Not much has changed since the outgoing director left D4D and the new acting director took over his desk. I am still working with the previous director, editing papers and documents for him via email. The paper on higher education is finally properly cited, and has been sent for translation into Albanian.
I met with the old director for lunch one day and he mentioned a possible companion paper, concerning vocational education in Kosovo. This topic was discussed at a recent salon. The general consensus among those present was that vocational training programs are under-utilized. Most students choose to attend four-year universities, gaining skills less applicable to market needs than those they could gain through a vocational education. However, no representatives from businesses were present at the salon.
Six human resources directors from Kosovo-based companies were invited to speak at the salon. Five refused the invitation; the sixth agreed to come but did not show up. This is a common problem with the salons. The speakers are generally from government or the University of Pristina; the private sector is rarely represented. On the morning of the 21st, I attended a conference at the Swiss Diamond Hotel on the central square.
A number of my coworkers have pointed the hotel out to me as we have passed it, calling it the nicest hotel in Kosovo. I must admit that the interior is quite ornate, and nicer than any hotel I have been in before. RYCO's founders intend for it to improve relations between Balkan nations especially Serbia and Kosovo , while also addressing the high youth unemployment in the region.
The main office will be in Tirana. The event featured a panel including ministers of Kosovo's goverment and the ambassadors from France, Germany, and Austria. Each panel member gave a short speech on the positive impacts this new program will have. They all said essentially the same thing: the youth are the future, their talents need to be utilized, and they must work together across borders.
