Job opportunity: Apply for the Office Manager position!

The ICT Cortex cluster was founded with the idea of creating new business opportunities and contributing to the digital transformation of Montenegro through synergistic action, cooperation with our member companies, and presenting our country as an important destination for IT investments. Our executive office communicates daily with members of 31 member companies, but also with representatives of public institutions, to create new values in the fields of technology, internationalization, talent development, and innovation. That is why we are always looking for great people who can bring new energy to our team, making us even better and more efficient! Who are we looking for? Reinforcement in the position of Office Manager! What do we expect from you? That you have experience working in similar jobs That precision and organization are the rule in your work, not the exception Responsible approach to work Good communication skills Willingness to adapt in case of unforeseen circumstances Initiative in work Openness to new ideas. What will your job be? Communicating with the executive office team, member companies, and of course – accounting Mastery of financial tracking software Preparation of financial reports Assisting all team members in performing administrative tasks Invoice management as an aid to the accounting department Office work. We offer you: Dynamic work environment Competitive earnings Opportunities for growth and development – education and certified training Flexible working hours Meal provided at work. Tools we use in our daily functioning: Slack Google Meet JIRA Confluence Google Sheets/Doc/Forms Use the opportunity to become part of the team and contribute innovative ideas to the development of the ICT Cortex cluster, but also the wider community! Send CV to contact@ictcortex.me Deadline for applications 15th of May 2022. We are waiting for you!

ICT Cortex signed Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports

Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Prof. Ph.D. Vesna Bratić and the Chief project officer in the ICT Cortex, Ferida Mandić, signed a Memorandum of Understanding today on the premises of the Ministry. On this occasion, Minister Bratić announced that the Strategy for Digitization of the Education System envisages the establishment of cooperation with the economy in order to promote IT occupations, order to encourage students to choose occupations that are promising, which are the needs of the labor market, and which are currently in short supply, as well as cooperation on the development and improvement of the digital competence of students and teachers. “The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports and the cluster of IT companies, ICT Cortex, defines cooperation in these fields. More precisely, this memorandum defines cooperation with secondary vocational schools in which the educational program Electrical Technician for the development of mobile and web applications or other educational programs in the field of IT is implemented; cooperation with secondary vocational schools in the form of organization of practical classes at the employer for students and training at the employer for teachers; cooperation with schools dealing with general secondary education in the field of student and teacher education; organization of competitions in the field of information and communication technologies in cooperation with competent institutions, the Center for Vocational Education and the Examination Center; promotion of qualifications, typical occupations and career opportunities in the field of IT among elementary and high school students; raising awareness of the needs and possibilities of education in the field of IT; creation of self-guided programming courses for the “Digital School”; creation of programs in the field of IT for professional training of teachers, as well as cooperation during the celebration of the International Day of Safe Internet and the International Day of Girls in IT”, Minister Bratić explained. The director of projects in the ICT Cortex cluster, Ferida Mandić, stated that the Cortex Academy is currently the most important project of the ICT Cortex cluster and that it represents the largest ICT education program in Montenegro. She pointed out that the courses are intended for different categories of participants, with an emphasis on young people, students, and high school students, and that for the first cycle of the Cortex Academy, as many as 1,292 applications were received, while the training started in February. “What makes us very happy is that there was great interest from high school students, especially from 6 municipalities: Bijelo Polje, Berane, Nikšić, Pljevlja, Rožaje, and Podgorica. We have 300 students from 10 schools who are now attending courses to acquire theoretical knowledge, and then they will do internships in one of the 13 member companies of ICT Cortex. That is why we are extremely glad to have signed this agreement with the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, through which we will jointly implement activities within the Cortex Academy project, but also on all other projects in the field of education, over the next five years, all with the aim of that educational programs follow the needs of the labor market”, said Mandić.

