In the beginning of the academic year 2004/05 we have accepted the offer and joined the national action programme – regional promotion of occupation and vocational training.

The purpose of the project was to familiarise primary school students, their parents and wider community on the advantages of vocational training and present them the learning process in vocational schools that guarantees quality professional knowledge and practical additional training to the students, and after the finished education instantaneous employment or continued education in professional schools: programmes of vocational and technical education, professional colleges, higher education and also faculties.

The aim of the regional promotion of occupations was:

• to change the attitude towards vocational training and occupations in general;
• to increase the reputation and knowledge of options offered by vocational training;
• to increase enrolment in vocational training; and by that
• offer suitable workforce for Slovenian economy.

Together with the employers, representatives of chambers and institutions, we have presented the characteristics of the region that is covered by the Velenje regional office of the Employment service of Slovenia: demand for certain occupations, presentation of these occupations, possibilities of education for individual occupations, possibilities of career in this field. We have also prepared workshops for the following occupations:

• Velenje School Centre: electrician, electronic engineer, miner, toolmaker, machine mechanic;
• Slovenj Gradec School Centre: cook, waiter, joiner;
• Secondary machine technology and metalworking school Ravne na Koroškem: bricklayer, carpenter, metal shaper;
• Secondary school Muta: seamstress.

Promotional presentation was managed by the local Chamber of Craft in Velenje, and was provided under the maxims: "Learning for rich life", "Become a master", "Become successful". It was visited by over 1100 primary school students from the regions of Celje and Koroška in two days. Sadly, the parents of the children did not visit the event.

Much has been said about the "festival method of career guidance"; besides the positive experience of the children, also many negative findings were exposed that mostly relate to the financial burden of such events.