2012: Year of Education

Business Idea of the Year (Podnikateľský nápad roka)
 
Young Entrepreneurs Association of Slovakia together with partners announces a contest for young active people with innovative ideas, aged 18 to 35, called Business idea of the year (Podnikateľský nápad roka).

Young entrepreneurs lack experience in running business and making it successful. Most of all, they experience problems with financial management, business plan creation or marketing issues. In spite of that, successful companies, organizations and businessmen try to help young entrepreneurs grow. They realize that there is a need to bond existing entrepreneurs with future ones. These potential entrepreneurs are going to be partners of existing ones in the future. That is what drives the economy forward.

In order to solve some of these problems of potential businesses, Young Entrepreneurs Association of Slovakia announces a contest called Business Idea of the Year. Main purpose of Business Idea of the Year is to award best business ideas and guide them to a successful realization. It is organized with a support of current successful companies. Together they try to change innovative ideas into prosperous businesses. They lend a helping hand to ideas with their own business activities. Young entrepreneurs often do not have experience in all of the fields, which are needed to run a successful business. Prizes, which can be won, are tailored for the needs of starting businesses.  The winning idea must be innovative, original and real.

In 2012 the deadline for applications is 31th May. The most innovative and real idea can win a marketing campaign, bizniscoachig and advisory. These services will be provided by the market leaders. The marketing campaign will be created by the Agency of the year – Wiktor Leo Burnett and promoted by the biggest media house – Ringier Axel Springer, Fun Radio and out of home advertising company – Akzent Media. Consulting services will be provided by Deloitte.

More information at www.podnikatelskynapadroka.sk.

Relevant document: http://www.podnikatelskynapadroka.sk/others/articles/7036335547_letak.pdf

Slovak Telekom is aware of the need to cooperate with universities, schools and students.  Company tries   to supplement their theoretical knowledge acquired in school with practical experiences from Slovakia’s biggest multimedia operator and member of strong international group. For this purpose Telekom offers different student programs.   Student´s programs are an excellent opportunity for development and building network with the company. Company offers following programs:

• Super-Internship in Telekom for university students to gain work experience and training
• Diploma thesis in Telekom
• One year student internship for selected secondary school students
• Conference „Telekom Day“ about new trends in ICT for technical university students

To get more information about particular programs please visit company’s corporate web site at  http://www.slovaktelekom.sk/?studenti  An virtual student club can be found at studentclub@telekom.sk email address and further information are also available via social media networks at www.facebook.com/telekom.sk.

Slovak Telekom also organizes regular lectures on universities in Bratislava, Žilina and Košice. Lectures are focused on info-communication technologies and marketing.

Company strongly cooperates with secondary vocational schools, as it cares about their level. Slovak Telekom contributes to the development of teacher scheme on secondary schools with focus on telecommunication.  The goal is to participate on the education of future professionals prepared for dynamic work within area of info-communication technologies. Telekom’s employees also participate on product trainings designed for teachers with aim to increase their expertise.

Students and their teacher are also welcomed to join Slovak Telekom for excursions/visits. It is a unique opportunity to become familiar with the latest technology devices and their usage in practice. The most favorite excursion destinations are   the modern premises of Call Center in Žilina and Košice and Technical Training Center in Bratislava. Slovak Telekom actively participates on activities coordinated by The American Chamber of Commerce in Slovakia such as "HR in Practice" at EUBA, QSI Career Day, Train the trainer. Through personal contact during all activities and programs, Slovak Telekom tries to bring  its advanced technology and corporate culture nearer to students of secondary schools and universities,  company’s  potential colleagues or customers.

Dell finance program offers to all succesful students and graduates to see and learn new practical things from various finance departments. There is rotation program running in different financial segments in each level of our finance program. Employee has an opportunity to see real business globally and works in conditions prepared to achive career success rapidly. Student/graduate can consult his/her career with mentor, set up individual development plan and except daily work to coopearte with other teams to run interesting work and not-work (voluntaree and training activities) projects as well.