ICT Cortex gathered the ICT community for the biggest informal meeting so far

Podgorica, PR press service – ICT Cortex begins the establishment of professional committees, which will strengthen the community through the association of experts from both cluster member companies and from numerous areas related to ICT. This was announced at the event marking the successful year of existence as well as the launch of professional committees, which was attended by over 150 representatives of the IT community from 29 member companies of ICT Cortex, as well as partners and associates of the organization. Milena Aković, coordinator of the professional committees, in front of ICT Cortex, said that in the previous year, the cluster managed to connect the economy, the academic community, and institutions and that it signed a contract with the state worth one million euros. “We received funds for internationalization and education. We have become members of numerous professional bodies. We secured a grant worth half a million euros for equipping the Vaso Aligrudić School of Electrical Engineering. We increased the number of members from 11 to 29. We launched numerous initiatives that we are particularly proud of, and which we will continue this year as well,” Aković said. It is planned, as she announced, to establish eight professional committees. “The goal of the board is to connect middle and top management, to act on the community, strengthen capacities within companies, but also to promote the profession. The first board we started is the board for HR and education, which consists of 12 members from IT member companies. In order to be a fully inclusive association, we will organize various focus groups and involve many of you to give your contribution”, said Aković. After the committee for HR and education, a committee for sales and internationalization will be established, followed by a committee for the empowerment of women in ICT. “What we plan to achieve with the boards is joint strengthening, launching of ideas and initiatives and to show through that segment that we can only do more with united forces.” – concluded Aković The president of the board for HR and education, Jelena Janković from the company Amplitudo, said that the goal is to create the best possible environment for all people working in the IT industry, to find all the problems that exist in the market and “to try to fix it”. Also, Janković expressed her hope that the gathering of employees from all member companies of the cluster will continue, and that there will be more similar gatherings. The sponsor of the event was Crnogorski Telekom, and the official part was followed by a party of the IT community with the Ribnica band, which was also supported by sponsors: Nikšićko beer, Red Bull, Coca-Cola, and G3 Spirits.

