The jubilee fifth Fair of School Teams for Career Guidance and Counseling was held at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce. The Fair demonstrated how school activities can simultaneously foster students’ creativity and innovation while actively contributing to their ability to identify their own competencies and interests related to further education or entering the labor market.

The aim of the Fair was to bring together secondary school teams of teachers and professional associates working in career guidance and counseling, as well as other interested representatives from secondary schools and other institutions and organizations, in order to exchange experiences and thereby improve their work in this field.

Seventeen schools of different educational profiles (medical, technical, agricultural schools, and grammar schools) presented student activities ranging from constructing 3D printers, organizing treasure hunts through solving various tasks, walking tours of Belgrade, to creating personalized perfumes and soaps.

The most active and creative schools were awarded prizes. The first prize included 20,000 dinars, which could be used to improve the activities of the career guidance team, as well as participation in an international conference on youth mentoring in Florence. The award was won by the Technical School from Požega. Second place was awarded to the Zaječar Gymnasium, which received 10,000 dinars and participation in an international conference in Belgium on social inclusion and empowerment of young people with disabilities.

In addition, three more schools received awards and recognition in the form of financial support or study trip opportunities.

The Belgrade Open School has been actively working since 2004 on developing the career guidance and counseling system in Serbia. Through career guidance and counseling, young people are empowered and trained to plan their own career development, highlighting that schools are not only places for acquiring knowledge, but also preparation for life after school, both in terms of continuing education and entering the world of work.

The Fair was organized by the Belgrade Open School in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development and the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, with financial support from Solidar Suisse – Office in Serbia.