21.08.2020.
Military High Vocational School – High Quality NCO Cadre
Traditionally, there is a great interest of the young population in military schools. Primary reasons are supreme education and excellent schooling conditions, complete teaching literature and use of modern capacities for extracurricular activities. Apart from that, upon completion of military schools, the students obtain guaranteed employment with opportunities for continuous expert and career advancement. Besides that, being in lines of Serbian Armed Forces and performing honourable duties of defending one’s country and people, have always been and still are the pride of their every member.
There is a great interest in Military High Vocational School in Belgrade, which was re-established due to a requirement to educate expert NCO cadre, although its work was suspended without any foundation in 2005. Then decision on its abolishment, taking everything into consideration was extremely bad, because it did not ensure quality cadre in circumstances of ever growing demand for exploitation and maintenance of complex combat systems, particularly after significant modernisation of the Serbian Armed Forces in past several years.
Owing to reestablishment of the Military High Vocational Schoo, now we have non-commissioned officers who are tactically and technically competent, and who are able to respond to challenges of military profession.Training of the students is carried out through education and discipline of the students, acquisition of knowledge in the field of general and military specific education, establishment and development of motivation, intellectual and psychophysical capabilities and training for professional non-commissioned officers.
Throughout their education, the students have exceptional living and working conditions. They are accommodated in recently renovated hall of residence with provided Internet network, library, sports centre with outdoor sport terrains for football and athletic track, students’ club, air shooting range and suitable facilities for the work of clubs and cultural activities of the students.
Specific forms of instruction also include swimming training, training in winter conditions and ski training, camping with firing and training in operating motor vehicles.
The Military High Vocational School educates cadre in two departments – Department for Electronic Warfare units and Technical Service for the needs of Air Force and Air Defence, which is divided into four specialties – aircraft engine, aircraft weapons, radio-radar equipment and aviation equipment.
The School has also developed syllabus and curriculums for the requirements of education of other services and branches, such as telecommunications and computer science, air surveillance and warning, Army technical service (specialties: arms and ammunition, motor vehicles, electronics and electrical energy) and artillery-missile AD units.
Education at the Military High Vocational School lasts for four years. During the first three years, the students are in the Military High Vocational School, while they finish the fourth year in Training Centres in the units of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces. The instruction is conducted in classrooms, seminar rooms, training areas and laboratories of the Military High Vocational School, in the school building which they share with the Military Grammar School.
During their education, the students of the Military High Vocational School wear uniforms and they are prepared for performance of basic military duties and tasks, they swear military oath and they are eventually promoted in the first non-commissioned officers’ rank of a Sergeant. The students who achieve excellent results in instruction and extracurricular process may enrol on the Military Academy in line with the rules for enrolment passed by the Military Academy.
In the previous period, activities were initiated for the Military High Vocational School to be admitted in European Union of Military Secondary Schools Forum.
During virus COVID-19 outbreak, the students of the final year of the Military High Vocational School did not interrupt their education. In keeping with doctors’ recommendations and because of the specificities of their future profession, they remained in barracks-quarantine conditions and not a single student of the Military High Vocational School was infected nor was their health jeopardised at any moment.
Owing to continuation of work of the Military High Vocational School, in the middle of 2019, the first generation of non-commissioned officers of technical profile completed their education, who are ready, after the end of their schooling and through adoption of knowledge in general, general-military and technical-specialist subjects, to successfully perform duties of non-commissioned officers in units of the Serbian Armed Forces.Having in mind that it is very difficult to make up for 15 years of not investing in non-commissioned officers and expert training of personnel in general, the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces have managed with much effort to make the military calling attractive again.
