Today's Pula Public Open University was founded in 1956 as the Workers' University of Pula - Institution for Education of Workers and Personnel in Economy. The establishment of the Workers' University was initiated by business organizations and trade union branches, which was crucial to the role of the then Municipal Trade Union Council, which is actually the true founder of the Workers' University.
In addition to the Workers’ University, at that time the National University also worked on the education of workers in which, for the needs of the shipyard “Uljanik”, several hundred workers attended courses for qualification. It is characteristic that the first six years of operation of the institution were dominated by group forms of work. However, since the 1962/63 school year, this relationship has changed in favor of mass activities, precisely because of the merger of the National University, which rapidly increased the entire activity of the institution. At that time, the first magnetophone school was opened, which by its then state-of-the-art methods and system of work, organized foreign language learning, initially, exclusively for the needs of the shipyard "Uljanik", which also materially supported the opening of the school. As of the 1961/62 school year, personnel from other businesses were also included. Seminars were organized for managers of personnel services, as well as seminars in the practical training of management staff. It is interesting to note that at the time Pula Public Open University also received 54 interns from African countries (Guinea, Republic of Mali, Ivory Coast) who were learning Croatian in a magnetophone school before going to practice in companies.
Since the school year 1963/64 Pula Public Open University acts as a unique institution for adult education, and the school year 1965/66 The institution is named "Jurica Kalc". The classes were then held in Croatian and Italian, depending on the composition of the participants, in six centers - the School for Primary Education of Adults, the Higher Working School (high school for adults), the Center for Cultural and General Education, the Centre for Vocational Education and Extraordinary Study, the Center for Ideological Political and Social Education within which the political school also operated.
Pula Public Open University is the only one in Istria that offers basic education for young people aged 15 to 18 and adults, and education is free since it is funded by the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Croatia. There are then two-year, three-year and four-year secondary schools, retraining and training as well as foreign language schools, all of which have been verified by the Ministry.
In addition to these programs, Pula Public Open University organizes commercial programs, such as a business foreign language for employees and communication skills workshops. Among the most popular occupations are those for carers, electricians, hotel technicians, pastry chefs, butchers, pizzayols, cooks and waiters. Over the past 65 years, more than 100,000 students from all over Istria have been educated and trained through the university.
WHO WE ARE
Aleksej Mišan, mag.cin. - Director
Patrizia Mingon-Škrtić, prof. - andragogical director
Lara Župić, prof. - teacher
Sanja Bubonjić, MA - teacher
Mateja Cerovac Makaj - administrator
Danijela Panić, mag.physio. - Head of Youth Center
Barbara Skopljak, mag.oec. - Head of General Affairs and Finance Department
Sanja Bonas - reference for accounting and finance