With the support of the European Union

  • Connected Through Mobility.

    Developing the vocational education and training (VET) sector in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Montenegro.

Background

The flag Erasmus+, the European Union’s programme for education, training, youth and sport, offers training, learning and mobility opportunities for Vocational Education and Training (VET) learners and staff, in Erasmus+ Programme Countries (27 EU Member States + 6). No Programme Countries, otherwise known as “Partner Countries” can take part mainly in higher education and youth activities, which are open to the whole world.

A move to internationalise the VET sector is taking place in the EU and a number of Partner Countries were asking for opening of the VET actions under Erasmus+ to international cooperation, to benefit from the good experience, which has been accumulated in the framework of Erasmus+ and its predecessor programmes.

The Economic Reform Programme for the Western Balkans recognises the importance of vocational educational and training (VET) in underpinning industry and propelling economic growth. VET graduates are also job creators. Labour market relevant skills acquisition must be adopted and recognised in all types of training, be it formal, informal or non-formal as most of the training is happening in the informal sector. VET must be a coherent system whose purpose is to meet the demand of socio-economic development in terms of quality-skilled human resources. 

GOAL

The overarching goal of this pilot project is to strengthen the educational and VET system and introduce the four Western Balkan countries targeted by the program – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo* and Montenegro – to the opportunities of the vocational mobility programmes within the Erasmus+ framework.

The partnership is comprised of Central European and Western Balkan entities working in the field of business and education

and will give the chance for VET students, teachers as well as trainers and managers supporting mobilities to take part in a number of activities, listed below.

More specifically, the project is centred around three main areas:

1. Social perceptions and the image of the VET sector in WB countries – we wish to initiate a change in how societies of these states think about vocational schools and how they value vocational education.

2. The quality of vocational education – our goal is to assist VET institutions in WB countries in their efforts to provide better quality education and a more complete, valuable learning experience to their students; furthermore, we want to help the VET sector become more adept at preventing social exclusion.

In coherence with the 2016 Torino Process Regional Report, the Western Balkans have VET’s responsiveness to the economy high on their reform agenda in a context of sluggish employment and high youth unemployment. Currently in the Western Balkans, the relevance of VET to employment is limited, training is costly and investments by governments challenging. The enrolment levels have increased, but the access of young women to VET remains challenging.

3. The relevance of vocational education vis-a-vis labour market – we seek to help VET institutions in WB countries transition towards better convergence with the realities of their domestic labour markets. Additionally, our aim is to help the VET sector develop stronger ties with companies so that the business sector can support schools and public bodies, be it with its technical expertise or through devising mutually beneficial forms of cooperation.

Background

The flag Erasmus+, the European Union’s programme for education, training, youth and sport, offers training, learning and mobility opportunities for Vocational Education and Training (VET) learners and staff, in Erasmus+ Programme Countries (27 EU Member States + 6). No Programme Countries, otherwise known as “Partner Countries” can take part mainly in higher education and youth activities, which are open to the whole world.

A move to internationalise the VET sector is taking place in the EU and a number of Partner Countries were asking for opening of the VET actions under Erasmus+ to international cooperation, to benefit from the good experience, which has been accumulated in the framework of Erasmus+ and its predecessor programmes.

The Economic Reform Programme for the Western Balkans recognises the importance of vocational educational and training (VET) in underpinning industry and propelling economic growth. VET graduates are also job creators. Labour market relevant skills acquisition must be adopted and recognised in all types of training, be it formal, informal or non-formal as most of the training is happening in the informal sector. VET must be a coherent system whose purpose is to meet the demand of socio-economic development in terms of quality-skilled human resources. 

In coherence with the 2016 Torino Process Regional Report, the Western Balkans have VET’s responsiveness to the economy high on their reform agenda in a context of sluggish employment and high youth unemployment. Currently in the Western Balkans, the relevance of VET to employment is limited, training is costly and investments by governments challenging. The enrolment levels have increased, but the access of young women to VET remains challenging.

GOAL

The overarching goal of this pilot project is to strengthen the educational and VET system and introduce the four Western Balkan countries targeted by the program – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo* and Montenegro – to the opportunities of the vocational mobility programmes within the Erasmus+ framework.

The partnership is comprised of Central European and Western Balkan entities working in the field of business and education

and will give the chance for VET students, teachers as well as trainers and managers supporting mobilities to take part in a number of activities, listed below.

More specifically, the project is centred around three main areas:

1. Social perceptions and the image of the VET sector in WB countries – we wish to initiate a change in how societies of these states think about vocational schools and how they value vocational education.

2. The quality of vocational education – our goal is to assist VET institutions in WB countries in their efforts to provide better quality education and a more complete, valuable learning experience to their students; furthermore, we want to help the VET sector become more adept at preventing social exclusion.

3. The relevance of vocational education vis-a-vis labour market – we seek to help VET institutions in WB countries transition towards better convergence with the realities of their domestic labour markets. Additionally, our aim is to help the VET sector develop stronger ties with companies so that the business sector can support schools and public bodies, be it with its technical expertise or through devising mutually beneficial forms of cooperation.

Connecting Central Europe and the Western Balkans through mobility.

  • vocational education development
  • digital transformation
  • enlargement
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MONTHS

The following activities will be implemented.

Short term mobilities

These includes outgoing 30 days mobilities from each Western Balkan target country (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Montenegro) to one of the Erasmus+ programme countries involved in the project (Greece, Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia).

Long term mobilities

The goal of the long term mobility is for VET school graduates of Western Balkan schools to take part in a 90 days vocational trainings organised in companies in one of the hosting countries.

Job shadowing mobilities

The goal of the job shadowings is to introduce the Western Balkans VET school staff to the vocational educational systems of the hosting countries. Participants spend a week taking part in the school’ s life, attending workshops and lessons, as well as observing pre-departure training conducted for the students of those schools who have been recruited for vocational mobilites.

Conferences

Innovative conferences will be organised for the representatives of all the partners in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary and Slovenia. The topics will be linked to vocational mobility, linking the educational sector with business.

Guidebook for best practices

The goal of the guidebook is to summarise on how to organise and manage mobility projects and conduct comprehensive pre-departure training. Based on the inputs and experience received during the project period the guidebook will be designed, published and translated into English and the languages of the target Western Balkan countries.

Coordinator meetings

The goal of the meetings will be to coordinate work between partners. Meetings will be conducted roughly every 6-9 months from each other.

PARTICIPATING ORGANISATIONS AND COUNTRIES.

Lead applicant: MeOut Group

  • Central Europe
  • Western Balkans
  • business, education and policy making sector
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countries

video.

PROJECT partners.

these awesome organisations are involved in this project

Participating countries

Albania

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Greece

Hungary

Kosovo

Montenegro

Hungary

Open calls.

calls will be available soon

Latest news.

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.