(source: Courtesy of Gebrüder Weiss )
The Secondary School of Industrial Engineering in Martin (SPŠ Martin) is one of the first schools in Slovakia to address the shortage of educated logisticians. Seeking aid in theoretical as well as in practical training of skilled specialists was the main reason behind partnering with the market leader in the field - logistical company Gebrüder Weiss. As of now, in the third year of its operation, the newly created subject field at the school is lead by seven expertly trained teachers mentoring the 78 students.
According to the jobs portal www.profesia.sk, Slovakia’s need for skilled logisticians is constantly growing and there are currently 128 open logistical positions. As secondary schools are not keeping up with the demands of the jobs market, filling them is problematic though. Initially, opening the subject field was an idea of SPŠ Martin. However, the school soon realized that the need for a sponsor of practical know-how, as well as technical equipment, was great. Gebrüder Weiss took notice of their search for expertise and decided to step in. The company financed equipment of a specialized classroom with a total sum of some 3,000€. Furthermore, the company pledged to provide expert counseling for both the teachers and students by organizing courses and educational internships. “In the memorandum of cooperation, we have committed ourselves to organizing free-of-charge excursions and expert lectures concerned with newest trends in logistics for the teachers. For what concerns the students, we’re offering them a possibility to take part in continuous educational internships at our company offices in Slovakia and, the best ones in the newly opened third grade will have a chance to complete a part of their studies at our company school in Austria” explains the country manager of Gebrüder Weiss Markus Jelleschnitz.
The Secondary School of Industrial Engineering in Martin received a recommendation to establish the subject field from the Technical University of Košice, as well as from the Chamber of Logistical Auditors in Martin (KLA) and the Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry in autumn of 2009. “We are thrilled to see the subject field that was sorely needed in Slovakia deliver the best additions to the workforce straight from our school desks to the market. We’re therefore focused on subject matters such as technical facilities of logistics, transport logistics and trade geography,” pointed out the director of the school Jozef Jurica.
