This year, following three successful editions of the project, where 81 percent of the participants either found employment or started their own business, the BTC Company will cooperate with the Employment service of Slovenia, the Center for Business Excellence of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Ljubljana, and the City Municipality of Murska Sobota to provide education for 60 people at two separate locations. In addition to a group of 30 young people who will meet at the startup centre ABC Hub in Ljubljana, the BTC Campus will also be attended by 30 participants in BTC City Murska Sobota. The programme strives to improve the employment opportunities of young people or inspire them to develop their own business idea by means of advice, practical training, and fostering new connections.

BTC Campus is a unique programme which aids young people who have finished their studies in a time when the economic climate is less than favourable by strengthening their business competencies. The selection of 60 candidates under the age of 30 in Ljubljana and Murska Sobota was conducted by the Employment Service of Slovenia in Ljubljana and its regional office in Murska Sobota.

In Prekmurje, where the BTC Campus is organised for the first time ever, the first meeting of all participants was held on Friday, 11th March 2016, in BTC City Murska Sobota, where a condensed version of the programme will be implemented at 6 meetings that will take place on Fridays and Saturdays in March, ending with a talk on Saturday, 2nd April 2016. The fourth generation of candidates in the Slovenian capital will participate in an educational programme spanning over three months, which will this year take place in the lecture hall of the business startup hub ABC Hub in BTC City Ljubljana. The programme consists of 12 modules and will conclude on 8th June 2016.

Jože Mermal, president of the BTC Management Board, gladly welcomed the fourth generation of young participants in Ljubljana at their first meeting: “Since we are well aware of the potential of young people in the creation of social and economic progress, we in turn create conditions that enable them to prove themselves. The BTC Campus aims to encourage business-oriented individuals, so I am especially happy to see that we have managed to establish this mechanism for the building of young business careers also in the Pomurje region. The BTC Campus brings a certain kind of freshness to this part of Slovenia, which faces high unemployment rates and fewer options for young people when it comes to education.”

 “We are glad that companies are willing to consider and actively address the issue of youth unemployment. Within the scope of BTC Campus, we connect young job seekers with experts in the field of business and open doors to potential employers for the fourth year in a row in Ljubljana. This programme is a perfect opportunity to strengthen competencies that have become indispensable in the world of business today. At the same time, the programme fosters self-confidence and lets the candidates feel that their career goals can indeed become a reality,” said Jurij Snoj, director of the Ljubljana office of the Employment Service of Slovenia.

Dr. Metka Tekavčič, tenured professor and dean of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Ljubljana, also stressed the advantages of BTC Campus: “In the case of BTC Campus, the cooperation between academia, the private sector, and the state turned out to be the correct approach to the development of young talent on the one hand and the strengthening of businesses with promising personnel on the other. We want there to be more such initiatives, which give young people who have finished their studies a chance to progress personally and develop professionally. In this way, they can become the driving force of the advancement of Slovenia as a progressive and competitive state in a global business and social context.”

»The Center for Business Excellence of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Ljubljana represents a bridge between academia and business. The BTC Campus programme is an excellent example of knowledge transfer, which furnishes breakthrough business ideas thought up by young individuals with the knowledge necessary to implement them on the market,” added Monika Lapanja, director of the Center for Business Excellence of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Ljubljana.

Participants in the programme at both locations – in Ljubljana and in Murska Sobota – will receive 36 hours of classes, which will equip them with useful business knowledge and skills. Classes will be prepared and conducted by lecturers from the Center for Business Excellence of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Ljubljana – dr. Rok Stritar, dr. Blaž Zupan, and Marjan Kramar.

BTC Campus is a unique education platform, which reinforces confidence in the young by bridging the gap between finishing studies and finding employment. In the first three years of the implementation of the programme in Ljubljana, 90 participants got additional education, out of which 73, which amounts to no less than 81 percent, found employment or started a business either during or soon after the programme. This programme constitutes one of the specific socially responsible activities of the BTC Company, which focuses its social responsibility on creating opportunities, especially for young people as the driving force of the future development of Slovenia.

Additional information:

Maja Oven, Director of the market communications and public relations sector

• T: +386 (0)1 585 13 15
• E: maja.oven@btc.si