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Human Capital: Education and Labor

Young Slovak talent needs you

(by Eva Vargova)

At the turn of the years, one tends to evaluate the milestones of the past and set new goals for the upcoming year. Good luck is often emphasized while wishing the ones around us health, happiness, success and fortune. Education does not seem to be a common wish. Are the access to information, tools to gain knowledge, and ability to navigate facts not the most fundamental assets one should have? 

Serious issues, not too seriously…

(by Julian Gerhart)

The online platform Zmudri aims to educate high school students in practical as well as civic subjects through informative but also funny video courses. Thanks to a focus on real life problems and a bold approach it has quickly gained popularity among its target group as well as public recognition (winner of 2018 Social Impact Award and 2019 LEAF Award). We talked to Julian Gerhart, one of the founders.

What should school teach us - through the eyes of a thirteen year old girl

(by Simona Vašáková)

I was born in Brussels and spoke French since childhood. My parents are both Slovak and when I was six years old we moved back to Slovakia. It was an obvious choice to enroll me and my sisters into the French International school in Bratislava. Since it is a private school my point of view might differ from other children in Slovakia.

The what and how of Slovak education system

(by Petra Fridrichová, Stanislav Lukáč)

With the goal of basing their recommendations for a reform of Slovakia’s education system and policies on solid data, the initiative To dá rozum has conducted an extensive survey focused on the critical shortcomings of the current education system. This brief overview presents the findings related to education content and methods.

The evidence based education reform of the Learning Makes Sense initiative

(by Renáta Hall, Stanislav Lukáč)

The quality of the Slovak education system has been continuously deteriorating in international comparisons, as demonstrated by declining results of our students in the OECD PISA tests, and of adults in the PIAAC assessment. Slovak higher education institutions do not place in the international rankings. And the young people keep fleeing Slovakia for better quality higher education abroad. 

Uniting forces to give Slovak education a needed boost

(by Nora Hlozekova)

These past thirty years have given us enormous opportunities in this country. We have become free to move, we can freely express our opinions, we have access to technologies that we could not even have imagined a few years ago. But hand-in-hand with this, there is the burden of civic responsibility, tolerance and respect, carried by the generation born after 1989. 

The taboo called entrepreneurship education

(by Marián Letovanec)

Building entrepreneurship skills is not a top priority for Slovak schools. Most students here wish to be employed rather than run their own company. Just 28% of Europeans say that their formal education made them interested in becoming an entrepreneur. In China, more than 70% of citizens would prefer to be self-employed rather than an employee. This means not only Slovakia, but all of Europe should change its view of entrepreneurship and its importance for the economic wellbeing and growth of the EU. And this can start as early as in kindergarten. 

Strengthening the Transatlantic bond

(by Bridget Brink)

Since her arrival to Slovakia in mid-August of last year, Ambassador Bridget Brink has managed to settle in and get familiar with the local business environment, Slovakia’s most pressing issues and even the country itself, during her travels. In this brief interview she shares her first impressions as well as her key ambitions in the role of the U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia. 

Solve your problems by helping others

(by Miroslav Poliak)

As a family owned company, established in 1952, LVD operates five production facilities around the world and is active in over 46 countries, making it a global player on the sheet metalworking market. The Slovak operation started in 1996 as a joint venture with an existing manufacturing facility in Tornaľa, LVD S2.

What is the cost of termination of employment?

(by Stanislav Durica, Katarina Ottova)

Indeed, it can be a costly endeavor. Labor law legislation imposes various obligations, often resulting in excessive burden on employers in relation to the termination of employment. Is the Slovak Republic as competitive as the Czech Republic and Poland when it comes to the flexibility of employment termination?

Trust is essential for a successful company

(by Mateja Čotar)

When someone asks me what is the most important element of building high performing teams, the first thing I think of is trust. Trust is one of the most substantial values I live by in my personal and professional life. I believe that when you surround yourself with people whom you trust and who trust you, you can achieve the impossible. 

Employer branding is not only about hiring

(by Viktoria Margitova)

Employer branding has been a widely approached topic in the last years. The motivation is pretty self-evident: by implementing proper marketing strategies, companies are aiming at attracting new qualified employees. Still, marketing is not enough. The core of any employer branding communication should be company culture. 

Agility isn´t a new Hollywood diet

(by Peter Benkovič)

Agility is the ability of an organization to renew itself, adapt, change quickly, and succeed in a rapidly changing, ambiguous and turbulent environment. It’s not another fashion trend; it’s not a fleeting buzzword. Sooner or later, all organizations will be under strong pressure to decide whether or not to implement agility and to what extent. 

Data analytics in HR management and its impact on the quality of decision making

(by Stanislava Balušková, Roman Rác)

The cooling of Slovak economy is reflected in a slowdown of key Slovak industries. Confidence in the growth of companies has decreased and cost-cutting initiatives have started to prevail again in business plans in Slovakia and worldwide. 

Humans wanted: Robots need you

(by Zuzana Rumiz)

Our research shows more employers than ever - 87% - plan to increase or maintain headcount as a result of automation for the third consecutive year. Rather than reducing employment opportunities, organizations are investing in digital, shifting tasks to robots and creating new jobs.