Retraining Opens the Door to the Labour Market: Free Training for 50 Caregivers Coming Soon

Education does not have to end the moment we receive our diploma. On the contrary, changes in the labour market, the development of new technologies and the growing demand for certain professions show that a willingness to learn throughout life has become one of the important prerequisites for employment and professional development.

Sometimes new knowledge is needed in order to advance in an existing job, while at other times it is necessary to completely change one's profession. This is precisely why retraining and additional qualification programmes are becoming an increasingly important part of adult education, especially for people who want to find a new job, acquire additional qualifications or respond to the needs of the modern labour market.

Adult Education as a New Opportunity

This is precisely the essence of adult education – to provide people, regardless of their age, with the opportunity to acquire a new qualification, retrain or learn something that can open the door to the labour market.

The Public Institution Centre for Adult Education in Banja Luka has a tradition spanning more than six decades and today offers a wide range of programmes – from secondary vocational education and retraining to various training programmes and courses.

Modern society is creating new needs, says Prof. Dr Suzana Kusovac Sladoje, Director of the Public Institution Centre for Adult Education.

“Our institution plays a major role in expanding education and listening to the needs of the economy. We listen to what the economy says, but also to citizens. We have tried to meet everyone’s needs. Many of our participants have found new jobs through retraining. Some of them are over 50, which is commendable. Knowledge is still very much alive, and we are eager for change,” said Kusovac Sladoje during our morning programme.

Retraining as a Response to Changes in the Labour Market

The labour market today is not the same as it was ten or twenty years ago. Some professions are becoming less in demand, while at the same time there is a growing need for new personnel and professional profiles.

For this reason, retraining can be an important opportunity for people who want to change their professional direction, as well as for those who want to expand their existing knowledge with new skills.

For unemployed people, retraining can mean an additional opportunity to enter the labour market. For employed people, it can be a way to expand their opportunities for career advancement or change jobs. It is particularly important for people who have been outside the labour market for a longer period and want to regain competitive qualifications.

Another advantage of adult education is that programmes can be adapted to different life circumstances. Participants are not necessarily young people who are just entering the world of work. Increasingly, people are choosing a new profession after years of work experience.

“Life is a school, and that is how we should see it. This is a new opportunity; new experiences and possibilities are exchanged,” Kusovac Sladoje said.
It Is Never Too Late to Start a New Profession

One of the important messages of adult education is that changing professions is not reserved only for younger generations.

A person who has worked in one profession for years may, at a certain point, decide that they want something different. The reasons can vary – changes in demand for a particular profession, a desire for more stable employment, the possibility of better working conditions, or simply the need to take a new professional path.

For this reason, retraining can be an important tool for increasing employability. Instead of previous experience being a limitation, it can be combined with a new qualification and create an opportunity to work in another field.

“Many of our participants have found new jobs through retraining. Some of them are over 50, which is commendable,” Kusovac Sladoje noted.

Growing Need for Programmes That Follow the Needs of the Economy

Connecting education with the labour market is one of the key challenges. It is not enough simply to enable people to obtain a diploma or certificate – it is important that the knowledge they acquire corresponds to the actual needs of employers.

In recent years, the Public Institution Centre for Adult Education has worked on expanding its capacities and offering professions that are in demand on the labour market.

“Over the past four years, we have done a great deal to expand our capacities and introduce professions that are in demand on the labour market,” Kusovac Sladoje said.
Such an approach is particularly important at a time when employers’ needs are changing rapidly. Adult education is therefore increasingly taking on the role of a bridge between people looking for employment and an economy in need of qualified workers.

Free Training for 50 Caregivers

One of the upcoming programmes is free training for 50 caregivers.

The Public Institution Centre for Adult Education has been providing caregiver courses for some time, and the qualification acquired by participants can enable them to formally recognise their knowledge and have the qualification entered into their employment records, thereby creating additional employment opportunities.

“We have been providing caregiver courses for a long time. This gives participants the opportunity to obtain qualifications and have them entered into their employment records, opening the door to new jobs. This is an important project under the patronage of the Office of the President of Republika Srpska. We need people with big hearts so that our elderly people can receive adequate care,” said Kusovac Sladoje.

Training for caregivers is particularly important due to the need for quality care for elderly people and other citizens who require assistance in their daily lives.

In addition to providing an opportunity to acquire a new qualification, such a programme demonstrates how adult education can simultaneously respond to the needs of individuals and the needs of society.

Why Is Retraining Important for the Labour Market?

Retraining does not simply mean changing professions. It can also be a way of making better use of existing human resources.

For individuals, a new qualification can provide:

• greater employment opportunities;
• the opportunity to change professions;
• acquisition of new knowledge and practical skills;
• easier adaptation to changes in the labour market;
• opportunities for professional advancement;
• a new opportunity after a period of unemployment.

At the same time, through retraining and adult education programmes, the economy can gain workers with additional or completely new qualifications, particularly in areas where there is a shortage of personnel.

For this reason, the issue of retraining is not solely an educational issue. It is also connected with employment, the competitiveness of the economy and the long-term development of the labour market.

Knowledge as an Investment in the Future

In a time of rapid change, a diploma obtained ten or twenty years ago does not have to mark the end of one’s educational journey. On the contrary, it can serve as a foundation on which new knowledge is built.

People who are willing to learn, improve their skills and adapt to new circumstances are becoming increasingly important. Therefore, adult education offers an opportunity to combine the experience gained over years of work with new knowledge and qualifications.

Through its programmes, the Public Institution Centre for Adult Education in Banja Luka seeks to respond precisely to such needs – enabling citizens to acquire new qualifications while providing the labour market with a workforce that meets its needs.

The free training programme for 50 caregivers is one concrete example of how such programmes can connect two needs: the individual’s need to acquire a new profession and society’s need for people who will care for elderly people and others who require assistance.

Because when the labour market and the needs of society change, the ways in which we build our careers change as well. And the opportunity to learn, improve our skills and start again can be one of the most important advantages that adult education provides.