Title: Training for the Labour Market-Fit for Jobs

Economy: Kosovo*

Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) C

Implementing agency: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

Description: On behalf of the German Government, the GIZ project « Fit for Jobs » aims at enhancing the employability of young people through an improved career guidance, increased involvement of the private sector in vocational education and training (VET), and in general stronger labour market orientation of education. GIZ as-sist the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI) and the Ministry of Finance, Labour and Transfers (MFLT) to foster the systematic anchoring of career guidance as well as labour market orientation of vocational training in the respective policies reforms and strategies. Public institutions, private sector, partner schools and vocational schools, teachers, parents, stu-dents and civil society are supported to actively contribute to the improved employability of Kosovar youth.
In June 2021 the new project module was launched. It covers four areas of intervention including: a) Introducing the career guidance systematically in the education system of secondary school level; b) Promoting the systematic involvement of the private sector in VET; c) Improving the transition from vocational education or unemployment to the labour market by improving the quality of the labour market services for young people, and vulnerable groups including returnees; and d) Anchoring the labor market orientation of vocational education as well as career guidance in the respective reform policies and strategies

Project outputs
With its systematic and three-level approach, the project:

  • contributes to increasing capacities of school staff to strengthen the employment and training maturity of young people, to introduce vocational guidance instru-ments in schools and to expand the integrated schools development planning approach;
  • fosters involvement of private sector to improve the quality of VET and strengthens the role and functiona-lity of chambers and sector associations;
  • contributes to greater effectiveness of labour market institutions to orient active labour market services to-wards the needs of young people and vulnerable groups including returnees ;
  • contributes to strengthening the capacities of public institutions for the development of national strategies, laws and regulations by anchoring career guidance and labor market orientation of vocational education in the respective reform policies and strategies.

Duration: 06/2021 – 05/2024

More information: Fact-sheet  in Albanian, English, Serbian

Title: Education for Employment in North Macedonia (E4E@мк)

Economy: North Macedonia

Donor: supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

Implementation: HELVETAS North Macedonia (lead), the Macedonian Civic Education Center (MCEC) and the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia (ECNM)

Description: The project started its first four-year phase in 2018. The project is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and is implemented by HELVETAS North Macedonia (lead), the Macedonian Civic Education Center (MCEC) and the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia (ECNM) with the objective that: ‘More young women and men, especially youth (15 – 29 years), obtain gainful employment due to in-creased employability, which comes as a result of improved non-formal vocational skills development (VSD) and formal vocational education and train-ing (VET) system.’
Outcome 1 focuses on making non-formal voca-tional training offers more market-oriented, inclu-sive and affordable. The primary beneficiaries are unemployed youth as well as people from vulner-able categories. The project works closely with a number of system actors to address skills needs more explicitly, for example by co-funding innova-tive training offers through the Opportunity Fund. A general focus lies on the promotion of non-formal VSD as a key element to lifelong learning and employment.
Outcome 2 focuses on making formal secondary vocational education and training more market-relevant by strengthening cooperation and part-nership between the public and the private sector. More learning practice is promoted through inter-ventions such as the summer practice (see further below), which is expected to result in better practi-cal skills of students and increase their chance for faster and better employment after completing VET. Another goal is to promote VET so that it is seen as a viable career option by youth, under which a campaign, hosted by the MoES, was launched. First results are visible when looking at the enrolment numbers of 2021: Best enrolment rates for some VET schools in the last decade are linked to the campaign1.
Outcome 3 focuses on strengthening the key in-stitutions to create a more favorable framework for providing access to market-oriented and inclusive VSD. Under this outcome, the project facilitates a policy dialogue, provides advice to state institu-tions and other systems actors and does concep-tual work such as the development of a concept for Work-Based Learning. A key goal is to improve VET financing in the country by proposing schemes for additional and better allocated re-sources in VET by the public and the private sec-tor.

Duration: March 2018 – February 2022 (phase I)

More information: Issue sheet – project experience in Albanian, English, Macedonian and project website.

Title: Skills for Jobs (S4J)

Economy: Albania

Donor: Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC)

Implementation: Swisscontact

Description: ‘Skills for Jobs’ (S4J) was designed to address main Vocational Education and Training (VET) challenges, such as: low quality and status, insufficient financing, weak labour market orientation, and poor private sector engagement. Moreover, there has long been a traditional schooling system with lack of digital and interactive teaching materials, limited digital and pedagogical skills, no virtual learning environment and lack of infrastructure. Thus, the Albanian VET system struggles in meeting market demands for professional skills and in adopting technological innovations. The project focuses on ensuring systemic change, capacity development and empowerment of key actors. Based on this approach, S4J Phase II supports partner VET providers in Albania in terms of:

  • Employers’ and partners relations,
  • Diversification of VET offer,
  • New ways of inclusive and learning and quality,
  • Work-based learning in cooperation with employers, and
  • Organisational development.

Duration: Phase 1 2016-2019 Phase 2 2019-2023

Project results: 

Distance learning best practices – [EN]
Continues Professional Development [AL]
Needs Assessment for CPD [AL]
Performance Evaluation VET [AL]
Protocol On designing content for digital learning for Vocational Education teachers [EN]
Training Progamme Digital Pedagogies for Teachers in VET [EN]
COVID-19 Special Series Good Practices Learnt by SDC Projects in Responding to COVID-19 [EN]
Digitalisation and Blended earning in VET [EN]
How is Distance Learning Working for VET: Perceptions of Teachers and Students in Albania [EN]
Integrating new technologies & ways of learning in VET [EN]
How is Distance Learning Working for VET: Perceptions of Teachers and Students in Albania [EN]
Tabelë përmbledhëse për videotutorials për platformën Mësovet [AL]
Teachers on Mission: Finding the Most Effective Methods to Better Engage Students [EN]
Timeline Remote Workshops Content Development [EN]

More information: About the project and the project website.

Title:  Youth, Employment and Skills in Kosovo* (YES)

Economy: Kosovo*

Donor: The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

Implementing Bodies: Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) and Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MLSW)

Description: The YES project enhances the employability of young people by improving the quality of Vocational Education and Training (VET) as well as strengthening matching mechanisms between labour market supply and demand. The project applies a bottom-up approach, primarily working with institutions at the local level such as vocational schools, public employment offices and youth centers. Furthermore, the project seeks to strengthen the systems and implementation capacities of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) and Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MLSW) and their agencies in delivering quality services and offers to young people.

Duration: January 2017 to December 2020

More information: here

KulturKontakt Austria-funded projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina

KulturKontakt Austria (KKA) is implementing a series of education projects in close cooperation with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministries of Education of both entities and all cantons in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Agency for Pre-Primary, Primary and Secondary Education. The cooperation focuses primarily on the reform of vocational education and training in the fields of business and tourism as well as education and quality management.

Key Focuses:

  • Reform of tourism training
  • Closer cooperation between schools and business
  • Introduction of the training firm learning method
  • Education and quality management

More about the projects can be found here.

Project results:

Technical vocational education and training in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Title: TVET in Bosnia-Herzegovina
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Lead executing agencies: Ministry of Civil Affairs
Overall term: 2017 to 2019

Context
Bosnia and Herzegovina suffers from high levels of unemployment. The technical vocational education and training (TVET) system fails to meet the requirements of the private sector and makes only a minor contribution to improving employment and economic competitiveness. Establishing a nationwide demand-oriented and competitive training system to generate greater economic growth and create more jobs is a major challenge for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Objective
Cooperative and skills-based technical vocational education and training has been introduced at the pilot locations in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Source: GIZ

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