre has to offer. And finding the right balance between development and nature conservation is a challenge, but it is also very important.”

“Congratulations to everyone who has been involved in this project and I wish that the Radensko polje will continue to enjoy high priority at national level and that we can continue to enjoy this contact with nature here in this beautiful part of the municipality of Grosuplje,” he added.

Jadranka Plut, Head of the Financial Mechanisms Sector at the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development, underlined that “the project ZAGON is co-financed by the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism and the national co-financing under the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Programme, which is implemented by the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development.”

“The important role of biodiversity in the sustainability and resilience of our planet and life on it makes it crucial to continue supporting projects of this kind,” she added in her speech.

The ZAGON project focuses on forests and wetlands, which are characterised by their significant contribution to climate change mitigation. All the selected project areas fall under Natura 2000, whose qualifying species and habitat types are in a poor conservation status and have suffered significant damage due to climate change over the last ten years.

The unveiling of a new information board followed which marks the start of the new nature trail from Šica to mejica. The information board was unveiled by Jadranka Plut, Head of the Financial Mechanisms Sector at the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development, Janez Pintar, Vice-Mayor of the Municipality of Grosuplje, Zdenka Grozde, Director of the Municipal Administration, and Miha Drobnič, Representative of the ZAGON project.

The new learning trail is long about 3 km, starting in Mala Račna at the Nature Conservation Centre Frog’s House, which is situated on an idyllic little island, next to the Šica water spring. The trail continues via Velika Račna and Kopanja to the floodplain forest, located about 300 m to the north-east.

The new learning trail in Radensko polje has been established within the framework of the ZAGON project, which aims to increase the resilience of ecosystems by improving stakeholders’ knowledge and competence for the successful management of these ecosystems and by implementing measures for their restoration.

The ZAGON project, which is co-financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway through the EEA Financial Mechanism, brought together the Municipality of Grosuplje as the project promoter and the project partners the Institute for Tourism and Promotion Grosuplje, the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation, the Slovenian Forest Service, the Slovenian Forestry Institute, and the University College for Green Development from Norway.

SOURCE: Municipality of Grosuplje

19 April 2024 – The project Heritage School for the New Generations, co-financed by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism, was celebrated with a closing ceremony on Wednesday, 17 April 2024, in Škofja Loka.

The more than sixty guests were addressed by Herman Baskår, Deputy Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway, Jadranka Plut, Head of the Financial Mechanisms Sector at the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development and Tina Teržan, Vice-Mayor of the Municipality of Škofja Loka.

Herman Baskår, Deputy Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway, expressed his support for the project and pointed out that “the integration of cultural heritage in education is essential, as it offers students a deeper understanding of their own heritage and heritage of others, it promotes respect, empathy and tolerance.”

Jadranka Plut, Head of the Financial Mechanisms Sector at the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development, pointed out in her speech that “a systematic change in the community’s attitude towards cultural heritage and its renewal as a competence for work in the 21st century is only possible through the education of the younger generations.”

After welcoming speeches, a video projection of the project’s achievements was presented to the audience, in which materials for new teaching practices were produced through the joint efforts of all project partners. These include 18 teaching materials with didactic aids for the integration of cultural heritage in primary school subjects from art to mathematics. The project has demonstrated through neurological testing of pupils that the introduction of cultural heritage content can make lessons more interesting, increase pupils’ understanding of the material and engagement, and improve pupils’ concentration, especially when they encounter cultural heritage in an environment outside the classroom and are encouraged to work creatively.

A didactic corner has been created at the Elementary School Ivan Grohar, co-created by the pupils, which will be expanded with new content and exhibitions in the next school year. The investment in the premises of the former 16th-century town hall in the old town centre of Škofja Loka has created the Learning Lab area. In the future, it will be used for workshops on heritage, the crafts that support it and the values that cultural heritage transmits in our lives.

One of the first workshops intended for teachers on how to actively bring the heritage and the crafts associated with it to the attention of pupils. Cultural heritage provides a rich and varied content, as it encompasses the entire legacy of human activity – from settlement patterns, the co-creation of cultural landscapes, the establishment of settlements and buildings, the development of construction and the processing of materials, to the preservation of craft skills and the preservation of a culture of living.