More information available at: http://content.dell.com/sk/sk/corp/career-development-programs.aspx

Documents to download:

• Finance Internship ( here)
  
• Finance Graduate Program ( here)

The Project Business Schoolgames represents an innovative and playful approach to the educational process. Its objective is to make students more interested in learning via experience, to develop their entrepreneurial skills, economic thinking and financial literacy.

The Business Master board game is a modern educational tool created especially for purposes of teaching entrepreneurial education and subjects related to economics. The Business Master board game combines the principles of games such as Monopoly and Millionaire. The students establish well-known companies (e.g. TNT, Trenkwalder, Danone...); they invest in these and enter the stock market. This is possible only if the players have sufficient knowledge: before making any step (buying a company, investing and transforming it to a stock company) they have to answer correctly a question related to lessons learned in school.  The player who knows more is the most successful one.

The teachers obtain an attractive and at the same time an up-to-date learning tool for free. The students get more educated through a more amusing form which is closer to practice. 

The companies that represent successful entrepreneurial practice gain targeted and effective advertising and they are also included in the education of their future employees or customers via this innovative method.

Opinions of students
„We play and learn. This way it is more interesting, and we remember more of it.“ (Katka Vicová, 18 years old, Bratislava)

„It´s a motivating and fun way to teach students some English economic terminology. Basically, it´s an excellent idea. There should have been something like that for a long time.“ (Matúš Kopalko, 17 years old, Prešov)

„Thanks to this game, I have learned a lot of new economic information which I will remember for a long time. The game contains lots of useful stuff that can be applied in school, as well as in practice. It enhances our business skills.“ (Monika Kubisová, 17 years old, Stará Ľubovňa)

„Students improve their business thinking and use what they have learned so far at school. They experience situations in which property and money is at stake, in practice.  And they even improve their language skills. It is more challenging, therefore more interesting.“   (Monika Molnárová, 17 years old, Levice)

Opinions of teachers
„There´s a completely different atmosphere during the lesson, the students are playful and competitive. It allows them to test the existing and acquire new knowledge.“ (J. Vyšňovská, Prešov)

„The game consolidates knowledge, teaches competitiveness, and at the same time it´s a break from using the PC for the students “ (D. Skladanová, Levice)

„It´s a fun way to learn, it entertains and teaches something even students who are immune to learning. By repeating the questions and answers, students are inadvertently drawn into the fields of economy, management and marketing. Especially English was the magnet for some, as they have encountered business English for the first time.“ (K. Lohyňová, Bratislava)

„Students get familiar with up-to-date information, real companies, their problems...and the learning takes place in a playful, not forced way. In addition to that, they improve their foreign language skills which is exceedingly important for their further studies.“  (R. Knapík, Stará Ľubovňa)

The negative trends in Slovak Education system, prompted our company to actively participate in school promotional activities to improve the attendance situation vocational technical high schools and thus prepare potential employees for our company.

To promote vocational technical schools USSK undertakes marketing promotion of the vocational technical high schools, throughout the year. This agenda involves:

• Promotional visits at all local Elementary schools
• Participation on elementary school PA meetings with parents
• Organization of Open days
• Meetings with Career Advisors and School directors from all local elementary schools.
• Participation on Job fairs (Labor Office, Local municipality, AmCham)

U. S. Steel Košice also offers a wide range of support for everyday education and training at vocational schools, furnishing Training centers with new facilities, providing training equipment and material, PCs, audio-visual facilities etc.

U.S. Steel Košice provides practical hands-on training for technical high schools students on the premises of USSK under the supervision of selected USSK mentors. This training focuses mainly on the most needed job positions reflecting requests from company production departments.

These activities help improving the vocational schools popularity in their effort to sustain the number of attending students. On the other hand, U. S. Steel Košice benefits from wider range of potential job candidates.

The SAF Professional Internship Program brings recent college and graduate school students to the United States for a six-month or year-long internship of practical training at U.S. companies and organizations. The program is all-inclusive and allows participants to create their own career-defining success through hands-on learning experience in custom-sourced internship placements. Internships are arranged individually and focus on the participants’ career objectives.

