As of today Lezha has a new vocational school built by EU funds and supported by Swiss vocational education project Skills4Jobs. Senior government and international officials attended the opening ceremony which included a conference on quality of tourism and a cooking competition between students from 9 vocational schools.
“Vocational education remains one of our priorities in Albania”, said Swiss Ambassador Christoph Graf at the inauguration. “Gradually, as more Albanian youth learn about the benefits for vocational training, and as the schools improve their offer, we can expect to see higher numbers of trained youth, ready to find work or start a business”, added Ambassador Graf.
Head of EU Delegation in Albania Romana Vlahutin speaking about EU support to Albania’s education and training system said: “Only in the past 10 years, over 24 million euros have been provided to Albania in the field of education, Vocational Education and Training, and employment promotion".
Present at the event was also Prime Minister Edi Rama who emphasised the importance vocational education and training has for economic growth.
The newly constructed ‘Kolin Gjoka’ school in Lezhë has the potential to provide a learning ground for many young students from the area and at the same time to supply the nearby touristic places with skilled workforce.
Students competed by cooking on the spot new recipes tasted by Master Chef Sokol Prenga. The first prize - a tablet for the best cook and one-week internship at a top hotel - went to Tirana Hotel-Tourism school. Parallel to the competition a national conference on quality in tourism took place with participation from leading companies and industry associations. Discussions focused on the steps necessary to have more qualified staff and make tourism in Albania more attractive. The testimony of a student from Vlora Commercial School illustrated the advantages of internships in vocational education.
In a pioneering effort to create better links between schools and employers, six companies signed agreements with the new school regarding exchanges and student training. With support by the Swiss-funded project ‘Skills4Jobs’ the school will benefit from new ICT labs, a Career Centre and assistance in establishing a market-oriented curriculum. Establishing close links with the private sector will be the focus of Swiss support for the ‘Kolin Gjoka’ school.
