The motivational scholarship, aimed primarily at increasing students' interest in so-called deficit fields of study, has been awarded by the Trenčín region since the 2022/2023 school year. Since its introduction, the numberof students achieving outstanding results in various competitions has also increased.
In Slovakia, brain drain has been a long-discussed issue, but in recent years, specialists in various trades, which only require a basic vocational certificate, have also started to disappear. Many professions are simply not attractive for young people, even though there is a long-standing demand for them in the labor market. Bridging the gap between supply and demand in the labor market, and aligning this with the number of available spots in secondary schools under the management of the Self-Governing Region of Trenčín, is a challenging but not impossible task. This issue is addressed annually by not only the regional department of education and culture but also by members of the Regional Council for Vocational Education and Training under the Trenčín Self-Governing Region.
Who is eligible
The introduction of the regional scholarship was the tool through which the region aimed and continues to aim to reduce the disbalance between student interests and labor market needs. Currently, the number of deficit fields is fixed at 34. The selection process took into account whether the field is certified within the dual education system, in which the Self-Governing Region of Trenčín has been a long-time leader. For example, the region has long lacked bakers, butchers, carpenters, bricklayers, plumbers, glass production operators, auto repairers, gardeners, and horse breeders. Most of the selected deficit fields belong to vocational programs with a three-year duration of study, but the list also includes study programs with increased practical training hours, such as plastic processing technician, glass production technician, agromechatronic, or footwear production technician. Students are only eligible for the scholarship if they maintain an average grade of 2.75 or better on both their mid-year and end-of-year reports, have no lowered conduct grade during the assessment period, and have no more than one day of unexcused absence. The scholarship payout is linked to the dual education system. The assumption is that a student eligible for the scholarship is also involved in the dual education system. Since students in the dual system also receive financial rewards for hours worked at the dual education partner, the region set the regional scholarship at 50 euros per month for first-year students, with the amount decreasing by 10 euros in the following years (a fourth-year student receives 20 euros per month).
Jaroslav Baška visiting a school.
Rising numbers
To motivate better performance among students of grammar schools and business academies, scholarships are also awarded to those who achieve exceptional results in national competitions during the school year. Again, these students must not have a lowered conduct grade on their report card or more than one day of unexcused absence. Students receive financial rewards for placing in the top three in subject, artistic, or sports competitions, as well as in various olympiads, student research activities, or cultural competitions organized by the National Enlightenment Center. The regional scholarship was first awarded in the 2022/2023 school year. The total amount was over 91,000 euros, with the majority - nearly 68,000 euros - going to first-year students in deficit fields. The number of first- year students in deficit fields during the first semester of the school year was 189, but not all met the three mandatory criteria, and the scholarship was awarded to 134 students. In the second semester, the scholarship was awarded to 137 students. In the last school year, the number of students in deficit fields increased from 189 to 374 during the first semester and to 376 during the second semester, as second-year students became eligible for the regional scholarship in addition to first- year students. Logically, the number of scholarships awarded also increased. While 140 first-year students and 124 second-year students received scholarships in the first semester, 146 first-year students and 116 second-year students were financially rewarded in the second semester.
Interest in competitions
Since the introduction of the regional scholarship, student participation in competitions has increased significantly. In the first year of the scholarship, the region awarded 23,780 euros for exceptional results, while in the following school year, this amount rose to 38,760 euros, with high school students excelling more in sports than in academic or cultural competitions. Students who successfully represented their schools in international competitions have been publicly recognized since the beginning of the new school year at sessions of the Trenčín Regional Council. The first public acknowledgments were given during the September council meeting to three students - Michal Lajčiak for winning the international science and engineering competition Regeneron International Science Engineering Fair in Los Angeles, Pavol Rágula for winning the world bench press championships in the junior category up to 66 kg in Austin, and Ctibor Karol Strmenský for third place in 10-minute dictation in multiple languages at the INTERSTENO world championships in Katowice.
The goal of the regional scholarship is not only to motivate students to enroll in fields that are in demand in the labor market but also to encourage them to achieve better academic results. It also contributes to the education of professionals in secondary schools in the Trenčín region, who are currently missing in local companies. Another supportive measure the region plans to pursue is the profiling of individual secondary schools according to labor market demands and the sectors with the highest representation in the respective regions.
Award-winning students Michal Lajčiak, Pavol Rágula and Ctibor Karol Strmenský.
