From skills to jobs: the dual VET pathway in Kosovo
In Dragash/Dragaš, 50 community members, 20 women and 30 young jobseekers, are gaining new opportunities to access the labour market through targeted training and support measures. The initiative focuses on equipping participants from Albanian, Gorani, and Bosniak communities with practical skills in sustainable textile production and IT, aligned with current market needs.
Women participating in the textile training have already begun receiving their first orders, applying circular economy principles by transforming materials into marketable products. At the same time, youth involved in IT training are strengthening their digital skills and improving their prospects for both local and online employment. This approach combines vocational training, mentoring, and strong links with the private sector, contributing to inclusive economic development in Dragash/Dragaš, with a particular focus on supporting non-majority communities and promoting sustainable employment pathways.
In Kosovo, efforts to improve access to employment and strengthen vocational education are supported through the German Government, implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and carried out in close cooperation with local partners and institutions.
At the same time, Kosovo is advancing systemic reform through the introduction of Dual Vocational Education and Training (Dual VET), a modern and effective pathway for strengthening education and supporting young people’s transition from school to the labour market. Introduced for the first time in the 2022/23 school year, Dual VET foresees that students spend at least 50% of their schooling time in training within companies, while signing a work or training contract and receiving compensation during their training period.
In Prizren, the Centre of Competence “11 Marsi” has started implementing Dual VET in the 2023/24 school year, initially for the metalwork profile, cooperation with the private sector is already showing strong results. In addition, the school offers other profiles in the Dual VET format, including car mechanics and electrical installation.
As a longstanding partner of GIZ, the Centre of Competence “11 Marsi” has benefited from continuous support through targeted capacity development, teacher training, strengthening of students’ participation in decision-making processes, and the provision of equipment for different technical professions. This contributes to a more practice-oriented and responsive vocational education system.
At present, around 2,300 students are enrolled in Dual VET programmes across Kosovo. The system is further strengthened through continuous capacity development of teaching staff, with 180 teachers trained in Dual VET methodologies. This includes 32 certified Trainers of Trainers (ToT) in schools and 45 in-company instructors trained by HWK Stuttgart, holding the AdA certification, ensuring sustainability and quality across the system.
These efforts have laid the foundation for the successful graduation of the first Dual VET cohort in May 2025, with around 100 students completing the programme, marking an important milestone in the development of vocational education in Kosovo.
A key focus of the current phase is the integration of green skills and sustainable professions. In this context, GIZ Kosovo is supporting the development and updating of curricula aligned with the green and digital transition. This includes the development of a Dual VET curriculum for mechatronics in electrical and hybrid vehicles, as well as the greening of existing profiles in food technology and retail, embedding sustainability, resource efficiency, and modern production practices into vocational education.