The event was enlivened by a performance by a pupil folklore group from the Elementary School Ivan Grohar. The pupils, dressed in traditional costumes, sang, and danced on stage.

The event continued with a panel discussion. Discussion was attended by Špela Spanžel, Director General of the Directorate for Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Culture, Dr Vilma Brodnik, National Education Institute Slovenia, Matevž Granda, editor of the magazine Outsider, and Aleksander Ostan, professor at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Ljubljana.

The discussion that followed highlighted the current views on the state and understanding of the role of cultural heritage in Slovenia, the shortcomings, progress, and challenges for the future, which should be focused primarily on bringing cultural heritage closer to young people at all levels of education, as well as to pre-school children.

The project involves the Association of Historic Towns of Slovenia, the University of Primorska, the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, the School Center Škofja Loka, the Elementary School Ivan Grohar, the Municipality of Škofja Loka and the Norwegian partner MAGMA Geopark AS.

SOURCE: Heritage School for the New Generations

19 April 2024 – At the April AmCham Focus “Vibrations of Harmony: Sport, Work and Personal Time in Harmony”, the closing event of the PROMETHEUS project, the project promoter and project partners discussed the importance of establishing a work-life balance.

The event was moderated by mag. Simona Špilak, Director of BOC Institute, Business and Organisational Consulting Institute.  At the event, panel discussion took place with participation by Dr Andrej Naterer, Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor, Tamara Stanković from the Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana, and Anja Megušar from Knauf Insulation Ltd, in which they emphasised the importance of building trust among employees, the sense of investing in sports activities, finding a work-life balance, promoting a healthy work environment and mentoring programmes.

Dr Andrej Naterer presented the results of the impact analysis of the intervention and further outlined the objectives of the project. At its core, the company focuses on economic capital, which is not significantly different in its meaning and impact from social and cultural capital. Dr Naterer pointed out that “all three forms of capital need to work together, which is what the project has been about. At the core is employee empowerment. We found that at the end of the project, employee loyalty to the company was higher, indicating an increase in social capital, which the company can convert into economic capital. This means that caring for employees has positive economic effects.”

An example of a good practice mentoring scheme was presented by Anja Megušar.  The aim was for employees to find solutions to their own challenges through discussions, and the theme of the workshops focused on fostering positive emotions, with employees exploring for themselves what evokes these feelings in them.

Asist. mag. Tamara Stanković highlighted the importance of sport and its impact on both personal and professional life. She added that “the definition of a company may be economic capital, but I believe that a company is its people. The first question that every person asks themselves is why it is so important, why we neglect taking care of ourselves. We already have a bunch of companies that are aware of this and are investing in the movement of their employees. Why shouldn’t a company take care of that? We all know that exercise has a positive effect on both physical and mental health.”

The PROMETHEUS project, which is supported by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism, is co-created by the American Chamber of Commerce as the project promoter and project partners Gender equality research institute Maribor, Merkur Ltd, Riko, industrial, construction engineering and leasing, Ltd, University of Maribor, Knauf Insulation Ltd, Public Scholarship, Development, Disability and Maintenance Fund of the Republic of Slovenia, A1 Slovenia, telecommunications services, AMZS, service provider for members of national automobile association and other users of roadside assistance, and Norwegian partner the Norwegian Automobile Foundation.

SOURCE: Project PROMETHEUS and AmCham Slovenia

18 April 2024 – As part of the SmartMOVE project, Municipality of Medvode earlier this month hosted the ceremony opening of two new sustainable mobility acquisitions.

In this project, the Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region played a key role. Mag. Lilijana Madjar, Director of the Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region, highlighted the importance of good cooperation at all levels for progress in development, which has a significant impact on the quality of life of the inhabitants. “Today we are witnessing the synergy effects that the grants can create in one municipality if it is development-oriented and cooperates well with the Regional Development Agency, which is a competent partner in receiving funds for financing development investments,” she pointed out.

