AmCham has played a vital role in promoting rule of law, innovation ecosystem and business-academic cooperation. We also have developed a strong presence in the regions of Slovakia with approx. 70 member companies with operations throughout the country. We strive for a positive change in the regions not only by helping transform industries through innovation, but also by highlighting the importance of untapped potential hidden in the triple helix ecosystem. So how do we merge almost 15 years of education programs delivery experience with our fostered efforts in the regions?
Human capital development is a key asset for regional citizen-centric and employer-centric concept of public municipal services. Many CEE countries, including Slovakia, now harness efforts towards developing skills of their regional authorities, relying on the involvement of actors at a local level and fully considering the necessity to provide citizens and employers with high value-added services. In Slovakia, the level of regional development is unevenly spread across the country: Bratislava and Košice drive growth, while other regions, less favored for geographical or historical reasons, lag behind. Such imbalances can have direct social and economic consequences, including severe brain drain, lack of career opportunities and low value investment opportunities. Inevitably, regional actors will only actively engage in skills development processes if they recognize that gaps in skillset are an impediment to the economic growth of their region and if they find an enabling environment.
With the effective helping hand from our partners at the Embassy of the U.S.A. in the last quarter of 2021, AmCham was proud to introduce the brand-new Entrepreneurial Municipality - a soft skills training and development program for representatives of municipalities, self-governing regions, and regional authorities. Inspired by 11+ years of experience with the flagship training series Train the Trainer, its main goal is to develop their “skillset of the 21st century” and provide a continuous support on their transformative journey. The pivotal target group embraced ten employees of the “Catching-up regions” department at the Banská Bystrica self-governing region successfully completing four onsite professional soft skills training sessions (problem solving & decision making; professional communication; networking skills & relationship building; creativity & flexibility) delivered by trainers associated within AmCham. Allowing for an intensified public-private exchange of best practices and skills development process, the impact of the program will be determined by a broader range of innovative services for citizens and employers in Banská Bystrica region offered within one calendar year upon completion of the program.
Peter Rusiňák, Senior Policy Manager, AmCham Slovakia
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