ICT Cortex is a true example of synergy

Podgorica, PR press service – ICT Cortex is a real example of synergy and shows that it is a strong sector, which is moving on an upward trajectory and which is well worth investing in, it was announced at the ceremony marking the first year of operation of that cluster. The president of the cluster assembly, Nenad Novović, said that a lot had been achieved in a very short time. “The professional association of companies in Montenegro is not that common, but in this case, I think it turned out very naturally,” said Novović. He presented the honorary accession to the cluster to the representative of the Ministry of Economic Development, Marijeta Barjaktarović Lanzardi. The President of the Management Board of the cluster, Sanja Gardašević, said that more than a year ago, the pieces of what is today ICT Cortex began to fall into place and that work is being done to achieve the six goals that 11 companies gathered a year ago. “First of all, we wanted to establish a professional inclusive organization, to implement education programs for both new and existing staff and to find a way to keep the existing staff, to work on the internationalization and strengthening of the potential of our products, to strengthen the innovation and competitiveness of the cluster members themselves, to influence the digital transformation of society and to implement programs of socially responsible business”, said Gardašević. “We signed a memorandum on cooperation with the Central Bank of Montenegro, we also achieved cooperation with the Capital of Montenegro, we connected with numerous organizations, universities, schools and business associations,” Gardašević pointed out. She also stated that an internship was conducted for high school students with the Vaso Aligrudić School of Electrical Engineering, and training was also organized for employed members of the association. “The crown of our work in the field of education is the Cortex Academy, which managed to unite all the education programs of the cluster members and provide an additional online form of education in five areas. We are extremely glad that we had 1,292 applications, which speaks of the great need for a program of this type and the great impact we can achieve through projects like this,” explained Gardašević. ICT Cortex today, as she said, has 29 members, and they have over 600 employees. “We estimate that the export of member companies participates in about 18 percent of the total export of goods of Montenegro for the year 2021. It is a strong sector, which moves on an upward trajectory. Total revenues have almost doubled over two years. We see that profits have increased, that exports have almost tripled, and that the number of employees is constantly growing, which all shows that this sector is very much worth investing in,” Garadšević pointed out. The executive director of the cluster, Tarik Zaimović, said that he is particularly proud because ICT Cortex is a true example of synergy. “We managed to connect directors and owners of companies very well. What we did not succeed in, and what was not even possible for the year, was to connect the people who carry the work. That is our plan for this year. We intend to open three committees, namely the Committee for Human Resources and Education, the Committee for Internationalization and Sales, and the Committee for the Empowerment of Women in IT,” said Zaimović. One of the capital projects, as he added, is a project to provide housing for 120 IT families, and the intention is to retain the best IT staff with this program, to provide them with savings of up to 45 percent for solving the housing issue, buying an apartment. “Also, we received a serious grant for half a million euros, which was earmarked for equipment at the Vaso Aligrudić School. We intend to do the second phase of infrastructural equipping of schools and we will decide that for Nikšić and Bijelo Polje. For this year, we intend to educate 300 high school students. We do that in six municipalities. At the same time, we train 15 professors and educate an additional 250 participants, who are young people and students, who are trained in member companies. The goal is to have 80 junior staff produced, of whom we will most likely hire,” said Zaimović. The plan, as he announced, is to visit Eastern, and Western Europe, and America in the coming period, all to find new jobs, and partners, open representative offices in Montenegro and increase exports. “This year, we intend to apply for a large tender and unite a large force of the best companies in Montenegro. Together with the Central Bank of Montenegro, we plan to organize the second Fintech conference and Hackathon. We are making plans with the Central Bank of Montenegro so that this year the Hackathon will be on an even bigger, regional level, and there will be a significantly larger fund for the best team and idea for the development of Fintech”, said Zaimović. The director of the Foundation “Čini dobro”, Aleksandra Bošković, said that “Čini dobro”, a non-profit association founded by ICT Cortex, aims to empower young people, invest in education, help with healthy innovative ideas and contribute to the digitization of society. “I am proud that throughout last year and 2020, we focused our work on the local community and on the segments of society that needed it the most. In the coming period, the Foundation will be mostly focused on education and will provide support to ICT Cortex in all the projects it will lead,” said Bošković. As she stated, the target groups are talented pupils and students, employees of the Foundation’s members, educational institutions, and organizations. “In the previous year and a half, we donated over 80 thousand euros, launched the website cinidobro.me, and increased the membership by three new members. We helped socially disadvantaged families and donated over 50 thousand euros. We reached almost 200 families, and we helped in the distribution of school equipment, textbooks, clothes,

An additional 200 thousand euros to support the development of the IT industry

The Ministry of Economic Development provided additional funds of 200,000 euros to support the ICT Cortex cluster for the segment of internationalization, implementation of educational programs, and mentoring services that will help the sustainability of the cluster. We remind you that at the end of last year, the Agreement on co-financing of the three-year ICT cluster program worth more than a million euros was signed, in which MER and IT companies, members of the Cortex ICT cluster, participate with equal amounts for implementation. This new cycle of support refers precisely to these segments, which represent complementary activities to the current contract. “And this support will contribute to strengthening the IT sector and creating conditions for the IT sector to become the backbone of the future development of Montenegro and a strong sector that will create leading export products,” said Milatović. “In addition, it will additionally strengthen the global connection of clusters, program activities to strengthen educational programs important for the improvement of digital skills, but also empower the cluster team to think long-term in the direction of self-sustainability,” the minister added. The executive director of ICT Cortex, Tarik Zaimović, expressed his gratitude for the support that the Ministry of Economic Development continuously provides to the ICT Cortex sector and the entire IT industry. “These additional funds will significantly help us to speed up work on all our capital projects, the goal of which is the professional training of young people, students, high school students, and professors,” he pointed out and added that “internationalization will help connect Montenegrin stakeholders and IT companies, which are key for an innovation ecosystem with international partners, organizations and IT companies through which we will upgrade our knowledge and bring new projects and partners to Montenegro”. ICT Cortex also sent an invitation to the Ministry to become a Friend of the Association, which was accepted with satisfaction, emphasizing that in this way stronger cooperation and partnership between the Ministry and the cluster will be achieved and that the Ministry will have the opportunity to get to know the implementation of the cluster’s activities directly. In the past period, the Ministry of Economic Development further strengthened the program direction of the implementation of the Smart Specialization Strategy (S3) through the adoption of the Operational Program for the period 2021-2024, which achieved a synergistic effect with the cluster policy, focusing on a set of new activities that effectively connect this policy with S3. In this sense, the special focus is on strengthening the activities of ICT clusters, intending to increase the productivity and competitiveness of domestic companies and entrepreneurs by connecting them into clusters, as well as strengthening the cooperation of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs with scientific research organizations.

