Higher Education Technical School of Professional Studies in Novi Sad - VTSNS (www.vtsns.edu.rs) was founded by the state in 1959. Today it is a modern HE vocational institution, with 92 employees, 55 teaching staff. The School ranks among the largest vocational HE in Serbia, offerring 13 Bachelor and 7 vocational Specialist programes in the areas of tehnical sciences, safety engeineering and applied art&design. Since 2010 Fire Protection and IT studies have been accredited as distance learning programs. The intake is around 1,420 undergraduate and 120 specialist postgraduate students per annum.
The School is amongst the leaders of vocational HE not only in Serbia, but also in the Balcans, in educating engineering cadres in fire protection. This department was founded in 1968 after the initiative of the republic and provintial fire protection assotiations and the provintial department of the Ministry of Interiors. In 1974 the Civil Protection department was formed, but in 2009 it was renamed into Civil Protection and Emergency Rescue department in accordance with contemporary social changes and interests. So far, in the two mentioned departments there have been 1,770 graduates in the basic bachelor studies. Vocational specialist studies exist since 2008. In the Fire Protection and Rescue study programme there are 120 graduate specialists altogather.
In its work the School applies the certificates EN ISO 9001:2008 and OHSAS 18001:2007.
The School has a successful cooperation with industry regarding activities in fire protection, emergency situations and occupational safety and health protection of workers, and for these jobs it has special licenses.
VTSNS has participated in the ERASMUS project called: Waste management curricula development in partnership with public and private sector (WaMPPP).
VTSNS traditionally organizes scientific and professional conferences on the highest level in the country in the field of safety engineering. In 1976, 1st Yugoslav conference of fire and explosion was held in Novi Sad. In 2008 the conference was organized for the first time as an international scientific meeting prepared in cooperation with the Faculty of Technical Sciences from Novi Sad and the Technical University in Zvolen from the Slovak Republic, bringing together experts in the field of safety and protection from Serbia and abroad.