June 23, 2023 | Friday
In our discussion with Agon Dula, representative of ALLED2, we delve into how this pivotal EU-supported program in Kosovo builds upon the achievements of ALLED1. We explore ALLED2’s comprehensive efforts to increase labor market participation and improve employability for the people in Kosovo, paving the way for enhanced career prospects and economic growth.
EH: What would you describe as three main objectives that the EU-co-funded ALLED2 project is implementing in Kosovo?
AD: The overall objective of the project ALLED2 is to reduce poverty through increased labour market participation and improved employability for the population in Kosovo.
All planned actions and activities will support Kosovo’s Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) and the Employment Agency of the Republic of Kosovo in reforming the education and training system to both link education and training with labor market needs and to reflect the European Framework of Key Competences.
The specific objectives of the project are to strengthen the link between Higher Education and labor market needs through the development and modernization of THE programs according to labor market demands. Another objective is to improve the teacher training programs to align with the requirements of the New Curriculum of Kosovo1 and the priorities of MEST.
Additionally, the project aims to enhance the quality of practical and applied teaching and learning in VET schools and VTCs, focusing on core occupational sectors that are relevant to market needs. This includes providing career guidance and counseling. The project also aims to promote a better understanding of beneficiary and international qualifications, and further develop and modernize Kosovo’s Qualification System for professional qualifications within the Qualification Framework.
EH: A key thing that the description of the program highlights is how ALLED2 aims to reduce poverty through increased labor market participation and improved employability of the people in Kosovo. How does EU-co-funded project ALLED2 contribute to that?
AD: The overall objective of the project ALLED2 is to reduce poverty through increased labor market participation and improved employability for the population in Kosovo.
The specific purpose of ALLED2 is to strengthen the quality of education and training programmes and their relevance for the labor market as well as to support the adaptation of the legislative framework and mechanisms as a precondition for increased employability.
The project especially focuses on emphasizing the further step in aligning education with the labor market and on building specific cooperation models and measures between the sphere of education and training and the private sector with systemic effects. The new structured approach of building an education system which responds to labour market needs brings both education and labor market representatives together, thereby highlighting innovation as a driving force in aligning education with labor market needs.
EH: The EU-co-funded ALLED2 project highlights that it works on the link between education and training with labor market needs. How is this implemented on the ground?
AD: ALLED2 activities seek to strengthen the link and alignment of education and training in HE and VET/VTCs to LM needs in terms of developing a system and practice to support the cooperation. This implies development of LM systems for planning and monitoring of the need. It also implies development of HE and VET programmes according to the need of occupations and skills by industry, companies and enterprises. There is a need to strengthen the capacity of staff in education, foremost the teachers and trainers in the delivery of the programmes. The linkages between education and work, such as work-based learning and career counseling for transition to LM need to be enhanced.
In order to have a close cooperation with the private sector, as the main stakeholder in addressing the labor market needs, the Steering Board has the possibility to invite, as required, additional actors to participate in its meetings, e.g. local and international experts in education and employability; representatives of the private sector such as Chamber of Commerce, other associations, and single enterprises.
EH: Can you please elaborate on what is the “triple helix principle” that ALLED2 aims to implement in Kosovo?
AD: The University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina”, the Municipality of Prishtina and the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce have signed the Memorandum of Cooperation, which aims to establish cooperation links between the signatory parties. This center will serve as a center of competencies and as the main institution that will strengthen the cooperation between the signatory parties. This link between knowledge (academia), the public sector and the business community is a prerequisite for the successful provision of quality education and training, for an innovative city, entrepreneurial university, businesses with high social responsibility and the approximation of education to market needs. The Parties will cooperate in order to bring a new and structured approach to the support and development of higher education and vocational education and training.
The UPCO Center will support and facilitate structured institutional cooperation between the signatory parties for the harmonization of higher education with the labor market, by building concrete models of cooperation with the economy and industry.
EH: What sectors in Kosovo will benefit from the upgrading of VET programs and the quality of teaching and learning processes?
AD: ALLED2 is supporting the upgrading of VET programs as well as the quality of teaching and learning processes in the following sectors in Kosovo: agriculture, food processing, mechanical engineering and energy. The selection of the project’s interventions is based on the recommendations and findings issued in the study “Labour Market Needs Analysis – Perspective for the future in Kosovo” (July 2019, ALLED2).
EH: Can you explain how the EU-co-funded ALLED2 project will ensure that vocational education training schools and vocational training centers provide high-quality programs that align with the needs of the labor market?
AD: ALLED2 project works on strengthening the link and alignment of education and training in HE and VET/VTCs to LM need in terms of developing a system and practice to support the cooperation. This implies development of LM systems for planning and monitoring of the need. It also implies development of HE and VET programmes according to the need of occupations and skills by industry, companies and enterprises. There is a need to strengthen the capacity of staff in education, foremost the teachers and trainers in the delivery of the programmes. The linkages between education and work, such as work-based learning and career counseling for transition to LM need to be enhanced. The overall structure and system for aligning needs and demands are supported within the national qualifications and quality framework.