Albania is a small country in the Western Balkans bordering the Mediterranean Sea, Greece, Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro. It has about 3’700’000 inhabitants. About 1’000’000 people have migrated, primarily to Greece and Italy.

 

While the general education system has survived transition and is challenged with European quality standards, vocational education and training requires re-building from scratch.

However, vocational education and training has considerable potential to boost the economy and to make a significant contribution to insert people into the labour market. It thus contributes to both poverty mitigation and to making further steps towards European integration.

SDC has supported vocational education and training projects since 1994, and the AlbVET project represents the third project generation.

The present vocational education and training system rests on two legs and provides school-based programmes of 2-4 years duration for students at upper secondary level, and vocational courses of 1-24 months duration for employment seekers.

Generally speaking, the VET system faces considerable challenges:

·     Relevance for the labour market,

·     Attractiveness for potential students,

·     Quality of delivery both as regards teaching and learning processes and  compliance with European professional performance standards,

·     Participation of the private sector at all levels for policy development, quality assurance and training delivery.

In close cooperation with other donors and projects, namely of the European Union, Germany and Austria, the AlbVET project supports the Albanian Government in reforming its VET system. AlbVET works at all levels, i.e. with individual training providers, local and regional authorities, but also with the central government and its institutions.

Objectives

The AlbVET project contributes to the overall reform of the Albanian Vocational Education and Training System to transform it into an efficient labour market responsive system, which attracts participants and strives towards European standards. In order to achieve that, AlbVET implements four components

Component 1 – Formal systems reform

The formal system at upper secondary level undergoes a fundamental reform. The rigid system of 3- and 5-years programmes is replaced through a flexible 2+1+1 system with different specialization levels and exit points to the labour market. AlbVET supports the implementation in two occupational fields and in vocational schools all over the country.

Component 2 – Partnership for learning

Cooperation and partnership between public and private stakeholders, between schools and businesses, hardly exist in Albania. Relations are influenced by a deep mutual mistrust, and the organisation level of the private sector is still weak. AlbVET attempts to develop 4-6 local models for Partnership for Learning, some sort of dual or apprenticeship schemes.

Component 3 - Decentralisation

The present Albanian system is highly centralized and detached from local labour markets. AlbVET supports the decentralisation process to regional and local decision makers through piloting a semi-autonomous Regional VET Centre in the central region of Durres.

Component 4 – Social inclusion

VET as active labour market measure is an instrument for labour market insertion of minorities and other special needs groups. AlbVET supports the development and implementation of respective concepts and approaches.

 Financing agency

SDC-Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

Implementing agency

Swisscontact

Phases

Phase 1: 01.01.2007 – 30.06.2009

Phase 2: 01.07.2009 – 30.06.2011

Financial volume 

Phase 1: CHF 4’435’000

Phase 2: CHF 2’600’000

Local partners

Ministry of Education and Science

Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs

National VET Agency

National Employment Service

10 Vocational Schools

Private Training Providers

Business membership associations

Project office

1 International Coordinator and Policy Advisor

1 Local Project Manager

4 Component Coordinators

1 PR and Liaison Officer    

www.albvet.al