A boost for Albania

Young women and men in Albania lack prospects. A German project is strengthening vocational education and training.

Youth unemployment is a pressing problem in Albania: one third of women and men aged between 15 and 29 do not have a job. What is more, there is a growing number of people returning to the country, either of their own free will or because they had no choice, after having tried to gain a foothold abroad – in Germany, for instance.

With an annual per capita income of 3,400 euros, Albania is one of Europe's poorest countries. The economy did at least grow by 2.7 per cent in 2015, and is set to see a further 3.4 per cent increase in 2016.

"Post-2008, Albania dealt with the crisis better than its neighbours," says Sabine Hartig. But that is not enough. Hartig should know. She runs the "Vocational Educational and Training (VET) in Albania" programme of the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

The GIZ is working on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with the Albanian Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth to give people greater opportunities on the labour market – in Albania and beyond. "We are active on the political level, and are developing a new and innovative model on the school level," says Hartig.

The central focus is the Multifunctional VET Centre (MFC). The pilot scheme is underway in Kamza, a city of 150,000 inhabitants in Greater Tirana. Albania's problems are particularly evident there, with very large numbers of young people and very high rates of unemployment.

"The MFC is the only provider of vocational education and training here," explains Hartig. The centre has around 1,500 students, with as many as 150 more undergoing continuing education each year. Hartig is convinced that the MFC can help improve their lives.

It is important for the MFC to work to­gether with local firms, which have a shortage of skilled personnel – in areas such as information technology, healthcare and tourism. Launched in 2010, the project has a budget of 7.9 million euros and also supports six vocational training schools in the northeast of Albania, the country's poorest region. The continuing education of teachers and the modernisation of curricula are also important there.

Furthermore, the GIZ cooperates with two schools in Germany: a vocational school for healthcare and social welfare in Jena and an IT and medical technology college of further education in Berlin. "Students from Berlin were at the MFC in Kamza last year, and their Albanian counterparts will be travelling to Berlin in the autumn of 2016," explains Hartig.

Indeed the results of the programme are generally very positive, believes Hartig: "We have trained around 150 teachers and helped – directly or indirectly – some 27,500 students." Most importantly, however, the young people who leave the MFC tend to find themselves one step further in their careers. Two thirds have found a job or are in higher education. Of those who are working, more than 80 per cent are in full-time employment.

Hartig is unconcerned by the fact that the project will finish at the end of 2016, as she believes that the government in Tirana attaches considerable importance to vocational training and education.

Source: deutschland.de (news portal on Germany), revised by iMOVE, August 2016