We enabled all interested workers to obtain the NVQ certificate on the basis of their references and experience, which caused the institution to start regulating the chaotic situation in the field of remuneration and, at the same time, contributed to greater motivation amongst the best or crucial workers in the technical implementation of the programme.

At the time of the establishment of Cankarjev dom, a cultural and congress centre, we faced the issue of the specific nature of work within the centre in terms of planning the future organisation of work. At that time, programme design, coexistence of cultural and congress activities under one roof, was not just a novelty in Slovenia, but also in Europe. In the planning of the organisation, especially in the concept of the organisation of the technical implementation of the programme, we encountered the problem of poorly defined and misaligned definitions of professions that are typical for technical work in the field of culture. This was especially true for technical professions in the theatre (stage master, light master, sound master, etc.), which formed the basis for determining our workplaces. The programme diversity and complexity of cultural and congressional events dictated a modified organisational structure of jobs in the technical implementation of the programme. Since there were no suitable organisational models in Slovenia or Europe, we decided to use a combined model somewhere between theatre and television. We also quickly discovered that there was unfortunately no formal education system for technical professions in the field of culture, and that most workers had been learning on the job for many years. In Cankarjev dom, the recruitment of technical staff was thus carried out solely on the basis of work and experience gained in the theatre. Further development of personnel in the field of technical implementation was thus based on the transfer of knowledge and experience from older workers to younger ones, with all the accompanying difficulties. In a few years, thanks to the transfer of experience and knowledge within the institution and the efforts of all employees, we built a professionally trained technical team that was able to cope with even the most demanding events. On the other hand, formal procedures for rewarding and promoting workers in public institutions increasingly demotivated employees, which also increasingly endangered the quality of work. Thus, the gap between employees with a formal education and those who did not meet the conditions of formal education widened year after year, hindering the further development of Cankarjev dom. We looked for different promotion opportunities for workers in the specific professions which, due to the nature of work in culture (afternoon work, night work, Saturday work, Sunday work, etc.), had been unable to obtain formal education by attending school while working. Unfortunately, we failed to achieve this.

The introduction of a system of National Vocational Qualifications has opened up new possibilities for regulating the system of professions in the field of culture, and in particular in terms of technical roles. Therefore, we actively sought to define the technical professions typically found within the field of culture and congresses. We participated in the preparation of catalogues, which were organised and professionally managed by the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Vocational Education and Training, for the professions of lighting designer (level VI), illuminator (level V), sound designer, and multimedia device operator. Thus, with the help of National Vocational Qualifications, we achieved the unification and designation of technical professions in the field of culture in Slovenia.
Along with the preparation of catalogues of National Vocational Qualifications, Cankarjev dom also started the process of job reorganisation and consistent designation in agreement with the Institution of the Republic of Slovenia for Vocational Education and Training regarding titles and job descriptions, and also introduced the Certificate of National Vocational Qualifications in job descriptions together with formal education. In the next step, we enabled all interested workers to obtain a Vocational Qualification Certificate on the basis of their references and experience, which caused the institution to start regulating the chaotic situation in the field of remuneration and, at the same time, contributed to greater motivation amongst the best or crucial workers in the technical implementation of the programme.

The value of the National Vocational Qualification system also lies in the possibility of rapidly responding to technological developments in the world and creating completely new professions. This applies in particular to areas of expertise related to technological developments in the world, especially the development of digital technologies (multimedia, cinema, etc.). In this way, we can also respond much faster to developments on the international market. In addition to the possibility of adapting to the requirements of the market in terms of personnel, we can successfully solve the issue of motivating employees in professions for the technical implementation of the culture programme.

Saša Kranjc
Former Technical Director of Cankarjev dom