A blend of practice and education in Gospić: Auto Servis Orešković opened its doors to students of Strukovna škola Gospić
Auto Servis Orešković in Gospić marked its seventh anniversary of operation with an Open Day, hosting students of Strukovna škola Gospić who are being educated for occupations in the field of maintenance and repair of motor vehicles. The visit was attended by first-grade students of the automotive mechatronics technician programme and third-grade students of the auto mechanic programme, accompanied by teachers. The meeting was organized in April, on the occasion of the service centre’s birthday, and the hosts used it to bring young people closer to the everyday life of a modern workshop, the way work is organized and the level of responsibility required by the servicing of today’s vehicles. This continued a form of cooperation between the school and the local economy that enables students to connect the knowledge acquired in the classroom with concrete jobs, a real working space and the equipment that awaits them in the profession.
This is the second year in a row that Auto Servis Orešković, on the occasion of its anniversary of operation, has organized a meeting with students of Strukovna škola Gospić. Such visits have special value in vocational education because they do not show young people the occupation only through teaching content, but through the real rhythm of work: from the first contact with the client and receiving the vehicle to diagnostics, repair, checking correctness and final handover of the vehicle. In the automotive industry, which is changing rapidly under the influence of electronics, digital diagnostics, safety systems and new drive technologies, early familiarization of students with working standards is becoming an important part of professional guidance. The visit to the Gospić service centre was therefore not only a marking of the anniversary of one company, but also a practical example of how local craftspeople and entrepreneurs can become involved in the education of future qualified workers.
The students were welcomed by the owner and employees of the service centre
Upon arrival, the students were welcomed by owner Marko Orešković and the employees of Auto Servis Orešković, who took them through the workspaces and presented to them the basic phases of work in a modern auto mechanic workshop. The emphasis was placed on the complete process, and not only on individual interventions on the vehicle. The students could thus see how a vehicle is received, how a conversation with a client is turned into a work order, how an initial check is carried out, how diagnostic equipment is used and why final control has a key role in traffic safety. Such an approach gives students a clearer picture that the job of an auto mechanic and automotive mechatronics technician is not exclusively physical work on a vehicle, but also a combination of technical knowledge, responsibility, communication, assessment and constant learning.
Speaking about the job, Marko Orešković pointed out that thoroughness is crucial in this profession. According to his words, safety must stand behind every intervention, and a fault should be understood, not only its consequence removed. The message addressed to the students clearly fits into the changes through which the auto service activity is passing: today’s vehicles are increasingly complex technical systems, so a quality repair more and more often requires good knowledge of mechanics, electrics, electronics and computer diagnostics. In such an environment, superficial elimination of symptoms is not enough. It is necessary to understand cause-and-effect relationships, correctly read data and check whether the vehicle after the intervention is truly safe for further use.
What students see in a real workshop
During the tour, the students became familiar with the organization of work in the service centre, the importance of preventive inspections and regular vehicle maintenance, and the role of modern diagnostics in detecting faults. Particular attention was attracted by the test line owned by Auto Servis Orešković, which gives students an insight into procedures similar to those at regular technical inspections. Such equipment is important not only for showing the work of the service centre, but also for understanding the wider picture: a vehicle is not a set of isolated parts, but a system in which a malfunction of brakes, suspension, steering mechanism, lights or electronic assemblies can directly affect the safety of the driver, passengers and other road users. Through the tour, the students were able to connect what they learn about vehicle systems with concrete measurements, checks and service procedures.
In the continuation of the visit, modern diagnostic devices, the tyre service department and equipment for servicing air-conditioning systems were presented. The students asked questions and showed interest in the practical aspects of the occupations for which they are being educated, from working with tools to the way in which the cause of a fault is determined. For first-grade students of the automotive mechatronics technician programme, such a meeting is especially important because at the beginning of their schooling it helps them understand how broad the occupation is and how quickly it is changing. For students in the final grades of the auto mechanic programme, the visit also had a different dimension: it enabled them to compare their own knowledge with the working processes in the service centre and to better assess what awaits them after the completion of schooling, whether through employment, continued professional training or further education.
Automotive mechatronics technician as an occupation of the new generation of vehicles
Automotive mechatronics technician is an occupation that combines the jobs of an auto mechanic and an auto electrician. According to the description of the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts, an automotive mechatronics technician maintains, services and repairs mechanical, electrical and electronic systems on a vehicle, participates in vehicle reception, makes a diagnosis and performs the repair or refers the vehicle to specialized experts when necessary. Precisely this breadth explains why visits to modern service centres have great educational value: in a real space, students can see that vehicle repair can no longer be observed only through the engine, gearbox or mechanical assembly, but also through sensors, control units, electronic safety systems, air conditioning, driver-assistance systems and communication between individual components.
