European Agency for Reconstruction John Phillips, Head of Information

1
European Agency for Reconstruction John
Phillips, Head of Information Communication

• VET reforms in the Western Balkans how to
  finance implement them
• EC support to the Serbia VET Reform Programme
• Thessaloniki, 12 March 2004

2
European Agency for Reconstruction 2000-2004

• The Agency has managed a cumulative 2 billion
  (2004 another 340 million) of EC assistance
  programmes. 90 is contracted, 73 paid.
• The Agency has managed 37 million in education
  programmes (including VET) in its four locations
• Serbia 15 million
• Montenegro 4.6 million
• Kosovo 10 million
• FYR Macedonia 7.5 million

3
EU commitment

• These young people are our future .
• and we are not investing sufficiently in that
  future.
• Doris Pack MEP
• Magure school,
• Kosovo, 5 March 2004

4
EC VET assistance in Serbia - the background

• Serbian unemployment 28
• More flexible workforce needed for emerging
  sectors, e.g. SME, agriculture/food processing
• Current VET situation in Serbia too much student
  not adult focus too much industrial focus
• EC programme (2002) 2 million for
  training/retraining unemployed redundant people
  in Sumadija region

5
EC VET assistance in Serbia 1/3

• 08/2003 08/2005
• 13 million
• Ministry of Education Sports
• European Profiles, OEEK, Louis Berger
• A truly global approach
• Two balancing acts
• hard physical help soft intellectual help
• support for the regions support for the centre

6
EC VET assistance in Serbia 2/3

• Five initial lessons
• Involve business social partners
• Open up VET reform process to municipalities
• Let new VET schools reflect local circumstances
• Give everyone a voice in curriculum development
• Team up with experts, like the ETF

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EC VET assistance in Serbia 3/3

• Four main project components
• Capacity building training (3.8 million)
• - Education Law
• - Curriculum modernisation
• - Preparation of EIB loan
• - 1,000 teachers from 50 pilot schools 100
  change agents
• Five new Regional Training Centres (1.7 million)
• Equipment infrastructure (7.5 million)
• Innovation Fund (1.7 million)