The Kingdom of Norway supported the ICT Cortex cluster project – “StepUp with Cortex”

Five projects aimed at increasing the competitiveness of small businesses in Montenegro through their transformation, among which the ICT Cortex cluster project – StepUp with Cortex, are supported by the Kingdom of Norway through the project “Norway for you – Montenegro”, which is implemented by UNOPS in partnership with UNDP. The “StepUp with Cortex” project, which the ICT Cortex cluster implements in cooperation with the Capital City of Podgorica, will be aimed at improvement and education in the field of business skills, in order to improve the competitiveness of our companies through strengthening the skills of employees. The companies that will participate in this project are Alicorn, Amplitudo, Archimede, Bild, Codepixel, Codeus, Data Design, DigitalBee, Fleka, Logate, Omnitech, and Oykos Development. “We will use the received donation in the amount of 50,000 dollars to strengthen the skills of over 100 employees in the members of the ICT Cortex cluster. The focus of the training will be on the development of knowledge and competencies in the areas of business communication, project management, sales, finance, and leadership. The IT sector and the segment of small and medium-sized enterprises form a pillar of the economic development of Montenegro, and we consider the capital city a very important partner for the development of the business environment and the creation of an innovative ecosystem”, said the director of the ICT Cortex project office, Ferida Mandić. “This project is a confirmation that by working together with the ICT cluster, we can improve the business environment for IT companies in the territory of Podgorica, where the conditions are created for them to develop innovative products from our city and place them on the international market,” added the director of CIS in the capital, Džemal Lekić. The project “Norway for you – Montenegro” will support entities that provide support for the development of small businesses in cooperation with municipalities, which will improve the operations of at least 70 small businesses, through the improvement of marketing and negotiation skills, the introduction of innovative approaches in the technological process, the improvement of business communication, project management, finance and leadership, the introduction of digitization, as well as the promotion of best practices for quality, safety and trust in the production of small businesses through the implementation of relevant ISO standards.

