In Nikšić, there is a place where knowledge is shared, support is provided, and new opportunities are created. Established through the EU-funded Employment Excellence Programme project, the Information and Education Centre brings together people with a wide range of interests – those looking to develop their knowledge and skills, as well as those in need of professional support. Through workshops, training sessions and counselling, the Centre continues to connect people long after the project has ended.
“The project enabled us to establish and equip the Information and Education Centre for employers and unemployed people, and it is fully operational today,” says Project Coordinator Biljana Pinjatić.
Among those who shape the Centre’s activities is psychologist and psychotherapy counsellor Nađa Pekić, who provides free psychological support to members of the community, among other services.
“The focus is on ensuring that everything serves the community and remains free of charge. That was the vision behind having a psychologist as part of the Centre – to provide a free service dedicated to mental health,” says Pekić.
The Centre’s impact is reflected in the results it has achieved.
“Perhaps the best feedback is that, over the course of a single year, the Centre has hosted more than 200 events and provided over 500 free psychological counselling sessions to citizens,” Pekić adds.
The project has also ensured that newly acquired skills remain within the local community, as demonstrated by Zorana Jelovac from the Day Care Centre for Children with Developmental Disabilities and Persons with Disabilities. Through the project, she completed training as an occupational therapist and in printing on various materials, skills she now applies in her daily work with the Centre’s beneficiaries.
“I took part in the project for ten months. Four months were funded through the programme and six months by the Day Care Centre. It meant a great deal to me because I gained new knowledge and skills that I have been able to pass on to the people I work with,” says Jelovac.
The equipment purchased through the project enabled those new skills to be put into practice immediately.
“We received all the equipment needed for printing, including foils, materials, a cutting plotter, heat presses, mugs and everything required to get started,” Jelovac explains.
According to Pinjatić, the project’s sustainability is one of its greatest achievements.
“Through the project, 30 unemployed people completed accredited training programmes. Another 34 took part in motivational workshops, valuable equipment was purchased for the project partners, and seven people secured employment during the project’s implementation,” she says.
The Employment Excellence Programme was implemented by the Municipality of Nikšić in partnership with the Public Institution Day Care Centre for Children with Developmental Disabilities and Persons with Disabilities, Radio Television Nikšić and the NGO Business Centre, with the support of the European Union through the grant scheme Support to Employment, Social Inclusion and Social Entrepreneurship, in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare. As part of the project, 34 unemployed people attended motivational workshops, 30 completed accredited training programmes, and ten secured employment. A Local Employment Partnership was established, and the Municipality of Nikšić Employment Strategy for the period 2024–2028 was developed. Today, the Information and Education Centre stands as one of the lasting results of European Union support.
