NOVI SAD – The first ICT Cluster Academy was launched in Novi Sad today. Through training, specialized courses and practical work, the students of the Academy of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) will acquire the knowledge and skills that will enable them to find employment more easily. Upon completion of the six month training, the students will receive internships in firms that are members of the Vojvodina ICT Cluster. Mentors from the companies Prokomsoft, ComData, Execom, Intens, Vega IT Sourcing, RT-RK, M & I Systems, Prozone, Tajfun Hill and TIAC will provide guidance to these young people so that they can gain new experiences and can practice their newly acquired knowledge.

Over half of the projected new jobs in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math are IT-related professions. Even though the need for IT specialists is great, the number of those who are qualified remains inadequate. Young people who have the required knowledge and skills are competitive in the labor market and are able to quickly and easily find a job.

"In a situation when the country is facing high unemployment, it becomes vital to ensure that qualified candidates are available when companies are looking for new employees", said Susan Kutor USAID Director of the Economic Growth Office, at the opening of the ICT Cluster Academy and added: "USAID encourages closer cooperation between scientific/educational and business communities, in order to stimulate knowledge transfer and application of innovation in business operations. In this way, companies are becoming more competitive; they can reach new markets and employ more people".

Lack of IT personnel is a global problem. "Our response to this challenge is the ICT Cluster Academy, whose curriculum is tailored to the needs of IT companies. We know which candidate profiles the companies are looking for, and know how to, in a short time, provide employers with high quality and competent coworkers. The Academy will give young people the opportunity to work in a sector that is constantly creating new jobs", said Milan Solaja, Director of the Vojvodina ICT Cluster.

The Academy anticipates that its first generation of 40 students, from April to October 2014, will be qualified to successfully work on positions in the greatest demand in Vojvodina: database administrator, web developer, a developer of mobile applications and front-end developer.

The ICT Cluster Academy project is being implemented by the Vojvodina ICT Cluster, with financial support from USAID.