I am distinctly pleased that so many young people have decided to study the professions of the future. My motto is that we need to create future for the youth, and youth for the future, said today the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, at the first academic class at the University for Information Science and Technology “St. Paul the Apostle” in Ohrid, wishing the students success in acquiring new knowledge and skills.

“After graduation, you will be working in the field of information and communication technologies and you will be involved in designing, modeling and functioning of our hyper-connected world. A world in which increasingly important role have optical corridors and Information junctions”, the President said in his welcome address, adding that we should be aware that time does not wait, but it quickly leaks away.

“The future is happening as we speak. New changes in modern technology will come with or without us. The biggest benefit will be felt by those individuals, societies and countries which will be actively involved in the global competition and will be competitive in the global market of technologies. The question is whether we will wait others to offer us solutions, or we are going to be part of those solutions the world needs, President Ivanov said at the first academic class.

The President stressed that today, knowledge, innovation, inventiveness, networked with the help of information and communication technologies enable millions of people to work from home, or to create new jobs through outsourcing. We have to provide such opportunity to our citizens, the President said. Only that way they will be ready to compete in the global market.

"In a hyper-connected world, a world of knowledge-based economies, tolerance, talent and technology, there are no "small countries". This is exactly the development to which we all should strive, President Ivanov urged the students from the IT University in Ohrid.

The students who sat for the first time in the amphitheater today say that they have chosen the information science as their future profession, inspired by the growing demand for such highly educated personnel. Their interests range from the field of computer engineering and information systems, to digital animation, machine Intelligence and robotics.

Particularly favorable circumstance, according to the students, is the fact that the teaching at the University in Ohrid is in English, which enables them to improve the language and the appropriate terminology.