Skills Development for Employment (SD4E)

• Albania’s population has witnessed contraction and aging in the recent years. The economy expanded in 2021 and labour force participation increased to 72%; with an unemployment rate of 12%. Long-term unemployment remains high.
• VET has undergone foundational reforms, especially in its legal and quality assurance framework. Yet, VET attractiveness as an educational pathway remains modest. Private sector does not yet engage sufficiently to make the VET sector more labour market relevant.
• There is momentum to improve the VET and employment sector. Building the capacities of the newly assigned staff of the line ministry and its national agencies is crucial. Based on the achievements of the previous phases, and in the Skills for Jobs project at provider level, Switzerland is very well positioned to support the positive change.

• National institutions effectively implement the sector’s policy framework and optimize delivery with innovative tools and financing instruments. 
• National institutions deliver individualised and data-driven employment policies and ALMMs, in partnership with the labour market ecosystem. 
• Public and private actors involved in the VET system use a standardised and harmonised quality assurance and development framework for self-assessment, accreditation, inspection, and monitoring.

Expected results:  

• Improved capacities of the national institutions to implement the strategic and regulatory package for VET/employ. promotion
• A participatory approach governs the implementation of an optimized VET system.
• Engaged labour market ecosystem promotes VET and employment at all levels.
• Intelligence on skills develop. and employment is regularly available to policy makers
• Credible model of Quality Assurance is transparently rolled-out. 
• National institutions pilot and consolidate a credible model of Recognition of Prior Learning.

Results from previous phases:  

• Phase 1: Local level responses for disadvantaged youth employment challenges in selected municipalities. Contribute to setting-up the public active labour market measures (ALMM) system.
• Phase 2 and 3: Setting-up the legal framework and fostering the national VET reform (work-based learning and Quality Assurance in VET provision, decentralization of VET management), incl. a monitoring and evaluation framework. Diversification of ALMMs (labour market information system, skills needs analysis, self-employment programme for youth).
• Capacity building and institutional strengthening have resulted in stronger and better governed national agencies as well as an accreditation system for all VET providers.