E-bike rental system compatible with the Capital of Ljubljana

The introduction of a public e-bike rental system will allow citizens to travel short distances within the municipality in a sustainable way (4 stations have been set up), and to travel to the capital, as the system is compatible with the one in Ljubljana. As such, it is also a novelty in the region.

“Research shows that 10% of people in our country would prefer to cycle if they had the infrastructure to do so,” explained Jadranka Plut, Head of the Financial Mechanisms Sector at the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development, which is why they are working to support projects that promote the development of sustainable mobility.

“With the e-bike rental system, we as individuals and as a community are moving closer to developed European countries where cycling will become part of everyday life and a way of life. Promoting cycling as a sustainable way of life makes an important contribution to reducing our carbon footprint,” she added.

The bikes are part of the Nomago Bikes system and can also be rented with an Urbana card. Marjan Beltram, Executive Director for Travel and Mobility at Nomago Ltd, stressed that the objective of every municipality should be sustainable connectivity with surrounding municipalities and nearby centres. “Citizens will quickly realise how efficient e-bikes are on their own journeys, as their journeys can often be even faster than by car during peak times,” he underlined.

The Mayor of the Municipality of Medvode, Nejc Smole, expressed his great satisfaction that within the SmartMOVE project Medvode, as a pilot municipality, has been given the opportunity to test the use of e-bikes to reduce motor traffic during daily migrations. He emphasised that “we have a heartfelt desire to expand the system within the municipality and to make cycling the primary flow of traffic in Medvode.” He would like to have at least twice as many stations within two years and is counting on the citizens to use the e-bikes. He would warmly welcome the establishment of a network of e-bikes in neighbouring municipalities as well and strongly believes that this will be one of the major connectivity projects in the coming years that Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region is counting on.

Free-of-charge bus from Medvode to Katarina

Another new acquisition is a free-of-charge bus service that will at weekends connect Medvode with the rural settlements of the Polhov Gradec Hills. The measure reduces traffic congestion in the hills, encourages the use of public transport, provides access for vulnerable groups, and promotes active leisure time in nature.

Both acquisitions represent an important contribution to multimodality and pave the way for reducing motorised traffic in the Ljubljana Urban Region.

The SmartMOVE project, co-financed by the EEA Financial Mechanism, involves the Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region as the project promoter and project partners Jožef Stefan Institute, Institute for Spatial Policies, Urban Institute of Ljubljana, Association of Employers of Slovenia, GoOpti Ltd, Centre of Energy Efficiency Solutions and the Norwegian Nordland Research Institute.

SOURCE: SmartMOVE

17 April 2024 – The project partners of the LEAP project, supported by Norway Grants under the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Programme, organised a public presentation of the project’s achievements at the Pulp and Paper Institute in Ljubljana earlier this month.

The project coordinator, Gregor Čepon from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, welcomed the attendees of the closing event and summarised the LEAP project, the roles of the participating project partners and announced the presentation of the results. He pointed out that the project “seeks to develop high-performance packaging solutions that are able to withstand the weight of different transport loads, while at the same time trying to address the problem of raw material through the use of invasive plants in the production of this solution”.

The project partners have focused on the production of durable protective packaging from invasive non-native plants such as Japanese knotweed, Giant goldenrod and Canadian goldenrod. They presented a collection point in Maribor, where they set up three different containers to collect the invasive plants that will be used in the packaging process. The idea to produce such packaging was born seven or eight years ago with the project partner – Gorenje. They wanted to produce a paper-based packaging solution. The process of producing an effective and robust protective packaging was full of attempts, even unsuccessful ones, to achieve results. The current results allow the production of protective packaging that can be recycled and reused several times. They also highlighted the product’s effectiveness and ability to absorb and absorb pressure and shock.

The closing event was joined virtually by the Norwegian project partner, dr. Jawad Elomari, SINTEF AS, who presented the biomass collection process and gave a sustainability assessment of the transition from EPS to paper-based packaging. He pointed out that “the biomass collection process has clearly been improved in the LEAP project, which is also evident from the sample comparison.”

