Jana’s first-hand work experience: From the classroom to the world of tourism
Through the “Opportunities” programme, UNICEF connects young people with employers, helping them explore the world of work and make more informed decisions about their future careers
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KOLAŠIN, 7 July 2026 – What a working day in tourism really looks like cannot be learned from textbooks alone. Jana Raketić, a student at the “Braća Selić” Mixed Secondary School, discovered this during her practical training at Swissôtel Resort in Kolašin.
Through UNICEF’s “Opportunities” programme, which enables young people to experience a real working environment and apply the skills and knowledge they have gained at school through hands-on experience in the private sector, Jana had the chance to see how a hotel operates. Before arriving, she expected a strict and formal business environment. Her first impressions, however, were quite different.
It was fantastic because everyone at the hotel was so kind. They were patient and took the time to show me everything and take me through the entire complex. I found working at the reception desk the most interesting because I had the opportunity to meet guests and communicate with them.
In addition to working at reception, Jana learned how operations are organised in the restaurant, wellness centre and housekeeping department. Only then, she says, did she realise how many people are involved in ensuring that every guest’s stay runs smoothly.
Hotel Manager Đorđije Pašić says that the complexity of hotel operations is precisely what surprises young people most when they encounter the industry for the first time.
Textbooks cover only a small part of it. Practical experience accounts for 99 per cent of the details you need to know. When students come here, they gain a real understanding of how complex a hotel system is and how many processes take place behind the scenes.
For Jana, the experience was also an opportunity to put into practice what she had learned at school. Her communication skills and knowledge of English proved particularly useful, as she spoke with international guests during her training. The experience also changed the way she thinks about her future career.
“I had never really considered working in tourism, but if I were given the opportunity, I would probably take it. I realised that nothing is too complicated – it just requires a lot of work and patience,” Jana says.
She therefore believes that more secondary school students should have the opportunity to “step outside the classroom” and experience a real working environment. Experiences like these can help young people discover what interests them, identify their strengths and decide which path they would like to pursue after finishing school.
Jana is one of more than 2,000 adolescents in Montenegro who, over the past four years, have had the opportunity through the “Opportunities” programme to explore different professions and develop skills that are important for their future.
Tourism is one of the sectors with significant potential for youth employment in Montenegro, and stronger links between schools and employers are also important for developing the country’s future workforce. Pašić believes that, through programmes like this, hotels not only help young people gain knowledge and experience, but also invest in people who could one day become part of their workforce. This is why, he says, it is important to strengthen cooperation between hotels, schools and universities across the country.
According to World Bank data, around 26 per cent of young people in Montenegro are unemployed, while almost half of young people with university degrees believe that their qualifications are not aligned with labour market needs. Practical learning and the development of 21st-century skills are therefore among the priorities of the Education Reform Strategy 2025–2035.
The “Opportunities” programme helps young people connect what they learn at school with real working environments, explore different professions and make more informed decisions about their future careers. UNICEF implements the programme with financial support from the TUI Care Foundation, in partnership with the Centre for Youth Education. To date, more than 200 companies and civil society organisations, as well as 12 schools, have taken part in the programme, providing young people with practical training, mentoring and career guidance.
In this way, the programme does more than give young people an opportunity to experience the world of work – it also contributes to building an education system that better prepares them for life and employment.
