KSV/021
Skills for sustainable jobs in Kosovo

Latest news

• KOSOVO - New partnership to enhance skills for future jobs

  Published on 4 September 2024    By Veton KASAPOLLI    

  The Skills for sustainable jobs in Kosovo project has partnered with the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce (KCC) to better equip young people with the skills required to meet labour market demands. This collaboration focuses on advancing vocational education and training (VET) through a dual education system, blending classroom learning with on-the-job apprenticeships.

  

  KCC, a key business organisation in Kosovo, advocates for trade development and a better business environment. The partnership between LuxDev and KCC will strengthen the dual education system in Kosovo by: 

  • creating better opportunities for young people to develop professional skills;
  • training company instructors involved in the dual system to ensure they can effectively mentor new talent;
  • promoting dual education within the private sector, by enhancing KCC’s capacity to encourage active company participation.

  This partnership aims to prepare new generations for the workforce and contribute to a more stable and competitive economy in Kosovo. Key outcomes include developing a strategic plan for KCC’s VET Department, standardising processes, increasing industry engagement, and establishing certification mechanisms for companies participating in dual VET. 

  The Skills for sustainable jobs in Kosovo project is financed by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and implemented by LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency. It aims to contribute to sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation, inclusiveness, and social development in a greener Kosovo. The specific objective aims to enhance job prospects for young people and women by strengthening vocational education and training to meet market demands.

   

• KOSOVO - Improving employment through incentivising Lifelong Learning

  Published on 16 August 2024    By Veton KASAPOLLI   

  LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency, and EARK, the Employment Agency of the Republic of Kosovo, have partnered to enhance vocational education and training (VET) in Kosovo. This partnership addresses the critical need to align the workforce's skills with the demands of the private sector.

  

  Ralph ROTHE, Skills for sustainable jobs in Kosovo project manager, with Jehona REXHA, acting Director of the Employment Agency of the Republic of Kosovo

  Vocational education is seen as a vital component in supporting Kosovo's sustainable development and economic growth. However, the gap between the skills developed through education and those required by employers has been a significant challenge for Kosovo. The Skills for sustainable jobs in Kosovo project seeks to address this by offering technical and financial support to EARK and enhancing the capacity of vocational training centres across the country.

  The project will focus on several key areas, including developing and accreditation new programmes, updating existing curricula, and providing the necessary technical equipment for workshops. Additionally, the project will support the capacity building of teachers and managerial staff, promote lifelong learning, and increase women's participation in vocational courses. The four priority areas of the collaboration include information, communication and technology, renewable energy and energy efficiency, food processing, and wood processing.

  One of the significant components of this collaboration is the support for the Recognition of Prior Learning system, which allows individuals to receive formal acknowledgement of skills and knowledge acquired outside traditional educational settings. This initiative is expected to promote vocational training services and improve the overall quality of VET in Kosovo.

  The activities under this project will be implemented over 25 months, with specific milestones scheduled from now until March 2025. These include supporting workshops for food processing in Peja, transitioning the Electrical Installer profile to a renewable energy workshop in Mitrovica, and enhancing digital soft skills training through EARK’s new portal.

  This partnership underscores the commitment of both the Government of Kosovo and the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to developing a skilled workforce in Kosovo, ultimately contributing to the country's long-term economic stability and growth.

  The Skills for sustainable jobs in Kosovo project is financed by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and implemented by LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency. It aims to contribute to sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation, inclusiveness, and social development in a greener Kosovo. The specific objective aims to enhance job prospects for young people and women by strengthening vocational education and training to meet market demands.

• LUXEMBOURG - Visit of a delegation from Kosovo

  Published on 13 May 2024    By Pascal FABING   

  A delegation led by Ms Fadile Dyla, General Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation in Kosovo and Ms Ryve Prekorogja, Head of the lifelong education division, came to Luxembourg in the framework of the project Skills for sustainable jobs in Kosovo. Ms Claire Stoffels (Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade), M. Behlul Shaljani and M. Pascal Fabing (LuxDev) have been accompanying the delegation who had the opportunity to exchange with the Director General of LuxDev, M. Manuel Tonnar.

  

  The objective of the visit was to initiate a partnership between the Interdisciplinary Center for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT) at the University of Luxembourg and the University of Pristina. Two professors at the University of Pristina, Pr Blerim Rexha and Pr Qëndrim Gashi have had in-depth discussion with Prof. Dr. Marcus Völp and Dr. Carlo Duprel during the SnT Partnership Day. The cooperation will start during the second semester and will target master and PhD students, with a specific focus on cybersecurity.

  

  The delegation was also welcomed at the House of Cybersecurity by M. Pascal Steichen and M. Dominique Kogue and informed about the importance of building bridges between skills development, research and the private sector. The visit paves the way for synergies with the project Sustainable and inclusive growth and more specifically its cybersecurity component.

  

  Finally, Kim Heuskin, Deputy Headmaster at Lycée des Arts et Métiers and Benoît Fortemps, Head of the TalentHub, could share interesting ways to immerse Level V students in real life situations by organising a PowerWeek around challenges proposed by socio-economic partners every year or by hosting start-ups on their campus. These examples together with some experiments on the use of artificial intelligence in education will inspire the development of the future ICT school in Pristina supported by Luxembourg.

  The Skills for sustainable jobs and Sustainable and inclusive growth projects are financed by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and implemented by LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency. 
   

• KOSOVO - Sustainable jobs workshop: empowering women

  Published on 20 February 2024    By Veton KASAPOLLI   

  The Skills for sustainable jobs in Kosovo project organised a workshop on 13 February with representatives of civil society organisations (CSOs) working in gender inclusion and representation to forge partnerships that increase the participation of women as beneficiaries across all project activities.

  

  CSOs received a briefing on the project's objectives, with particular emphasis on Result 4 of the project, which focuses on integrating women into lifelong learning and the reskilling/upskilling to meet labour market demands. The project is committed to ensuring that least half of beneficiaries in all activities of this component are women, reflecting its dedication to gender inclusivity and addressing skill needs.

  Project Manager Ralph ROTHE explained the project's aims to bolster crucial Vocational Education and Training (VET) profiles by cultivating skills in Information and Communication Technology, Renewable Energy/Energy Efficiency, Food Processing, Wood Processing, and Creative Industries.

  Representing the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Ryve PREKOROGJA highlighted the importance of Dual-VET (an educational approach that combines traditional classroom learning with practical, on-the-job training in a workplace setting) in employing youth and women, emphasising the need for job positions to align with evolving technologies. 

  The CSO representatives working with and for women presented their activities, programmes, and objectives. To fine-tune the approach, participants suggested holding information sessions with parents, conducting a study with primary schools and parents, identifying more reliable data on women's employment situations, and enhancing support for technical profiles in primary and secondary education, among other recommendations.

  Participants agreed to increase sharing information and ideas to pave the way for new partnerships for short-term and vocational trainings.

  The Skills for sustainable jobs project aims to contribute to sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation, inclusiveness, and social development in a greener Kosovo. The specific objective aims to enhance job prospects for young people and women by strengthening vocational education and training to meet market demands.

  The Skills for sustainable jobs project is financed by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and implemented by LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency.