E2E Education to Employment

This project is intended to provide skills training for the local labour market. Training will be provided in informal short courses for inactive young people who are neither pursuing education and training nor working.

This end-to-end project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). SFUVET supports this project by introducing the situation-based approach to training, which allows the conceptualisation, identification and implementation of relevant competences in training. The job profiles are more functions and therefore cannot be compared to the competence profiles that we use in Switzerland. However, the project is now very successful in placing young people who have completed relevant training. Through these successes, the project is also expected to have an impact on the formal education system and education policymakers.

Summary of the project

Youth unemployment in Serbia exceeds 50% in some regions and the national average stands at 27%. Social reforms are needed in order to pave the way for EU accession. In an effort to improve the transition of young people from education to the labour market, Switzerland is helping Serbia through an SDC-funded project that focuses on facilitating the acquisition of specific job-related skills, knowledge and attitudes (SKA) among young people.

To this end, training is provided to designated intermediaries who are tasked with providing young people in various parts of the country with opportunities to work with qualified workplace trainers at local host companies, thereby allowing them to gain initial work experience and training. This improves the employability of young people and gets the private sector actively involved in vocational education and training. The experiences gained from this project will be used to make necessary adjustments to the national policies and legislative framework concerning vocational education and training in Serbia.

Duration

1^st phase 2015-2019, 2^nd phase 2019-2023

Objectives

Facilitating the transition of young people from education to the labour market, involving the private sector in vocational education and training, implementing dual-track features in formal vocational education and training programmes in Serbia.

SFUVET's expertise

Introducing situation-based didactics in the development of training plans and the underlying vocational pedagogical concept (now referred to as the SKA model in Serbia). Provision of pedagogical training to those who will be assigned to act as workplace trainers at host companies.

Partners

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), IP-Consult (Niras Group)