The official vocational curriculum for acquiring the qualification of automotive mechatronics technician additionally emphasizes the need to connect practical skills, safety at work and understanding of new technologies, among which vehicles powered by electric voltage sources, that is, hybrid and electric vehicles, are particularly highlighted. This shows that education in this field must follow the development of the market and technology. A student entering the profession today will not work only on vehicles like those that were repaired ten or twenty years ago, but on increasingly complex systems in which a mechanical fault often has to be interpreted together with electronic signals and software records. For this reason, workshops that can show diagnostics, control procedures and real service situations are an important extension of the classroom.
Strukovna škola Gospić and the importance of cooperation with the local profession
Strukovna škola Gospić lists in its educational programmes also the auto mechanic, an occupation focused on the maintenance and repair of motor vehicles in service and repair workshops, car manufacturer service centres and craft workshops. The description of jobs includes maintenance, repair of assemblies, work on internal combustion engines and power transmission systems, replacement and topping up of fluids, control and adjustment of mechanisms and replacement of worn parts. When this teaching framework is connected with a visit to a real workshop, students gain a more concrete experience of what is expected of them: precision, neatness, a responsible attitude towards tools, understanding of work procedures and readiness for constant improvement.
The principal of Strukovna škola Gospić, Barbara Tomljenović Jurković, emphasized that such visits enable students to gain a more realistic picture of the occupation, become familiar with modern technologies and further develop interest in the profession. Such an attitude reflects the broader need of vocational education to be connected with employers and the local working environment. Students more easily understand the meaning of theoretical content when they can recognize it in concrete work, while schools through cooperation with workshops, service centres and companies receive feedback on which skills are particularly important in the labour market. For smaller communities, this connection is additionally significant because quality vocational education can help retain young people, strengthen local services and create experts who are needed by the everyday economy.
The service centre as a place for learning about safety and responsibility
One of the key messages of the visit was that work on a vehicle directly affects safety. In service work, an error is not only a technical omission, but can have consequences in traffic. Precisely for this reason, preventive inspections, regular maintenance and final control are not formalities, but part of the professional standard. Through conversation with the hosts, the students could see how the responsibility of a service technician extends from correct diagnosis to checking the completed work. When, for example, work is carried out on brakes, suspension, tyres, air conditioning or electronic systems, a quality intervention requires both knowledge of technology and discipline in following procedures. This is a message that is especially important to young people at the beginning of their professional path, because it shapes their attitude towards the occupation before entering the labour market.
Auto Servis Orešković was presented to the students as an example of a workshop in which an effort is made to combine practical work, equipment and process organization. According to publicly available data, the company is registered for the maintenance and repair of motor vehicles, and the director is Marko Orešković. The official pages of the service centre list contact details, working hours and location, while business registers record that the company was registered in 2019. The seventh anniversary of operation, marked by this meeting, can therefore also be viewed as confirmation of business continuity in the local community. For the students, it is equally important that through the meeting they received the opportunity to talk with people who every day do the job for which they are only preparing, because such direct contact often leaves a stronger impression than a classic lesson.
Practical experience as motivation for further learning
At the end of the visit, the students were presented with service centre T-shirts as an appropriate gift and a memory of the day spent in the workshop. Although it is a symbolic gesture, it can have additional meaning for students: it confirms that the profession recognizes them as future colleagues, and not only as observers. According to impressions after the tour, the hosts once again emphasized the importance of connecting education and practice, while the students showed interest in the equipment, work procedures and everyday challenges in the service centre. Such meetings can help young people see more clearly the path from schooling to an occupation, but also recognize how much knowledge and discipline stands behind jobs that in public are sometimes simplified to “car repair”.
The Open Day of Auto Servis Orešković showed how local companies can have an active role in the education of students, especially in professions in which technology is changing quickly. Students of Strukovna škola Gospić had the opportunity to see first-hand what work in a modern service centre looks like, while the hosts through conversation and demonstration sent a clear message about the importance of knowledge, responsibility and constant improvement. At a time when the auto industry is developing rapidly, such experiences can be an important incentive for students to approach learning and practical training seriously, aware that a good profession is built gradually, through work, mentorship and understanding of every intervention that affects vehicle safety.
Sources:- Auto Servis Orešković – official contact, location, working hours and company data (link)- Strukovna škola Gospić – description of the auto mechanic occupation and jobs in the profession (link)- Strukovna škola Gospić – educational sectors and school programmes (link)- Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts – description of the automotive mechatronics technician occupation (link)- Agency for Vocational Education and Training and Adult Education / MZOM – vocational curriculum for the automotive mechatronics technician qualification (link)- CompanyWall – publicly available business data on the company Auto Servis Orešković d. o. o. (link)
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