Solving the problem of lack of personnel in the ICT industry through cooperation

Montenegro lacks about 500 IT experts and it is necessary, with the cooperation of the state, the education system, and the economy, to develop that staff, because information and communication technologies are an exceptional development opportunity for the state and society. This was announced by the representatives of the Ministry of Public Administration, Digital Society and Media, the University of Montenegro, and ICT Cortex, who today signed the Agreement on Cooperation on the Implementation of Education Programs and Projects in the IT Sector. The Minister of Public Administration, Digital Society and Media, Tamara Srzentić, said that the lack of qualified staff in the ICT industry is one of the main threats to successful digitization in our country. “It is estimated that Montenegro lacks about 500 IT experts at the moment, while in Europe this number has reached one million, and therefore it must be addressed from the point of view of formal and informal education. With this project, we plan to establish educational modules following the needs of the market and the IT industry and enable their successful implementation. Our ultimate goal is to build a regional center of excellence for the improvement of digital skills, and we believe that this is only possible if the academic private and public sectors join forces,” said Srzentić. The Rector of the University of Montenegro, Vladimir Božović, said that the meaning of the signed Agreement is exceptional, primarily in terms of how the European Union sees the third dimension of the University in terms of innovation and development. “All the more, I am glad that ICT Cortex, as a leading cluster group in the domain of information and communication technologies, recognized the University as that base. To develop the entire sector, to develop information and communication technologies, we need to develop staff, and the University is called upon first when it comes to that. Through the concepts elaborated in this Agreement, we will certainly continue to do so for the benefit of not only the three entities, which at this moment have found a common interest but for the benefit of the entire society,” said Božović. He believes that the development of information and communication technologies is an exceptional development opportunity for the country, and the University, as he added, is a pillar of that development. The executive director of ICT Cortex, Tarik Zaimović, pointed out that the IT industry has had a systemic problem with personnel for a long time. “In the last few years, various representative offices of foreign companies have started to open here. We believe that this industry has the potential to employ several thousand people in the next three to four years. We believe that the IT industry should be one of the pillars of industries, such as tourism and agriculture,” said Zaimović. According to him, the IT sector currently accounts for about 3.5 percent of GDP, and in the total amount for this year, it will contribute about 20 percent. “But we cannot support this exponential growth without staff. We believe that the University of Montenegro is the right partner for the implementation of this project, and the support of the state is also very important. Problems should be solved systemically. This is one of how we can permanently and systematically solve the staffing problem, not completely because it is not possible, but our goal is to produce as many staff as possible and to keep that stuff in Montenegro, as well as to increase the quality of education. This is a real example of how the state, the education system, and the economy should cooperate, and we will do everything to support this project. We have a very ambitious vision which, we hope, will result in concrete results,” said Zaimović.

MeetUp vol 7: Business talks with Oracle International

We are organizing Cortex meetup Vol 7 this Thursday, January 20, starting at 6 p.m. This year’s first edition of the meetup is reserved for our friends from Oracle International: Julij Bozic, ROMASL Cloud director Oracle  Jovana Vidakovic, CX senior sales executive Oracle  Robert Korosec, Account Cloud Engineer Oracle  Nihad Velagic, Managing director Core doo  Amar Dedovic, Tech Cloud Senior sales executive Oracle  The topics they will talk about, which can certainly be interesting to you, are: Cloud Infrastructure Intelligence Advisor Customer Experience the potential of cooperation with Montenegrin IT companies If you are interested in following the event online, register with the link. For additional information, please feel free to contact us by email: contact@ictcortex.me

Applications for Cortex academy are closed!