Dr. Urška Kavčič from the Pulp and Paper Institute presented the development of molded pulp protective packaging made from lignocellulosic biomass. Cellulosic fibres were produced from locally sourced invasive plants. She further explained the process from the extraction of the invasive plants to fibres that are effective for use and their role in the development of protective packaging.

Gregor Čepon from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, presented the e-info point platform and the open-source expert system for designing paper-based packaging. He emphasised that now “all the knowledge behind the development process has been gathered. All the data and research results can be downloaded from the platform to your computer and further refined.”

Representative of the project partner Gorenje Ltd, dr. Aleš Mihelič presented the challenges in designing sustainable paper packaging for household appliances. He pointed out that “Gorenje’s cooperation with other stakeholders has so far been unsuccessful, as companies have mainly developed smaller protective paper packaging, which is neither suitable nor efficient for the transport and delivery of the heavier electronic devices produced by Gorenje. The LEAP project has produced efficient and sustainable packaging, which has been tirelessly tested and refined with project partners until the current results”.

The LEAP project involves the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Ljubljana as the project promoter and project partners Pulp and Paper Institute, Gorenje Ltd, Surovina, Waste processing company Ltd, and SINTEF AS from Norway.

VIR: Projekt LEAP

17 April 2024 – The final conference of the project A Step Forward for Youth in Less Dynamic Environments (NEKSTEP) took place in Lipica. The project, which is co-financed by the Norway Grants under the programme Education, Scholarships, Apprenticeship and Youth Entrepreneurship, aims to facilitate the transition of young people into employment.

Marjeta Stepančič Slavec, Director of the Adult Education Centre Sežana, addressed the participants as host. In the first part of the conference, the results of the project were presented by Sanda Božeglav, representative of the project partner the Adult Education Centre Sežana, Bojan Mevlja, representative of the project partner Središče Rotunda, Social Centre in the Littoral Region, and Tina Rožac and Ksenija Zečević, representatives of the project promoter Adult Education Centre Koper, who also presented the role of the Norwegian project partner International Development Norway in the project. More than 500 young people in the Coastal-Karst region participated in workshops on career orientation and entrepreneurship, and were also offered personal counselling. The added value of the project was the lectures and workshops for counsellors working with young people, who were able to learn about the characteristics of young people today (what they want from adults, how adults can approach them, etc.), how to have a conversation with young people while taking into account emotional regulation, and how to approach young people using creative methods. The first part of the conference was closed by Particija Horvat from the company Makro 5 gradnje, who presented a good practice example of cooperation with young people from the Upper-secondary VET school Koper, who presented their winning solution for digitising construction at the hackathon.

© MKRR

The second part of the conference included a panel discussion on the entry of young people into the labour market and the characteristics of young people today as they build their careers. The round table was attended by Vladimir Popovič, Head of the Regional Office of the Emplyment Service of Slovenia in Koper, Nassim Djaba from Impact Hub Ljubljana, Neva Strel Pletikos from the Centre for Personal Growth Koper and Ula Stepančič from the Scale with US Institute. Nassim Djaba pointed out that “In a job interview, young people ask what values the employer has /…/ Today, it is the employers who have to present the job well so that young people are willing to invest 8 hours of their time with them every day”. Mr Popovič stressed that the Employment Service of Slovenia is already working to raise awareness among employers so that they themselves also become active and explore new ways of recruiting staff, as the established ways are no longer enough. Neva Pletikos Strel, a long-time elementary school counsellor and now a self-employed entrepreneur, pointed out that young people have a lot of information, including about careers, but sometimes lack the skills to put it into practice. “They are sovereign for a very long time, they ‘freeze’ just before they make a decision,” she added. Ula Stepančič, a successful young entrepreneur, advised young people: “Don’t be silent, dare to ask, seek for help when you need it”, and stressed the crucial role of a mentor to guide and direct you along the way. Mentoring in general was a recurring theme for all the panellists.

Žan Papič moderated the conference and the roundtable, and concluded the event with a stand-up performance.

