SPAIN BECQUER: ERASMUS MEETING

DAY OF DISSEMINATION OF ERASMUS PROJECTS IN THE VOCATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL TRAINING CYCLES AT IES GUSTAVO ADOLFO BÉCQUER

Erasmus+ Coordinator Julio Flores Sancho, teacher ar Vocational and Educational Cycles of IES Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer reports on the projects awarded for the academic year 2019/2021 and on their evolution. Our school has a KA103 project that allows our students and teachers to do their final practical formation in a compant belonging to any EU-country, or undertake a job shadowing period in other European-schools; and our KA202 project “REDUCING ABSENTEEISM THROUGH TEAMWORK, MOTIVATION AND INSERTION OF IMMIGRATION

 

STEPS TO CREATE A COMPANY IN SLOVAKIA

The establishment of Slovakia’s  Company and different types of companies

Slovakia Company Formation_1

The registration in Slovakia takes the following 6-stage process:

  • Check whether the company’s name is not yet in use, which takes approximately a day.
  • You need to have a notarized contract of association
  • Apply for trade licences, tax registration and health insurance at the one-stop shop. This takes between 5 to 30 days.
  • Register at the County Registry Court, which takes 5 days.
  • Register for pension, sickness, disability and unemployment insurance with a social insurance company. This takes one day.
  • Enterprise or branch office of a foreign company
  • Joint-stock company
  • Limited Liability Company
  • Limited partnership
  • General partnership
  • Co-operative

Except for enterprises and branch offices, all of these forms constitute Slovak legal entities. There is no limit to the percentage interest a foreign investor may have in a Slovak legal entity, nor are there any legal requirements for local participation. Foreigners may establish both joint ventures and wholly owned subsidiaries in Slovakia.

Limited Liability Companies

One person is sufficient to form a company. The shareholders may be individuals or a limited company. The liability of the owners of the company is limited to the sum of capital invested. The total number of shareholders will not exceed 50.

A Joint Stock Company

The company may issue and sell shares to the public. A board of directors manages the company. The shareholders’ liability is limited to the sum of capital invested. The minimum number of shareholders is two. When the shareholder is a limited company, one shareholder is sufficient. A general meeting of the shareholders must be held within 60 days of founding the company.

The following are also available:

  • Limited partnership
  • General partnership
  • Cooperative

There are a few complicated incorporation procedures:

  • The company statutes must be drafted for the company
  • A company representative who is a Slovak resident must be appointed
  • The bank has to show that the share capital is deposited in the bank
  • A business license must be obtained according to the nature of the business
  • Registration must be effected with the Commercial Registrar
  • The company must be registered with the income tax and national insurance authorities

Offshore Companies

By choosing to incorporate an offshore company, business owners and investors can set-up a business outside the jurisdiction of its operations. Offshore companies are traditionally, but not exclusively, incorporated for lower fees and taxes. Business owners must abide the regulations of the offshore jurisdiction, and must not trade within the jurisdiction.

The benefits are vast. As aforesaid, reduced tax and fees are often big factors when considering offshore incorporation. A company may also choose and offshore location to:

  • Simplify set-up and maintenance – entrepreneurs may find bureaucracy and red tape less of an obstacle in offshore jurisdictions
  • Assume anonymity – the names of owners and directors are not for public record, and references to the company may only be made in its registered agent
  • Ensure legal protection – for instance, some jurisdictions favour corporate governance, meaning a company is only liable to offshore laws as opposed to those in its areas of operation
  • Protect assets – business owners may opt to arrange their assets and transactions in such a way that protects them from liability

Characteristics of an offshore company:

  • Memorandum and Articles of Association
  • Certificate of Incorporation
  • Registered Office/Agent
  • Shareholders / Members
  • Directors / Managers
  • Company secretary
  • Statutory Register
  • Bookkeeping

Traditional locations for offshore incorporation are tax havens, such as the British Virgin Islands, Panama and Monaco. Other favoured areas include India, the Bahamas, Dubai, the Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Seychelles, Marshall islands, Delaware, Turks & Caicos Islands, Hong Kong, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.

 

SECOND MEETING

Second International Meeting took place in Bratislava at SIOV offices on February 26th and 27th 2020.  Partners were invited by hosted partner SIOV – Statny Institut Odborneho Vzdelavania.

INVITATION MEETING IN BRATISLAVA

For two days, partners have been working on all the items and objectives of the project, following the program organized.

