Friends of DOBA

»The World Economic Forum report on the future of jobs predicts that a wide range of occupations will require a higher degree of cognitive abilities, such as creativity, logical reasoning, and problem sensitivity. The educational system will have to be able to transfer such skills to its students. As the largest private educational institution in Slovenia and an important educational centre in Maribor, DOBA follows modern trends of education. As a pioneer of e-learning in Slovenia and with more than twenty years of experience in offering fully online study programmes, DOBA can match the best European providers of e-learning. I believe that in the future it will continue developing and upgrading innovative pedagogical approaches and programmes that will be adapted to the needs of the rapidly changing world and society.«

»My memories of the beginnings of DOBA are very vivid, as I was present on its first, ceremonial opening day. I witnessed the realisation of what were also my dreams, i.e. that Maribor must become a city of knowledge and creativity. The existing educational system was slow to react to the need for new knowledge that had been predicted by the changes in political, economic, market, and social relationships in the anticipated independent Slovenia that would be open to Europe and the world. DOBA has shown an exceptional feeling for a range of skills that the developing community required in the years to come. It grew at all levels – in terms of the number of enrolled participants and the number of teachers, in international cooperation, with new facilities, with its publishing activity. What grew the most was its constant care for high-quality learning and the implementation of new technologies into educational processes, which peaked with its unique distance learning that has been awarded an international accreditation.«

»Understanding oneself, the social flows, and the natural systems around us helps us shape a sustainable world. This requires knowledge, fresh and inclusive knowledge. DOBA is a modern educational institution that continually provides and unveils new and applicable knowledge and modern tools for creating success stories. DOBA further enriches all this with its warmth, commitment, and respect of life. This is a mission that touches all, both at home and abroad.«

»Today, a conference or expert meeting rarely take place without a discussion or at least a mention of the growing and swift changes in the economy and in the technological and social sphere. If a few decades ago the knowledge that we gained in full-time education provided us with the competencies that made us competitive in the labour market almost throughout our employment period, the situation has drastically changed today. The only constant in our lives is change. Emerging new technologies, processes, and findings dictate new competencies. The knowledge that sufficed yesterday, today requires significant amendments and upgrading, while it will probably be useless tomorrow. Learning is becoming a way of life, and the required knowledge the greatest variable. DOBA Business School is a stone in the mosaic of strengthening knowledge and competencies.«

»The knowledge economy, the swift development of technology, and globalisation are changing the world, processes and roles, including the role of managers. Their mission remains the creation of good business results and ensuring company growth and development. However, in the knowledge economy, now more than ever, managers need to focus on human capital, which means that soft management skills are coming to the forefront. In the past, they only focused on shareholders, while today, all stakeholders are important, and the same goes for the effect on the society and the community. Managers are facing numerous challenges in their own transformation and in the transformation of companies and employees. All managers continually need to evolve and their actions must provide an example to employees and give back to the society without which the company cannot exist.«

»Businet is a network of higher education institutions that has 114 members in 31 countries. DOBA Business School is the longest standing member in Slovenia. It is a well-respected institute within the network. Everyone I have worked with at DOBA has been knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and has a desire to make things happen, and to make things happen for the benefit of the student body. The organisation has, from its early days, shown the vision to develop alternative learning opportunities. As a business school, it is exceptionally important that you demonstrate the qualities, skills and theories that you preach. If you teach about businesses having the “right values” then you must demonstrate them yourself, otherwise your message is tainted. The core values of DOBA Business School are on display for industry, partners, students and the general public to see. In an era where “sustainability” is a buzz word and something that is strived for, DOBA has embraced a sustainable model that will see many future birthday celebrations.«

»Throughout my life, I have worked in various environments and I believe that in all of them I did what I loved doing and I never felt unchallenged, tepid or bored. But what I remember the most about working at DOBA is the superior and continuous expert support provided to the pedagogical activity, the willingness to introduce new methods and the direct cooperation in the implementation of individual phases of the teaching process. DOBA is my only experience in which students, under my mentorship, were able to engage in their studies and fulfil their study obligations in the form of an empirical research project with a stratified sample. This would never have been possible without the direct involvement of expert departments.«

»The world of today and of tomorrow is and will be filled with constant change, which is increasingly intertwined with research and technological achievements. Continuing education, which is adapted to individuals, accessible at anytime and anywhere, is therefore becoming a necessity. Today, we can only speculate on the market needs of tomorrow. Flexibility, accessibility, and personalisation of education, which do not interfere with people’s lives and career but complete them, are therefore essential. This cannot be achieved without open and all-encompassing education that is accessible to all, education that is based on new methods, approaches, and technologies. DOBA understood that from the very start. Today, it is an established educational institution, a leader in the region, able to offer flexible, accessible, and advanced programmes of specific knowledge, which are very much needed in this time of constant change.«