Petar Ninovski: Why the introduction of a kind of "talent tax" by FINKI is wrong

[bitheerani319]

Every student from the Faculty of Information Sciences and Computer Engineering (FINKI) will be able to have their mandatory internship only in companies that have paid the faculty an annual sponsorship, starting in September.

This is foreseen in the new Regulation for establishing an annual partnership package with FINKI , intended for IT companies.

I have already shared on LinkedIn why this decision by FINKI is wrong and harmful, mostly for students and companies. However, I would like to elaborate a little more on how this move will affect the entire community, because several media outlets have asked me for a statement on the case, but also because of the messages I receive from concerned colleagues, employees in the IT industry, and people who know the market very well.

For those who are not informed, the new FINKI Regulation provides for rcs data switzerland termination of all contracts with companies from September 30 this year. Any company that wants to cooperate will have to choose one of the offered partnership packages that cost from 500 to 8,000 euros per year and the premium package, which costs 20,000 euros per year. The most problematic thing in the whole story is that a new category of "recognized internship" is being introduced based on sponsorship. This is not about any raised criteria for quality internship. The mandatory internship will be recognized by the faculty ONLY if it is held in a partner company of the faculty, i.e. one that has paid at least 500 euros.

Friends, colleagues, students, innovators, parents… this decision by FINKI has the potential to stifle the very growth and partnerships between educational institutions and the economy, which the conscious have been nurturing for years. Introducing a kind of “talent tax” for companies that want to offer internship programs is a misstep that creates unnecessary obstacles for our future workforce.

Although I could list dozens of reasons why this decision is harmful to the entire education system and affects all of us, especially students, I will only address a few:

FINKI's decision creates a dual system

It puts students at a disadvantage who will not be able to secure an internship program with FINKI’s partner companies. What will happen if only a small number of companies accept this type of collaboration? Where will the thousands of FINKI students have their internships? This not only limits their practical experience, but also sends the message that talent is only valued if it comes at a high price. Is this the message we want to send to our future innovators? Another question is how will this fee-based system create a quality internship program?
Companies that want to offer student internships are now subject to a financial barrier. This tiered system, with packages ranging from modest to extravagant prices, creates a worrying stratification. Replacing a system based on collaboration with one that prioritizes financial muscle over raw potential.