On Thursday, June 26th, 2014, the International University of Sarajevo (IUS) has celebrated the beginning of implementation of a two and a half year internship Program entitled "Moja praksa” realized together with the support of a USAID project'' Partnership for Innovation''.
This internship Program gives students the opportunity to work on-real time projects under the mentorship of engineers from local IT companies and communication sectors. The goal is to provide participants with practical knowledge and experience in application of advanced technologies for unemployed young people, all in order to prepare them better for entering the labor market. For 20% of participants of the first cycle, this practice has resulted in an offer of employment, which ultimately is the goal of this internship Program. The first cycle of practices, of the six that are planned, 39 students have successful completed the Program. The students had a three-month internship at the International University of Sarajevo with the help of 12 local IT companies.
"Moja praksa” is innovatively designed internship model that includes specialized trainings, work practice and development of soft skills. The internship Program gives opportunity to young people to acquire new knowledge through practical exercises. In addition, there are numerous benefits for participants of this Program "- said Prof. Dr. Yücel Oğurlu, Rector of IUS.
"I thank the companies and universities that have recognized the value of this Program with the hope that its implementation will help create new jobs, and prepare young people for the challenges in this era of global competition in information and communication technologies" - said Thomas Rojas, Director of Economic Sector of the USAID Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition to certificate awarding ceremony, the students from the first cycle of Program had the opportunity to present their successfully completed projects, and as token of appreciation the companies which participated in this cycle of project were awarded as well. This was an opportunity for young people to socialize with their potential future employers.
"Student practice, as a concept is something that is missing at all universities in BiH and the process of linking the educational institutions with industry is one of the key activities to be supported'' - said Damir Ibrišimović, AtlantBH Company Director and the President of the Association of IT companies ‘’BIT Alliance". Besides IUS, in this Program have participated companies and academic institutions such as: Zira, Authority Partners, Green River Media, Devlogic, Comtrade, Olive BH, Klika, Info BIP, Starting Point, Purple Matrix, Compusight, AtlantBH, Cisco Academy, the Sarajevo University faculties such as: Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Transport and Communications, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Political Sciences and the Faculty of Information technology (FIT) from Džemal Bijedić University in Mostar.
"The Program ''Moja praksa” is an excellent opportunity for all young people, and it was a great honor for me to be at least for a while, a part of this contemporary team. By participating in this Program, I have deepened the theoretical knowledge I gained at the faculty and most importantly, I got a good insight into the practical operation of my work. Thank you for giving me the opportunity, and I thank my mentors from the Starting Point's as well "- said Amina Abdibegović, participant of the Program'' My practice''.
