Background – During the Communist period, Kosovars missed out on Yugoslavia’s mainstream economic and cultural development, suffering instead from a discriminatory domestic system, which culminated in the 1999 war. Since then, Kosovo has come a long way toward achieving its development goals. Many hoped that with the declaration of independence in 2008, ending the ambiguity of Kosovo’s political status, the country would start to attract additional foreign investment and benefit more from opportunities provided by the CEFTA free trade agreement. Still, economic growth has been too modest to create enough jobs for the youth of Kosovo. Europe’s youngest state, both in political and demographic terms, also has Europe’s lowest per-capita income, which at around € 1750 is 65% of the average income in Albania, the second-poorest country in Europe.

Project – Funded by SDC, Swisscontact is working with local partners in Kosovo to improve the delivery and quality of vocational education at schools, focusing on a portfolio of skills that meets labor market needs as well as innovative learning approaches. Almost 5,000 students are learning a profession, benefiting from improved learning environments and curriculums built to modern European standards. Swisscontact helps support: Apprenticeships in electrical installation, which provide students with the chance to plan and wire the lighting in a demonstration living room; Business and administration students, who acquire practical skills in virtual firms, performing a wide variety of business tasks and interacting with virtual peer firms around the world; Agricultural students, who learn by producing real tomatoes and peppers, considering market conditions to plan, plant, grow, harvest, and finally sell the produce; and thirteen partner schools, which train plumbers, car mechanics, electricians, heating engineers, gardeners, farmers, sales assistants, and business and administration assistants.
Currently, around 70% of young Kosovars are looking for a job—but among the partner schools’ graduates, 40% are working in a company within six months after receiving their diploma. Youth unemployment remains a huge challenge for Kosovo, but at the same time, the youth can become the country’s most important asset if they are able to acquire skills and deliver goods and services according to European standards.

Ajet Sogojeva, 19, Prishtina, Kosovo
“Before, I was a returnee from Germany and an orphan child. With support offered by Swisscontact to my school, I learned to be a car mechanic. Now I have a job as a car mechanic in a well-known local garage.”