At exactly midnight, applications for the largest education program in the field of ICT in Montenegro were closed, with a total number of applications – 1,292. The Cortex Academy combined all the education programs of the members of the ICT Cortex cluster, and at the same time provided an additional, online form of education in five areas: programming, project management, software testing, marketing, and design. Considering a large number of applications and the different motives of Cortex Academy participants, in the next step the following groups will be distinguished: Participants of the Cortex Academy in ICT Cortex member companies Educators: Alicorn, Amplitudo, Bild studio, Coinis, Codeus, Codepixel, Data Design, Digital Bee, Logate Academy, Oykos, Omnitech, Optimus Smart Academy, Sky Sat In January, this group of participants is expected to have interviews and/or a selection task at the company that conducts the course in question. The start of education is planned for February 2022. Participants of online courses SEEKING EMPLOYMENT in the field of programming (students and seniors) This group refers to candidates seeking employment in the field of programming. After completing the online training and the selection project, which is necessary to do, candidates have the possibility of employment in companies that are members of ICT Cortex. The deadline for listening to the online course is from January to May. The first condition is to successfully meet the conditions imposed by the course itself. At the end of the course listening period, in May, these candidates will receive a practical task, the successful completion of which will be the ticket to work in companies. Participants of online courses WITHOUT SEARCHING FOR EMPLOYMENT in the field of programming (students and seniors) This group refers to participants who applied for courses in the field of programming to retrain or upgrade, without looking for employment in the field of programming. The group also applies to participants who have applied for courses in other fields: project management, design, software testing and marketing, regardless of whether they are looking for employment in those fields or not. These participants are expected to conscientiously use the opportunity for additional education and fulfill the conditions required by the courses themselves. No additional tasks by ICT Cortex. High school students applying for the Cortex internship: Let’s do IT! For these candidates, the primary online course is the Complete PHP From Scratch Course for Beginners, which is taken from January to March, followed by the first elimination test (March 2022). From March to May, candidates take the next course Object Oriented PHP and MVC, followed by the second elimination test (May 2022). If both tests are passed successfully, the candidates are followed by an eight-week internship in ICT Cortex companies. High school students who take courses for their improvement, without applying for Cortex practice These participants are expected to conscientiously use the opportunity for additional education and fulfill the conditions required by the courses themselves. No additional tasks by ICT Cortex. All registered candidates will receive detailed instructions and information on further steps via e-mail notification. Great support in the realization of this project was given by Help Montenegro (through the Reeconomy project), Crnogorski Telekom, and Cortex Fondacija, which are the initiators of the online courses. Certainly, the greatest gratitude goes to the members of ICT Cortex, the educators who opened their doors to all future members of the ICT community, eager to acquire new knowledge! Alicorn, AmplitudO, Bild studio, Coinis, Codeus, Codepixel, Data Design, Digitalnam Academy, Logate, Oykos Development, Ominitech, Optimus Smart Academy, SkySat For support in the realization and successful promotion of the Cortex Academy, ICT Cortex is also very grateful to other partners: the universities of Montenegro, Donja Gorica, Mediteran, the secondary vocational school in Podgorica, secondary vocational schools and gymnasiums in Berane, Bijelo Polje, Nikšić and Pljevlja, as well as and representatives of the Capital City of Podgorica and the municipalities of Berane, Bijelo Polje, Nikšić and Pljevlja, and our honorary member IPC Tehnopolis.

Over a million euros for the development of the IT industry in Montenegro – MER and ICT Cortex signed a contract worth over a million euros

Minister of Economic Development Jakov Milatović, Ministry of Economic Development, signed today the contract on co-financing the ICT Cortex cluster with CEO Tarik Zaimović. ICT Cortex is the winner of the Contest to support the development of the strategic priority of the Smart Specialization Strategy of Montenegro – Information and Communication Technologies. The total amount foreseen for the implementation of the work program of the ICT cluster Cortex for three years amounts to over one million euros. The program will be supported by the Ministry of Economic Development of over 500,000 euros, while the same amount will be contributed by IT companies and members of the cluster.   “In the previous period, the government invested great efforts in creating both an institutional and an appropriate program framework, which together will enable a more adequate involvement of the innovation community in the process of planning and implementation of the innovation policy, but also create preconditions for the continuation of the implementation of smart specialization in Montenegro,” he said. Minister Milatović. “In such a reform-strengthened institutional and programmatic framework for innovation, innovation infrastructures play a special role, and cluster organizations are certainly among them. Aware of your role in the innovation ecosystem, we decided on targeted support that represents the initial impulse of your further growth and development,” the minister said. “I am particularly pleased to be here today and to have the opportunity to support the ICT Cortex program. I am happy that ICT Cortex is already operational, that it has received support through several projects, has a development strategy, and is slowly positioning itself as a niche of technology companies, which further encourages the Ministry that this story will be successful and that during the period of cooperation on this program to open up other numerous opportunities for cooperation”, said the minister. On that occasion, he said that the Government will continue to work on improving the framework and ecosystem that is necessary for providing digital innovations in industry and education, and that he sees ICT Cortex not only as a user of one of the programs but also as a credible partner in the creation of Government policies. The State Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Development, Milena Lipovina-Božović, said that this sector is the easiest because there are no inherited problems, but also the most challenging. After all, it is at the very beginning and a lot of effort is needed from all actors in the community to feel significant progress. “These are processes that require a lot of time and the results cannot be seen in such a short time,” said Lipovina-Božović. When it comes to that innovation ecosystem, the Government wanted to strongly support the innovation community with the funds it allocated for the Innovation Fund of EUR 1 million. “We see this story with ICT Cortex as something that will give additional strength and incentive to make everything we envision happen much faster and with better quality in the coming period,” said Lipovina-Božović. According to her, the benefits of the program relate to the strengthening of the administrative capacities of the cluster organization, education programs that will include the strengthening of digital skills, participation in the strengthening of an innovation culture, and the creation of partnerships. The executive director of the ICT Cortex cluster welcomed those present and expressed his gratitude that MER made an important step towards the creation of an innovation ecosystem that will be based on the synergy of public-private partnerships. “I think that the innovation community should be the main engine of the development of our economy and that it is our most valuable resource. I believe that every euro invested in knowledge, technological development, innovation, and young and capable people will be returned many times over,” said Tarik Zaimović, executive director of the ICT Cortex cluster. The president of the ICT Cortex assembly presented the results of the cluster, which gathered around four main goals: education, internationalization of business through increased exports, digitization of CG society, and philanthropy through the establishment of the Cortex Foundation. “We are looking forward to the opportunity to open a new chapter through cooperation with the state by signing today’s contract. Concrete results have already been achieved by doubling the membership, establishing the Foundation, tangible help in digitization processes, as well as the launch of the large Cortex Academy.” – said Nenad Novović, president of the ICT Cortex assembly. ICT Cortex was founded by the innovative IT community in March 2021, to be a leader in the digital transformation of the economy and public administration, and to improve the framework and ecosystem necessary to provide digital innovations in industry and education. The association will contribute to the strengthening of the IT sector and the creation of conditions for the IT sector to become the backbone of the future development of Montenegro and a strong economic activity that will create the country’s leading export products.

