First place at the II National Competition for students of Montenegrin secondary vocational schools in electrical engineering, “Energy in the Wire”, and a cash prize of EUR 750 were won by the team from “Mladost” Secondary Mixed School in Tivat. Second place and a cash prize of EUR 600 went to the team from the Secondary Vocational School in Berane, while third place and EUR 450 were won by the team from “Vaso Aligrudić” Secondary Electrical Engineering School in Podgorica. The award for the best school and a laptop went to “Mladost” Secondary Mixed School in Tivat. Prizes of EUR 250 were also provided for the mentors of the winning teams.
Three-member teams from seven educational institutions offering electrical engineering programmes put their knowledge and skills to the test (“Secondary Vocational School in Berane”, “Vaso Aligrudić” Secondary Electrical Engineering School in Podgorica, Secondary Vocational School in Rožaje, Secondary Vocational School in Nikšić, Secondary Vocational School in Pljevlja, Secondary Electro-Economics School in Bijelo Polje and “Mladost” Secondary Mixed School in Tivat).
The awards were presented to the contestants by:
- Bronze medals were presented by Veselin Pićurić, President of the Association of Electrical Engineering Teachers of Montenegro;
- Silver medals were presented by Aleksandra Lalević, Director of the Centre for Vocational Education;
- Gold medals were presented by Sava Ostojić, Adviser to the CEDIS Executive Director;
- The trophy and laptop for the best team were presented by Jelena Damjanović, Head of the Corporate Communications Service – CEDIS.
This is our first competition. We are studying the Energy programme, and we prepared for the competition for a month and a half in total. We are satisfied with our current placing, and hope to continue pursuing this. The practical part was the best for us today, while we got a little stuck on the theoretical part, so we need to work on that a bit – said the students from the second-placed team of the Secondary Vocational School in Berane.
Last year we came second, and this year we came first. I’m glad we did practical work as well as theory, and I’m glad I got to meet people from the Centre for Vocational Education, teachers and other students. We had a great time communicating and socialising, said student David Labović from the winning team of “Mladost” Secondary Mixed School in Tivat.
The third-placed students from “Vaso Aligrudić” Secondary Electrical Engineering School in Podgorica noted that the competition was an ideal opportunity for them to apply their theoretical knowledge in practical work and see how it all works, and to have someone with experience assess their work and give them an objective evaluation of what they had done, as well as point out where they were making mistakes and what they needed to pay attention to. They also praised the fact that CEDIS, as a major company, was involved in organising the competition and supporting students.
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The contestants’ knowledge and skills were evaluated by two three-member expert juries, one for the theoretical part and the other for the practical part of the competition. The task of selecting the best contestants in the theoretical part was entrusted to Sandra Brkanović and Slavica Jovanović from the Centre for Vocational Education, and Melanija Ćalasan from the Association of Electrical Engineering Teachers of Montenegro. The practical part was evaluated by Vladimir Ivanović, Head of CEDIS’s Operations Directorate; Veselin Pićurić, President of the Association of Electrical Engineering Teachers; and Professor Aldin Kajević from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering.
Since last year, the electrical engineering competition “Energy in the Wire” has been included among the official national skills competitions under the remit of the Centre for Vocational Education. This is a strong indication of the quality of the work and the soundness of the idea initiated by CEDIS and the Association of Electrical Engineering Teachers of Montenegro (UNECG) four years ago.
The event was opened by Aleksandra Lalević, Director of the Centre for Vocational Education, Veselin Pićurić, President of the Association of Electrical Engineering Teachers of Montenegro, and Vladimir Ivanović, Head of CEDIS’s Operations Directorate.
Lalević noted that electrical engineering is a dynamic field that continues to expand thanks to advanced technologies, and that the field is certain to expand further in the future and retain its status as a promising career path. When the business sector recognises the importance of its participation in education, as CEDIS has demonstrated year after year, opportunities to improve the entire education system are certainly created. We are proud that CEDIS, as a company, has recognised the value of investing in the development of students’ practical knowledge and skills, with the aim of bringing business and education closer together in the best possible way. I am quite certain that CEDIS’s example of corporate social responsibility will be followed by other organisations and institutions, as well as in other fields.
The “Energy in the Wire” competition is a project we particularly cherish and are especially proud to highlight as one of our best projects supporting Montenegro’s education system. A good education is a ticket to a healthy and fulfilling life. Along with family values, the educational process shapes the individual. When that process proceeds successfully, the entire community benefits. Recognising the importance of education as a prerequisite for the country’s progress and prosperity, the Montenegrin Electricity Distribution System continues to support young people in acquiring practical skills, particularly in the energy sector. Investment in education is an investment in human capital, so this year we once again contributed to organising the “Energy in the Wire” competition. In previous years, we worked hard to ensure the competition was of high quality and recognised by the professional community as the best in this field. Our efforts paid off last year when “Energy in the Wire” was granted national competition status. In other words, we have been recognised as the best, which brings with it even greater significance and responsibility – said Ivanović at the opening of the competition.
Pićurić told the students that he was pleased they had recognised that investing in themselves and in their knowledge, skills and abilities would lead them to the right goal, as they would earn their living through their work in the future. He said he was happy and proud that teams from all Montenegrin schools offering electrical engineering were competing that day, as this would help future generations understand that only through their knowledge and abilities could they secure a future for themselves. He also noted that CEDIS, as a socially responsible company, had recognised that investing in the skills of future professionals was a prerequisite for a secure future.
Competitions such as this provide an excellent example of productive cooperation between the business sector and education, offering students new opportunities, experiences and connections. Collaboration between companies and educational institutions significantly enhances young people’s competencies. We hope that this now traditional national competition will continue in the years to come, and that even more businesses will take part so that our production companies will have access to a skilled workforce in the future.
