The Croatian Tourism Ministry has decided to finance six regional competence centres with an additional HRK 388 million (€51.32 million), with Minister Gari Cappelli saying that competence centres were a long-term solution to the problem of labour shortages in the hospitality industry.

Eighty-five percent of the funding for the project comes from the European Social Fund and 15% from the national budget.

Six regional competence centres – in Dubrovnik, Split, Opatija, Pula, Zabok and Osijek – have applied for HRK 300 million available as part of a tender for the establishment of competence centres, published in July 2019.

Since the applications exceeded the available amount and considering their high quality, additional funding was secured for the six competence centres.

More than HRK 500 million has been made available from the European Social Fund and European Regional Development Fund for the establishment of regional competence centres.

Cappelli believes that the project marks the start of a new era for human resources in tourism, with employees acquiring quality knowledge appropriate to modern market trends and employers obtaining quality workers with practical experience.

The concept of regional competence centres is based on on-the-job training, with employers being key partners to institutions for vocational education and the sustainability of the regional centres depending on lasting cooperation with employers and a timely response to market needs, the ministry said.