1. INAP-ETF, INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE-Turin, Italy INOVATIVE APPRENTICESHIPS: Promoting Successful School-to-work Transition 17-18 September 2009 Career Education and Orientation Year: effectife transition tools from general schooling to vocational education The case of Kosovo LUMNIE MEHMETAJ Freelance Consultant on Career Guidance Prishtina, Kosova E-mail: lumemeh@yahoo.comlumemeh@yahoo.com

2. Kosovo Kosovo declared its independence on 17 February 2008. The total population is estimated about 2.5 million. Ethnic Albanians account 88%, ethnic Serbs -7% and other ethnic groups -5%. 50% of the population is under the age of 25 and 40% -under 18. According to the WB Poverty Assessment report, more than 37% of the population live below the poverty line 1.42 Euro, and 15% - in extreme poverty, below 0.92 Euro. The unemployment rate is about 40 %; around 70% of them under 40 years. The vocational education system in Kosovo is almost entirely school-based.

3. Vocational Education Vocational education is school-based with around 55% of the students from upper secondary education. Mostly vocational schools are considered as a second choice for students Vocational programmes in Kosovo are still mainly targeted toward narrow specializations. Practice is constrained by poor facilities, equipment and learning materials. Schools have no formal institutional links with local business. VET law envisages a combination of school-based education with in-company training.

4. Orientation Year The curriculum reform in 2001 emphasizes the importance of the orientation year-grade nine. Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) in 2003 introduced the ‘achievement’ test for 9th grade students. New initiatives have been introduced in May 2009 as a part of Career Guidance Week Career Information Day Open Doors Day

5. Career education Initially, in 2008, MEST with support of EU-KOSVET project introduced piloting of career education as an elective subject for ninth grade in 34 schools. 16 teaching hours were delivered per class in a semester. Evaluation has shown positive results and high satisfaction of the teachers and students. MEST decided to continue and extend the piloting in 80 schools. The EU-KOSVET project has trained eighty teachers. Six of them have had further training to train their colleagues in the future.

6. Career education impacts (1) Ms Sebahate Reqica, one of these trained teachers, states: ‘Personally I enjoy teaching career education because it is an attractive subject for students; they also like tests about skills and personal qualities and characteristics. This subject helps them to make a decision about choosing a profession in time. The role of the career education teacher is very important because during the visits to different companies or institutions the students become aware which professions are demanded on the labour market and which profession would be suitable for them. The implementation of the pilot was not easy, but the enthusiasm of us,career education teachers, and our ositive energy to help students helped to overcome many problems’.

7. Career education impacts (2) Aulona Sylejmani, one of students interviewed, states: ‘Career education subject helped me to decide which career to choose between three that I already had in mind. I always liked agriculture but also I had thoughts of another two professions: forestry and economics. Our career teacher took us to visit a local agricultural school and it helped me to definitely decide on my career. I want to enroll in this school even though I know my friends will joke with me because I have chosen agriculture, as I am an excellent student and vocational schools have a lower prestige’.

8. Career education impacts (3) Another student Hekuran Hoxha states: I have always liked computers since I was a child but I was not sure which qualifications I would need and what my employment prospects would be. My career teacher explained to us about vocational schools and the labour market so I got my answers. I have decided to become an IT specialist and I will enroll in technical school. The teacher explained to me that IT is in high demand in the labour market in Kosovo’.

9. Job shadowing – Girls’ Day The Girls' Day opened up wide future prospects to a generation of qualified young women. Ms Vlera Tahiri student who participated on Girl’s day states: ’I have never thought about the possibility of working in a profession that is rather untypical for women, but now I would like to be a taxi driver. I believe that these kinds of professions are interesting and woman that work in these professions prove that they can achieve everything that a man could as well’.

10. Conclusions (1) The orientation year’- 9th grade needs to be taken more seriously and ‘literally’ by providing to students real opportunities for orientation. The ‘Open Doors Day’ and ‘Career Information Day’ should be regular activities every year and extended to all schools throughout Kosovo. The inclusion of mandatory career education subject in all 9th grades after the third time of piloting (2010/2011) and it should be embedded in upper secondary education including vocational and general/gymnasia education in Kosovo.

11. Conclusions (2) Girls’ Day should be an annual activity and extended to all municipalities. Vocational schools should deliver competence based programmes which combine vocational and employability skills. Vocational schools and employers through a ministerial order should establish formal and regulated agreements for work placements. Student tracking system should be put in place to look at the school-to work transition problem and to have a proper skills forecasting. mechanism.