Izazovi: Niska društvena svijest o važnosti turizma i kvalitete usluga; slabe jezične i komunikacijske vještine u povezanim djelatnostima (taksi, carina, policija, trgovina). Mladima pri prvom poslu nedostaje praksa.

Obrazovanje i praksa: Programi nisu dovoljno usklađeni s potrebama sektora (manjak komunikacije, orijentacije na uslugu, fleksibilnosti, jezika). Prakse su prekratke (npr. 2 tjedna) i vremenski neusklađene s vrhuncem sezone; mentori troše vrijeme na osnovne vještine umjesto strukovnih.

Kako poboljšati praksu: Minimalno 3 mjeseca (posebno u završnim godinama), imenovati mentora, naknada za mentorstvo, fleksibilni rokovi; ujednačiti pristup u svim školama.

Preporuke politike i sustava:

• Kontinuirana kampanja „Turizam – odlično za zapošljavanje“.
• Partnerstvo ministarstava, obrazovnih ustanova i poslodavaca (dani karijera, otvoreni dani).
• Aktivno uključiti poslodavce u kurikulume; razmotriti dualni model poput njemačkog Ausbildung.
• Sustavno organizirati studentske prakse; izraditi studije izvedivosti dugoročne suradnje (npr. model Hilton Class).
• Struktuirati prakse za niže i više rangirane poslove: trajanje ≥4 tjedna (niži), ≥3 mjeseca (viši); jasno definirane kompetencije (usmjerenost na gosta, jezici, MS Office, prezentacijske i projektne vještine).
• Procedura: intervju, obrasci evaluacije, moguća naknada, mentor.

Zaključak: Odgovornost je zajednička (država–obrazovanje–poslodavci). Kvalitetnije, dulje i sadržajnije prakse povećavaju zapošljivost mladih, poslodavcima olakšavaju planiranje troškova i stvaraju bazene kandidata te potiču plaćene prakse.

Summary (English)

Tourism’s role (2013): Tourism accounted for 16.5% of Croatia’s GDP; 84,000 employees in accommodation and food services (6.3% of total employment). 49.7% of the unemployed were youth aged 15–24; tourism can help reduce youth unemployment.

Challenges: Limited public awareness of tourism’s importance and service quality; weak language and communication skills in related services (taxis, customs, police, retail). Young entrants lack work experience.

Education & internships: Programs are not aligned with sector needs (insufficient focus on communication, service mindset, flexibility, languages). Internships are too short (e.g., 2 weeks) and poorly timed relative to peak season; mentors spend time on basics instead of industry-specific skills.

Improving internships: At least 3 months (especially in final study years), assigned mentor, mentor compensation, flexible timelines; standardize the approach across all tourism-related schools.

Policy & system recommendations:

• Ongoing campaign: “Tourism—an excellent field for employment.”
• Partnerships among ministries, education providers, and employers (career days, open days).
• Involve employers in curriculum design; consider dual education (e.g., German Ausbildung).
• Systematize university internships; conduct feasibility studies for long-term industry–education cooperation (e.g., Hilton Class model).
• Structure internships for entry-level and higher-level roles: durations ≥4 weeks (entry) and ≥3 months (advanced); define competencies (guest orientation, languages, MS Office, presentation and project skills).
• Procedure: interview, evaluation forms, optional stipend, mentor.

Conclusion: Responsibility is shared (government–education–employers). Better, longer, and richer internships increase youth employability, help employers manage labor costs and build talent pipelines, and encourage paid internship models.