Non-refundable funds for the reconstruction and equipping of High School  “Vaso Aligrudić”

The Regional Challenge Fund support program is aimed at strengthening the relevance of professional education and training on the labor market by financing investments in equipment and infrastructure for training providers who are involved in cooperative or dual education and training activities with partner companies. The fund was created at the initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, delegated to the KfW Development Bank, and is implemented by the Chamber Investment Forum of the Western Balkans as the main implementation partner, which represents a joint initiative of the Chambers of Commerce of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Out of a total of 205 registered projects from six countries of the Western Balkans at the first call of this fund, 23 of the most successful were proposed for financing, of which only one consortium from Montenegro was successful and received the support of the fund for implementation. It is a project of the Job booster – VET4all consortium, which consists of ETŠ “Vaso Aligrudić”, as a leading partner, IT companies, members of the ICT Cortex cluster (Bild studio, Amplitudo, Data design, Alicorn) as well as the company Mountaineering. “It was with great pleasure that we received the news about the acceptance of our project! The implementation of this project involves the complete reconstruction of the existing classrooms of our school as part of the common rooms with the mechanical school, the acquisition of new laboratory equipment as well as the equipment necessary for the implementation of practical classes in the educational programs Electronic Communication Infrastructure Installer, Electronic Communications Electrical Technician and Web and Mobile Application Development Electrical Technician. In addition to this, a very important segment of the project implementation is the cooperation with the members of our consortium, which includes the implementation of practical classes at the employer for a total of 86 students, as well as the implementation of the necessary training for our teaching staff, as well as instructors, mentors from the company.” – announced Marina Braletić, project coordinator on behalf of ETŠ “Vaso Aligrudić” For the representatives of ICT cluster Cortex, who participated in writing this project, this is a significant success and a confirmation that they are moving towards the achievement of one of the main goals – the improvement of the Montenegrin educational system in the field of ICT. “We believe that with the project we have fully responded to the goal of the call, which is to improve the employability of young people, strengthen the quality of professional education and provide relevant training. With this project, as well as the umbrella education program within the Cortex Academy, we continue to “plant the seeds for a better IT future” and achieve one of the main goals of the Cortex ICT cluster” – added Ferida Mandić, director of the project department of the ICT Cortex cluster, whose members are IT consortium partner companies. Reconstruction of classrooms, equipping them with state-of-the-art equipment, will be accompanied by the improvement of the teaching program through the introduction of mandatory practical classes in the companies that are members of the consortium. In addition to students, a large number of teaching staff will be involved, which will affect the quality of teaching even after three years of the project. RCF supports the establishment of consortia between vocational education and training institutions and companies for the implementation of cooperative education and training programs through the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding. To be acceptable, project partners must be ready to engage in joint training activities to train participants based on qualification standards and/or occupational standards that correspond to labor market demand. The financial support that will be provided by the RCF for the implementation of this project is half a million euros, and the start of the implementation of the project will be in 2022. It is important to note that all funds will be directed to the modernization and equipping of the school, while the members of the consortium will provide mentoring for students, to help students acquire skills aligned with the needs of the labor marke

