Most VET providers unaware of the graduation and employment rate among their Roma students, no internship opportunities mediated by the VET institutions, the surveys say
Two country assessments on Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians[1] in vocational education and training (VET) in Albania and Kosovo are already a fact thanks to the research component of the project ”Education, Employment, Partnerships and Gender Equality: A Winning Formula for Roma in VET”, funded by Austrian Development Cooperation and implemented by Roma Education Fund and its partners Roma Versitas Kosovo and Roma Versitas Albania.
The documents analyze currently available data in both countries in order to provide recommendations regarding which Roma-specific, gender disaggregated, VET-related issues need to be addressed by both public and private sectors, including policymakers. The analyses include small-samples empirical surveys (based on focus groups and interviews). The core project objective these country assessments pertain to, is to contribute to social inclusion and poverty reduction of Roma in Albania and Kosovo through support for vocational education and training and facilitation towards the labor market.
The two pieces of country-related research give an overview on the situational, legal, and institutional framework of VET developments, while incorporating experience and observations from the field. Of particular importance, the reports assess the intersection between VET and employment. These analyses contribute towards drafting of a specific policy shaping package for the authorities responsible for education and employment, as well as for establishing monitoring and evaluation approaches for the mentioned processes beyond the scope of this project.
Main findings in Kosovo
A survey conducted by Roma Versitas Kosovo reported that insufficient share, less than one fourth of the interviewed VET providers, collect graduation data about the enrolled Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian students, let alone about their further employment. Among the VET providers which have some sort of tracking system, only 38% are able to provide disaggregate data based on gender or ethnicity. The employment offices, on the other hand, do not update the data on regular bases hence the real employment situation of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian VET graduates cannot be properly reflected.
The survey reported that the professional training, delivered to Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities in Kosovo are predominantly of low quality where the trainees are not being able to gain the necessary skills to become employable. In many cases Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian people from the same neighborhood are being trained in the same vocation, thus the local job market has found it difficult to respond to such a supply. The authors of the empirical study reveal that the delivered professional trainings are appropriate mostly for seasonal employment, which, in the case of the job market in Kosovo, could secure the lowest payment and weak working conditions.
Another alarming fact is that 47.7 percent of the VET providers from the seven targeted municipalities in Kosovo (Prishtina, Gracanica, Fushe Kosovo, Ferizaj, Prizren, Peja and Gjakova) have no information on the number of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian students who attend internship programs. The majority of the VET providers declared that they cannot offer any program to support the future employment of VET graduates. Most of the respondents admit that as per their knowledge there is no program to support the employment Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians who graduate from vocational education and training.
Read the country assessment on Kosovo.
Main findings in Albania
In Albania, employment and vocational education and training for Roma remain a great challenge considering the level of income of the Roma families. Poverty and everyday provision for basic livelihood significantly reduce the interest of Roma and Egyptians in completing VET programs, as well as force them to find alternative solutions, often informal. Informal sectors, such as individual collection of recyclable waste, trade in used goods or other activities which do not require specialized training, generate higher incomes compared to the minimum monthly wage in the formal sectors in the country.
The author of the analysis criticizes the VET curricula in Albania as guaranteeing insufficient opportunities for students to put in practice their professional skills. Most of the students are expected to find business internship opportunities, or an institution to practice in, on their own. On a different note, during COVID 19, social distance minimized the training opportunities mainly due to the lack of technological equipment.
The dropout rate among the Roma students in vocational school is insignificant; however, the dropout from the compulsory education cycle is still high.
Findings from the study in Albania (the project municipalities are Tirana, Elbasan, Fier, Berat, Korca and Gjirokaster) disclose that there is a specific category of students, aged 14-17 years, who did not complete mandatory education, thus do not fulfill the criteria to enroll in the VET system. The author of the study recommends that designing of a customized program for students aged 14-17 years, which is to fill-in the educational gaps in their knowledge and skills, would be a useful instrument to increase the participation of students in VET.
Read the country assessment on Albania
Background information:
WinForVET project is implemented in Albania and Kosovo. The local project partners are Roma Versitas Albania and Roma Versitas Kosovo. The activities and outputs of the project are focused on two specific outcomes: education and employability. The primary target groups are up to 300 Roma beneficiaries (50% female) in both countries, as they will receive VET-related scholarships, training or employment.
Project “Education, Employment, Partnerships and Gender Equality: A Winning Formula for Roma in Vocational Education and Training”, is implemented by Roma Education Fund (REF), Roma Versitas Kosovo (RVK) and Roma Versitas Albania (RVA) and funded by the Austrian Development Cooperation.
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
[1] As it is most commonly used in European policy documents and discussions, the term “Roma” refers to a variety of groups who describe themselves not only as Roma but also as Gypsies, Travellers, Manouches, Ashkali, Sinti and other titles. This document will use this term as a convenient shorthand while recognizing the rich diversity of the people and cultures that it includes.
