Young innovators from all over Slovakia introduced new professions of the future.
On the 21st of May 2025, the National round of the Ideathon competition took place in the village of Gbeľany, gathering the best teams of high school students from all over Slovakia. The competition, which linked digital skills, entrepreneurship and creativity, was created as a result of the cooperation of the Digital Coalition, Association of Self-governing Regions SK8, with the organizational support of Junior Achievement Slovakia.
Following the regional round of Ideathon at Slovak secondary schools, the national final showed the strength of young people and the potential for innovation in individual regions of the country. Students addressed current challenges such as cyberbullying, digital security, inclusion, and technology ethics.
“Ideathon is not just a competition. It shows that there are many young people in the regions with the potential and desire to tackle the challenges of the 21st century. Promoting digital skills must start from the bottom up – in schools, communities and regions",said Mário Lelovský, President of the Digital Coalition.
"Itis crucial for SK8 that talent development takes place in every region of Slovakia. Ideathon is a showcase of how counties can actively support youth to think innovatively, collaborate and grow digitally. We are pleased to be part of this effort",added Jozef Viskupič, President of the Association of Self-governing Regions SK8.
"Ideathon is unique in that it allows young people to work on real solutions while also offering them the experience of teamwork, presentation and expert feedback", said Róbert Borbély, Deputy Director of Junior Achievement Slovakia.
“Young people are often afraid of the future. However, when they are given the opportunity to talk about their dream vocations, they acquire the courage to create them. During Ideathon, they showed creativity, team spirit and courage to perform. From their ideas there was a sense of what was bothering them and what kind of world they wanted to co-create. The winning teams proposed professions such as neuropsychopathic therapist, educational specialist and AI controller. In addition, the team of the latter profession received a special award from INOVIA – an innovation centre from Žilina", said Lenka Krištofičová, chair of the evaluation committee from the Digital Coalition.
The winning teams will also be invited to present their solutions at the prestigious Slovak Digital Coalition Summit 2025, which will take place on 12 June 2025 in Bratislava and its main theme will be Future Jobs.
