85 MARTINDALE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF PRIVATE ENTERPRISE Recommendations It will take time and considerable effort on the part of the Croatian government to evaluate current reforms in education and industry. In the meantime, a few steps can be taken to enhance STEM education, STEM industries, and the country’s entrepreneurial environment. These recommendations must be executed in coordination to effectively alleviate the pressures causing the spiral. First, the Croatian government should reallocate some resources currently supporting training for service-based positions to STEM education at all three levels. At the primary and secondary levels, this funding would be used to foster interest in STEM subjects, especially important in primary schools, as the prescribed tracks between corresponding forms of secondary and tertiary education are difficult to bypass (Palijaš, 2024). Early introduction to the allure of scientific inquiry and the importance of STEM will encourage long-term engagement. Some of the funding would be used to hire and train qualified teachers, providing standardized support for the new learning objectives–based curriculum framework so that students in urban Zagreb and rural Istria receive comparable STEM content, addressing the regional consistency challenge. The funding would also be put toward further developing handson, exploratory curricula and creating pathways to enhance the direct pipeline of skilled workers to STEM industries aligned with NRRP goals (Palijaš, 2024). Additionally, by increasing experiential learning at all levels, students will be more inclined to pursue STEM training and fill program seats that currently go empty, better leveraging underutilized capacity and increasing the likelihood that they will pursue STEM careers (Dugandžić et al., 2023). Finally, the rigidity of tracking in the education system must be resolved. Standardizing STEM competencies across the traditional and vocational tracks and creating bridges between the tracks would give students more opportunities to modify their training, preventing them from feeling stuck due to decisions they were forced to make at a young age. To retain Croatian STEM talent, the availability of STEM jobs must be increased. As discussed previously, some foundational goals of the NRRP will require a highly trained STEM workforce beyond the scope of the NRRP, which would attract native Croatians, as achieving these goals is in their home country’s interest. Although expanding NRRP-related sectors is a positive influence, actively removing barriers within educational and professional pipelines will further incentivize Croatian graduates to stay. Universities and STEM companies, including those directly involved in advancing NRRP goals, should create integrative initiatives that combine education and workforce development that sustain the implementation of the green and digital transitions. Some degree of integration already exists (European Commission: Directorate-General for Education…, 2025; Hornstein Tomic & Taylor, 2018); unfortunately, these collaborations between public and private entities are not converted into products or ventures. Once accomplished, basic research will foster true innovation and, in turn, present an opportunity for capital gains. Work and internship experiences for academic credit, more flexible adult and continuing education programs, and externships would all provide students with valuable opportunities to engage with STEM jobs already available in the Croatian economy. In particular, some form of guaranteed employment after completion for each of these avenues would attract more student interest, potentially filling more seats in partnering academic programs. If Croatian universities and companies followed this model, students could realize the economic opportunities available in their home country and choose to stay. Simplifying the process for Croatians to start their own businesses is another beneficial step to creating more STEM jobs. However, despite previous efforts, navigating the bureaucracy remains complicated, and the officials administering them often lack commercial expertise (U.S. Department of State, 2025a). The process has become more straightforward over the past several years; nonetheless, greater transparency and efficiency are warranted. Developing incubators to support research and small business development will make entrepreneurship a more attractive and accessible career prospect for Croatian citizens. The Croatian government could follow the Startup Estonia model, providing the connections, loans, and other resources necessary to demystify and jump-start all aspects of business creation (Our Story, 2026). Another incentive the Croatian government could offer is tax breaks for companies whose products and services actively promote NRRP goals, given that tax rates are identified as a leading constraint on business development (World Bank, 2024). This approach directly connects the government’s existing public investment commitments to private sector incentives. Targeted tax relief for companies in renewables, digital infrastructure, and health care would drive entrepreneurial activity in areas public money has already reduced risk. Finally, integrating efforts to encour-
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