ZAGREB, April 12, 2018 – The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Croatia and the Institute for Youth Development and Innovativity (IRIM) on Thursday signed an agreement of cooperation that will provide workshops for refugees so that they can learn computer programming and, in that way, be better included in society and the labour market.
“This is an agreement for long-term cooperation to the benefit of refugees and their education and access to the labour market. With all the training we provide, we want to make this a place where refugees will receive support, a formation for their future,” JRS head for southeast Europe Tvrtko Barun said.
He claimed that the competencies refugees will obtain through these and similar workshops will lead to quality workers. “They came to Croatia and have found the security and protection they were looking for and now we are here to help them in their struggle, challenges and integration. The labour market is one of those challenges,” Barun said.
After attending the workshops, participants will be issued with a certificate, he explained, which they will be able to use on the labour market.
IRIM president Nenad Bakić underscored that the workshops will enable participants to gain knowledge about basic computer programming and provide digital literacy. JRS will provide further IT training with other associations for those who wish to advance their knowledge.
“We at IRIM consider that everyone has the right to be an equal citizen in the 21st century. We consider that refugees too, who have requested security in Croatia, have the right to be equal citizens in our society. Digital literacy is not an alternative, it is not a special area that only selected people can enter but is necessary for everyone. All professions today require STEM competencies,” Bakić stressed.
