On July 13, 2021, the opening of the fourth year of the International Summer School took place at the School of Economics and Management in Public Administration in Bratislava (VŠEMvs). Summer School is an indispensable part of joint study programs prepared together with IT faculties of Ukrainian universities. The opening ceremony was attended by many guests of honour, including representatives of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of SR, the Embassy of Ukraine in Slovakia, the IT Association of Slovakia (ITAS), representatives of the cooperating companies IBM Slovakia and Deutsche Telekom.

The joint Slovak-Ukrainian master study programme is a response to current needs of the labour market and the fulfilled commitment of VŠEMvs as a member of the Slovak Digital Coalition. The programme is therefore supported by the IT Association of Slovakia, the IT Association of Ukraine, the former Deputy Prime Minister for Investment and Informatization of the Slovak Republic (now Ministry of Investments, Regional Development and Informatization of the Slovak Republic) and the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Kiev, Ukraine.

The programme provides students with a state-of-the-art knowledge on modern information and communication technologies in the economic context and related skills in problem solving associated with analytical work in the IT industry. These will enable students to be successful in the IT labour market not only in Slovakia and Ukraine, but throughout the whole EU.

Currently, there is a significant demand for experts who combine their knowledge in the field of data processing and computer systems using modern software products and IT technologies with economics and business management. The management and business sector is the main trend in demand in national and international labour markets.

"The lack of IT specialists is a long-term phenomenon in both Slovakia and Ukraine. Finding a skilled IT worker or student abroad and his/her arrival to Slovakia is therefore a small victory." said Mário Lelovský, First Vice President of ITAS and Chairman of the Board of the Digital Coalition.