Project description

Title: Vocational Education in North-East Albania
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Albania
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Education and Science
Overall term: August 2008 to December 2010

Context

There are very few employment opportunities in the poor north-east of Albania. Unemployment in the cities is over 50 per cent. The Albanian Government makes considerable investment in (primary school) education, but barely half of the pupils leaving primary school go on to obtain a secondary school-leaving qualification. In the districts of Dibra and Kukes, there is a lack of functioning commercial-technical vocational schools. The commercial high schools nominally offering vocational training are still geared more towards academic secondary school-leaving qualifications. There are no training centres for adult education.

This means that young people are ill-prepared to find work and an income. As primary school leavers, they can only find casual work. Even with an academic secondary school-leaving certificate, only unskilled jobs are open to them. Their prospects, therefore, are either to stay in the region (doing agricultural work), or to migrate to urban areas or to go abroad. At best, young people can take up further training there. At worst, they add to the numbers of unemployed, who are socially uninsured, and the number of illegal immigrants.

Objective

Young people in north-east Albania have real job prospects when they leave school. Graduates of the vocational schools are much more employable and less likely to be affected by unemployment.

Approach

The project is starting with a dialogue between regional training institutions, employment offices,, and commerce and industry. In August 2008, the first task was to begin an analysis of the labour market in the region. This investigated work force requirements and the necessary qualifications. It also studied how the regional employment patterns are represented in terms of gender, disadvantaged groups and age.

Subsequently, occupational fields and teaching subjects are established. The skill profiles for these professions are defined as standards, which in turn provide the theoretical and practical basis for the development of curricula. The process of curriculum development is taught by experts to working groups of teachers and representatives of commerce and industry, and implemented. The final examinations are to be recognised throughout the country and the rest of Europe. Curricula, training periods, locations and specialisations are made more flexible.

GTZ prepares young people for their entry into the labour market through careers advice, instruction with practical relevance, work experience and other projects. Advice given to institutions in the four districts is targeted towards cooperation with management and labour, and capacity development, so that together they can plan and implement practical vocational training.

The project team in Shkodra consists of a long-term German expert and an Albanian specialist, who are supported by short-term international and Albanian specialists. The team has a budget available for the upgrading of teaching materials.