An important addition to the underdeveloped part of Croatia.
The Ericsson Nikola Tesla Development and Research Centre was opened in Osijek on Thursday. The company said this is another prominent and successful project of the technology giant in Croatia, reports Večernji List on September 21, 2018.
“Instead of young people leaving Slavonia and moving abroad, the world is now coming to Slavonia, thanks to our ICT experts. This is the best message we can send today,” said Gordana Kovačević, the chief executive officer of Ericsson Nikola Tesla.
The centre is located at the Kappa centre in the town centre. The offices cover 1,100 square metres and, depending on the employment dynamics, it is expected they will ultimately cover 2,500 square metres. In the beginning, the centre will employ 30 young professionals, and the number of employees will eventually be significantly higher.
“We invest more than 400 million kuna each year in the education of our employees. Thanks to this, colleagues from Osijek will be able to participate equally with their colleagues from Zagreb and Split in the development of the fifth generation technological projects. The dynamics of employment will depend on the availability of ICT professionals on the market,” Kovačević continued.
“Osijek has today turned its back to its economic past. Starting today, we are creating new foundations for the development of Osijek. Most of the 30 employees are people who used to live in Zagreb. Their return to Osijek is a major breakthrough,” said Osijek Mayor Ivica Vrkić, who thanked the government “for creating the political framework for the arrival of this global company” to his town.
“You have sent a message to the university, colleges, town and the general climate here in Osijek that this part of Croatia has a future in the areas of development and research,” said Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, who attended the official opening ceremony.
Translated from Večernji List (reported by Suzana Lepan Štefančić).