The programs of the Slovak-American Foundation are managed by CIEE: Council on International Educational Exchange. Application deadline: April 15, 2012, decision notifications by June 15, 2012. Successful applicants depart in the fall of 2012.

More information available at: wwww.SlovakAmericanFoundation.org

Additional Information on program: here

Kati Szalay, SAF Recruitment Coordinator, SAF Regional Office
CIEE Exchanges Inc. Kereskedelmi Képviselete Andrássy út 61., I/5.
Budapest 1062 Hungary, phone: +421 915 613 802
email: kszalay@slovakamericanfoundation.org

On March 22, 2012 the InfoUSA Košice were filled with students, successful CEOs and a friendly business atmosphere. CSI Leasing and AmCham hosted the first Mentor Network Program in Košice which provided an opportunity for 40 students from the Technical University of Košice, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, University of Security Management in Košice, University of Prešov and University of Economics in Bratislava-Faculty of Business Administration in Košice to meet with CEOs and high representatives of the top companies in Slovakia. The reception went on until evening hours and everyone who had a chance to participate was enchanted and felt that very pleasant atmosphere.

Pictures can be found here: http://www.amcham.sk/events/1728_mentor-network-program-in-kosice

On March 20th one hundred fifty secondary (high school) students travelled from QSI for extensive introduction to five significant corporate leaders in Bratislava. CISCO, Dell, PwC, Slovak Telekom and Sheraton Bratislava Hotel welcomed students for a morning program. Representatives from corporate hosts in Human Resources, Management and Production introduced operations, services and facilities for student learning. The visit included career development suggestions as well as thorough discussion of their business model/practices. Students were given significant opportunity for questions and investigation. The day was planned by AMCHAM coordinator Natalia Poliakova and Director Britt Brantley as a companion to the rigorous IB and AP studies in all disciplines the students have engaged in QSIB.

Follow QSIB: www.bratislava.qsischool.org

Building on the success of e-Skills Week 2010, the DG for Enterprise and Industry has again teamed up with DIGITAL EUROPE and European Schoolnet, to drive awareness of the need for e-skills and their benefits. Technology skills are vital to help drive a competitive and innovative Europe. The European e-Skills Week 2012 campaign highlights the growing need for skilled ICT users and professionals, as well as the range of opportunities that ICT-related jobs present.  

Check the Slovak website for eSkills Week: http://www.eskills.sk/

For more information, please visit: http://eskills-week.ec.europa.eu/web/guest

Free evening lectures (every Wednesday 18:00 – 20:00 in Maxman Consultants, Gajova 4)
Open to public (everyone is welcome regardless age, gender or race).

Participants will learn how to efficiently manage their time (and also their money) how to communicate, present, influence others, negotiate. They will gain insights into business, HR, sales and much much more.

Lecturers
All speakers are people from real business (no scholars) – managers, leaders, entrepreneurs, consultants…
…willing to share their unique know-how and experience and provide participants with real life stories and business case studies.

The main Principle
Every person involved in Maxman University is offering their help and advice free of charge (we have no grants, sponsors or EU donations) the main reason we are doing it is LOVE to management, psychology and education.

Check the videos from their lectures at:

• www.maxman-consultants.com
  

The American Chamber of Commerce in Slovakia fostered and supported the cooperation between Neulogy and Consulting and Development Centre (PRC), Faculty of Management at Comenius University. The agreement between Neulogy and PRC has resulted in strong partnership support, educational activities, trainings, expert counseling, advisory and mentoring.  The American Chamber of Commerce in Slovakia welcomes this mutually beneficial cooperation and agrees to monitor the effectiveness of such collaboration for the next two years.

For more information click here:  www.neulogy.com/o-nas/clanok/neulogy-rozvija-studentov-fakulty-managementu-uk

Document to download:

• Memorandum of Cooperation
  

• "What I take away" - Dominika Mireková
• "What do I think about HR in practice?" - Juraj Mihal
• "HR in practice – course experience" - Vladimír Kučera
• "Evaluation" - Diana Junasová

• Record of MoU Ceremony
• Memorandum of Understanding