Source: LU Koper

 

15 april 2024 – The project Development of an Expert Support System for Competency Assessment in Higher Education (RESPO-VI) held its final conference in Ljubljana. The project, co-financed by the Norway Grants, improves the competences of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) students using the RESPO-VI application and trains educational staff to monitor the development of students’ competences.

In their opening speeches, Prof. Dr. Milena Horvat, Dean of the Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Dr. Aida Kamišalić Latifić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Jadranka Plut, Head of the Programme Operator at the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development, stressed the importance of investing in human resources in a rapidly advancing society and digital technologies.

Prof. Dr. Aleksander Zidanšek from the Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, acting as the project promoter, and Dr. Bojan Cestnik, representative of the project partner Temida Ltd, highlighted the key results of the project, focusing on the RESPO-VI application and the 10 identified STEM competences of the students.

© MCRD

The conference ended with a round table where Prof. Dr. Aleksander Zidanšek, Dr. Bojan Cestnik, Darko Kovačič, a representative of the project partner International Institute for Implementation of Sustainable Development from Maribor and Dr. Alenka Temeljotov-Salaj and her colleagues (cooperating online) from the Norwegian project partner, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, talked about future trends in educational technology and career development in higher education institutions and stressed the importance of guiding students for their better progress and work. The RESPO-VI application makes this possible, and training professors to use it optimally is crucial.

© MCRD

15 April 2024 – The closing conference of the project Support for Professionals in Education and Employment in the Field of Autism – VIS A VIS, supported by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism, took place in Ljubljana.

The opening greeting at the conference Support for Professionals in Education and Employment in the Field of Autism was given by the project leader, Sabina Korošec Zavšek from the Association of Non-Governmental Organizations for Autism in Slovenia, who emphasised the importance of “establishing an effective model of support for all stakeholders at all levels of education and employment to improve the conditions of teaching and employability of people with autism.”

Mag. Marko Koprivc, State Secretary at the Ministry for Cohesion and Regional Development, in his opening speech stressed that “support for people with autism at the national level is sadly lacking, which is why the VIS A VIS project establishes a model for linking stakeholders at the local and national level and increases the competencies of teachers and policy makers.” He also emphasised that “in order to raise the quality of life and ensure an inclusive society, it is necessary to ensure social and economic equality for all individuals. With this kind of project, we believe that we have empowered both professionals and people with autism and opened up possibilities for integration into the community.”

At today’s closing conference, the project partners presented their role in the project and the achievements of the project. The project carried out a survey on the prevalence of autism in Slovenia, the first of its kind in Slovenia. One of the objectives was to obtain data on the number of people with autism by age, gender, and region of residence. They also carried out a survey on the needs of professionals working in education for additional skills in the field of autism. Based on the results and with the support of a Norwegian partner, new teaching and learning practices were developed for the work and life of people with autism.

In the second part of the event, a panel discussion was held to address the employment of people with autism. Discussion shed light on experiences and examples of good practice. The panellists were Franci Pliberšek, Director of MIK, international trading and manufacturing company, Ltd who presented his experience as an employer, and Olav Helland and Luka Tešić, individuals with autism, who presented their experiences of being employed. The discussion was moderated by Ksenija Bratuš Albreht and Barbara Zupančič from the Šentprima – institute for rehabilitation and education.

After the discussion, the Handbook for working with people with autism from pre-school education to employment was presented. Content of the handbook is intended for professionals in pre-school education, primary education, higher vocational education, and higher education. The handbook also includes a section on mental health for educators and a section on supporting employers to recruit people with autism.

Barbara Zupančič, Univ. Dipl. Psych., from the Šentprima – institute for rehabilitation and education, concluded the conference with a lecture, in which she highlighted different types of prejudice and (un)conscious discrimination.

The project involves the Association of Non-Governmental Organizations for Autism in Slovenia as the project promoter and project partners Šentprima – institute for rehabilitation and education, Alma Mater Europaea – European center, Maribor, Elementary School Kozara Nova Gorica, MIK international trading and manufacturing company, Ltd, and Norwegian Fjæran-Granum’s Top Competence Service.

SOURCE: VIS A VIS