PROJECT MEETING BRATISLAVA PROGRAM

On Wednesday February 26th 2020, project partners were received by Mr. Ladislav Satka and Mrs. Katarina Hazuchova, representing SIOV, welcoming the rest of partners and desiring productive work as we had in the first meeting

The first activity we have done was atend the presentation of “Slovak centre of training Firms – SCCF (www.sccf.sk)”. It is presented as one of the best practices in Educational and Vocational Training in Slovakia (Fourth project objective). Mrs. Horecka explained us the main elements related to this practice, using this  presentation. Slovak Centre of Training Firms develop a method for simulation of activities for training firms and organize educational seminars for people in charge of the training firms. Yearly national fair for domestic and foreign training firms is also organized.

Project partners and Mrs. Horecka, representant of SCCF

Laterly, partners worked on projects activities. We will continue working with students in the simulated company, making more activities with students and developing all the departments of the company. In objective 5, partners agree on making a general document to compare VET systems in our countries: The data included in this document will be related with teachers, students, times, vacations, systems to promote or not, duration of the studies, type of studies, possibility or not to do practical formation in companies, payment (if possible or compulsory by enterprises) to students, number of VET families in each country, etc. We will continue knowing more about good practices in VET systems in our countries when we visit them. In this way, partners agree on the dates for the next two meetings. This is the presentation used in this work.

In the afternoom, partners visited IOM – Migration Information Centre (MIC) in the Slovak Republic. We moved to IOM address in Bratislava to visit its office. This visit is related to second objective (efficient integration of immigrant students), because IOM is dedicated to promoting human and orderly migration for the benefit of all. In this way we have received updated info and data related with migration in Slovakia and how migrant students are included in Slovak Educational System. International Organization for Migration (IOM) have published a set of educational materials on migration. The educational materials serve as a wide-range presentation tool to the introduction of migration and migrants to the public.

Project partners and representants of IOM

 

On thursday 27th, partners continued working on project activities and new tasks. We used the project website to explain which areas or elements must be sent from partners in order to maintain website as uploaded as possible. Partners also talked about how to increase networking with students in the simulated company. Role-ups are presented by partners and will be placed in their schools and offices during all the duration of the project. In the dissemination and impact activities, social networks accelerate the dissemination of the project and we already are in eTwinning, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram. Our Google Drive is useful and partners must upload there all resources made by students and related with the rest of the project objectives.  About new tasks, we will continue developing the departments of the simulated company: Marketing department will design a WordPress with Woocommerce, and posters to advertise the company. We will continue working in Bulling and Selling department creating orders letters, delivery notes and  invoices. Also financial department will prepare quote for budgets, estimating costs for furniture and computers for the company, and making a budget for a client.

Afterwards, partners received the presentation of a good practice related to experiences with the migration in education – Nadácia Milana Šimečku – Milan Simecka Foundation. For 28 years, Milan Šimečka Foundation (NMŠ) has been striving for the development of civil society in Slovakia.  As part of Education system, they apply the principles of memory, diversity and inclusion. Educational projects are the heart of the foundation’s activities. With this presentation, partners have learned about main problems and needs that inmigrants have in Slovakia for their integration. We have also learned about how students from migrant origin are integrated in Slovak education system.

Mrs. Gallova, Mrs. Kriglerova, and Mrs. Weberova, representants of Milan Simecka Foundation Presentation of Milan Simecka Foundation

Laterly, partners received a new presentation of a good practice in the VET system in Slovakia. In this case, we received the data and info of Mr. Kuzma, representing SIOV and explaining about the implementation of the Dual Vocational and Educational Training in Slovak Republic. Mr. Kuzma explained weaknesses and strengths of Dual system in Slovakia, after their three-year experience. The system is really very successful, and co-working with private companies has improved training and formation, and also promoted soft skills in students.

Transformation to Dual system has been developed after analyze labour market needs, schools capacity, new models implemented in Slovakia in primary and secondary education and is based on quality controls. Dual system exists by a contract between schools, students and companies and payments are given to students as “workers” of the company.

Mr. Kuzma in his presentation

In the afternoon, partners visited Dual Akademia, also as a good practice in Dual VET System in Slovakia. We moved to Devínska Nová Ves, outside Bratislava to visit there, offices and classrooms of Dual Academy. Dual Academy is a VET and long-life education school specialized on offering a modern and fully equipped training .They place the utmost emphasis on the actual requirements of the practice, for the highest possible degree of employment in the labor market. This school is created by companies to train workers in the dual system for themselves or others companies.

Presentation at Dual Akademia and Infrastructures of Dual Akademia

Share capital belongs to companies as Volkswagen, Skoda or Siemens. Dual system in Slovakia is based on companies and tries to be as practical as possible (70 % practice – less than 30 % theory lessons). Relationship between company and student is based on an apprenticeship contract and students will be paid during this period.

Visiting the Dual Academy, partners could see how private investment allows teaching in more modern facilities.

 

SECOND MEETING MINUTE