A panel discussion of Confindustria Serbia, the association of Italian industrialists in the country, was held on 8th March as part of the 24th Kopaonik Business Forum.
Numerous issues were raised during the panel, which focused on mechanisms with which the competent institutions and the economy create conditions for retaining and employing talented youngsters, implementing support measures for vocational training, as well as creating and implementing specific programmes and active policy measures with the aim of encouraging the hiring of young, talented people in Serbia.
The panel’s special guest was Marco Landi, former COO of Apple Inc. and the man who brought Steve Jobs back to Apple in 1996 after the board of directors decided to buy his company “Next”. Speaking during the panel discussion, Landi referred to his many years of experience working with talented youngsters that he manages to keep in Italy by investing jointly with them, creating innovative start-ups and changing traditional mechanisms and ways of doing business.
Confindustria Serbia president Erich Cossutta placed special emphasis on the phenomenon of “exceptional talent returning home” after having studied professionally abroad, and who he believes “represents the new generation that could reshape the future of Serbia”.
Gabrijela Grujic, Advisor to the Serbian Education Minister for dual education, said that obtaining quality education profiles in Serbia would require the linking of educational institutions and representatives of companies.
Continuing with this theme, Cossutta also noted the need to identify and “map” those universities and secondary schools in Serbia that need to move even closer to the business world in order to prevent the “fleeing of brilliant minds”. And precisely in cooperation with advisor Gabrijela Grujic, Confindustria Serbia and Italian businessmen have already launched the project “year of open doors to Italian industry”, the goal of which is to actually establish an active dialogue between the business world, education and local communities.