As part of WorldSkills Croatia 2026, the largest vocational skills competition for secondary school students in Croatia, Profil Klett delivered a presentation entitled “How to motivate more girls for STEM and vocational careers through Code Week activities.”
WorldSkills Croatia brings together students, teachers, schools, employers and other stakeholders with the aim of promoting vocational education, excellence, STEM, and technical skills. In this context, the presentation focused on how digital technologies, STEM and future careers can be brought closer to students in a way that is engaging, practical and relevant to their everyday learning experience.
During the session, Code Week was presented as a practical framework for designing short, feasible and inclusive activities that connect digital tools, real-life work-related problems and competence development. Special attention was given to how this approach can support teachers in creating activities that strengthen students’ digital and vocational skills, creativity, collaboration and motivation. It was also highlighted that Profil Klett is the regional hub for Code Week in Croatia and Slovenia, actively supporting the initiative, connecting the educational community and encouraging the implementation of activities in schools.
Through concrete examples from vocational contexts, the presentation showed how students can start from a real problem or user need, develop an idea and then use simple digital tools to create a prototype, interactive content or a proposal for improving a service or work process. This approach is particularly relevant for vocational education because it presents technology not as an isolated topic, but as a tool for understanding and solving concrete tasks connected to future professions.
One of the key topics of the presentation was also the inclusion of girls in STEM and technical fields. It was highlighted that many girls engage more easily when activities are linked to real-life contexts, a clear problem, a specific user and a visible outcome. This is why the Code Week approach can be a valuable way of opening more meaningful entry points for girls into STEM and technical careers.
The session also demonstrated that Code Week is not only an initiative promoting coding, but also a teaching and learning approach that can help teachers make learning more active, relevant and student-centred. Participants were able to see how one simple activity can be adapted to different vocational sectors and implemented within a single lesson, a project day or an extracurricular activity. By taking part in WorldSkills Croatia 2026, Profil Klett once again confirmed its commitment to promoting digital skills, inclusive STEM education and support for teachers in applying innovative approaches to teaching and learning.
