The Electromechanical school Varaždin was founded in 1958 as a public institution following the initiative of local companies that needed professional staff in the field of electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. This cooperation and strong connection of the school with the economy has remained strong to this day. Throughout history, the school has continuously developed and grown in terms of space, staff and number of students.
Today, the school has 1,050 students who are educated in sectors (fields): electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, logistics and finance, graphic technology and design. The students are aged 14-18. The school employs 125 teachers. The basis for the development of the school was the introduction of new educational fields in accordance with the needs of the economy and the challenges of the time, the development of centers of excellence, all based on innovation and the introduction of new technologies in education. Students today are educated in two-year, three-year, and four-year study programs (EQF levels 3 and 4). Two-year and three-year studies are intended for students who immediately after graduating from high school want to get a job or go to the labour market. The four-year programs are intended for students who, after taking the state Matura exam, want to continue their education at colleges and universities, and since they have practical knowledge and skills, they can also be employed after high school. Students during secondary education can pass international certificates such as CISCO and DSD (Deutsch Sprachdiplom), SIEMENS.
In addition to regular secondary education, the school also offers adult education programs in these sectors (fields). Today, the school is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment on which students acquire the practical knowledge and skills needed for 21st century occupations. Every year, the students of the school participate in county, state and international competitions and achieve top results.
The school has 3 Centres of Excellence: 1) Center of Excellence for Physics and Astronomy, 2) Center of Excellence for the Croatian language, 3) Center of Excellence for new technologies and robotics. A unique project within the Center of Excellence for the Croatian Language is the First School Television and the school radio Novi val. As part of CENT, it operates in the laboratory of digital fabrication (FabLab). Centers of excellence are attended by highly motivated students who work on research, experiments, development of projects and they prepare themselves for participating in competitions.
The school develops international cooperation with all European Union countries through the EU projects: ESF (European Social Fund), Erasmus + and others. Through these projects, we enable students to develop language, multicultural and professional knowledge and skills. During their education, we offer students support in professional development and counselling in career development.
Director: Igor Kos
Email: ikos@ess.hr
Website: https://ess.hr/eng/
Contact persons: Ratko Kovačić, Matea Štebih
Email: ratko.kovacic@gmail.com, euprojects.ess@gmail.com