Udružene IT kompanije pokreću talas promjena: uz ICT Cortex do digitalne Crne Gore

Inovativna zajednica osniva ICT Cortex – udruženje za informacione tehnologije, inovacije, edukaciju, dizajn i tehnološki razvoj Crne Gore. Predstavnici crnogorske IT zajednice koja zapošljava 50% kadrova u IT sektoru i generiše 10% ukupnog izvoza Crne Gore (Alicorn, Amplitudo, Bild Studio, Codeus, Codingo, Coinis, Data Design, Dev Club, Fleka, Logate, Oykos Development) održali su danas osnivačku skupštinu za formiranje udruženja ICT Cortex. ICT Cortex ima za cilj da bude predvodnik u digitalnoj transformaciji privrede i javne uprave, te da unaprijedi okvir i ekosistem koji je neophodan za obezbjeđivanje digitalnih inovacija u industriji i obrazovanju. Udruženje će doprinijeti jačanju IT sektora i stvaranju uslova da IT sektor postane okosnica budućeg razvoja Crne Gore i snažna ekonomska djelatnost koja će kreirati vodeće izvozne proizvode države. Za potrebe ovog projekta, članice osnivači će izdvojiti preko milion eura, a očekuje se i podrška države kroz privatno-javno partnerstvo. Imajući u vidu jedan od glavnih problema IT industrije koji se odnosi na manjak stručnih kadrova, 70% pomenutog budžeta Udruženja biće usmjereno na edukaciju, tj. stvaranje novih i jačanje postojećih kadrova. Kroz programe edukacije Udruženja, planira se stručno osposobljavanje najmanje 200 osoba godišnje, sa ciljem da barem 50% bude zaposleno. Kroz planirane studijske posjete udruženja, cilj je da se stvori partnerska mreža kompanija i investitora koja će generisati dodatni izvoz kroz IT usluge i proizvode. Na osnivačkoj skupštini Udruženja usvojen je Statut i izabrani članovi Upravnog odbora: Nenad Novović (Amplitudo) Sanja Gardašević (Alicorn) Dejan Petković (Coinis) Branimir Bukilić (Data Design) Miloš Milošević (Fleka) Ivica Tatar (Logate) Filip Anđelić (Oykos Development) Za predsjednika Skupštine izabran je  Branimir Bukilić (Data Design), dok je Sanja Gardašević (Alicorn) predsjednica Upravnog odbora.        U naredne tri godine ICT Cortex će voditi Tarik Zaimović, koji je izabran za izvršnog direktora Udruženja. Zaimović je osnivač i direktor kompanije Bild studio sa dugogodišnjim iskustvom u IT industriji, a u njegov timu će biti vrhunski stručnjaci iz oblasti komunikacija, projektnog menadžmenta, edukacije, marketinga i prodaje: Vesna Purić, Tanja Dukić, Ferida Mandić, Valentina Beg Deljanin i Milena Aković.