Since January 2014, a project related to vocational education has started to be implemented in the southwestern region of Kosovo. The SEED program (Support of Educational and Employment Development in Albania, Kosovo and Serbia)
supported by ADA is carried out in three countries: in Kosovo, Albania and Serbia and aims to improve the access of young people and women to the labor market as well as to contribute to gender equality by supporting positive socio-economic developments. The three-year program in Kosovo is carried out by the organization “Syri i Vizionit” in cooperation with Solidar Suisse and focuses on the creation of cooperation between vocational high schools in Pejë, Gjakovë and Prizren – the direction of Tourism and Hospitality with businesses active in these municipalities. It will also encourage the creation of the opportunity for students who follow these courses to complete the internships foreseen in the curriculum, in the businesses of those municipalities.
To achieve this, Syri i Vizioni has planned to develop the following activities within three years:
1. Creation of the group of actors and organization of workshops
In the three municipalities of Pejë, Gjakovë and Prizren, where the realization of the project is foreseen, contact will be made with educational institutions such as the directorate of education, the economic secondary school, the directorate of economic development, tourist offices, business representatives, tourist operators, agencies tourism, hotels and other actors to be part of the group of actors, which has the responsibility of creating cooperation between businesses and education, analyzing the sector, creating a list of priorities in the sector, intervention strategy, as well as active participation during the realization of the project.
2. Grand support
From the intervention strategy created by the group of actors, the call for applications for grants will be made. The amount planned to assist in facilitating the selection of problems foreseen by the actors, as well as in facilitating the creation of the system for conducting internships for students of hotel and tourism management in current businesses in the municipalities where the project operates, is 78,000 euros. The application for grande will be published in the media to inform all those interested in applying. The goals and criteria that the applicants will adhere to will be realized in cooperation with the coordinating group based on the intervention strategy.
3. Study on gender barriers in the tourism and hotel sector
From the collection of information and problems of the sector for the writing of the project, it is observed that a very low percentage of women are enrolled in vocational high schools in the direction of tourism. Only 5% of students in tourism schools are female, even though the tourism profession should not be dominated by men. The tourism sector has the potential to provide good jobs, especially for women. The study should assess the reasons for the low rate of female students in tourism schools and the low rate of female employment in the tourism sector. The results of the study will be integrated into the joint analysis of the problem in the sector. The study will be carried out by the expert based on the ToR drawn up by the international experts of Solidar Suisse and Volkshilfe.
4. Study Visits and Trainings
In the program, it is planned to have a study visit to Austria, where the group of beneficiaries will have the opportunity to get to know the form of cooperation between professional schools in the direction of tourism and businesses. Training in advocacy, gender equality, etc. will also be organized.
________________
