Luxembourg support helps Kosovo’s dual education reform deliver results

Kosovo’s vocational education system is undergoing one of its most important transformations in recent years. What began as a pilot initiative with a small number of students is today evolving into a nationwide model that connects schools more closely with businesses and helps young people gain practical skills that lead directly to employment.

Through its long-term support to vocational education reform, Luxembourg is helping Kosovo strengthen and expand the dual vocational education and training (VET) system, a model that combines classroom learning with practical training inside companies. The reform is closely aligned with Kosovo government priorities to modernise vocational education, strengthen employability, and increase private sector involvement in skills development.

Since the pilot phase launched in 2022 with around 100 students, dual education has expanded significantly and now includes more than 2,500 students, 32 vocational schools, and over 1,000 partner enterprises across Kosovo.

Luxembourg’s support, implemented through the Skills for sustainable jobs in Kosovo project, builds on years of cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), municipalities, vocational schools, and the private sector. Over time, this support has gone far beyond equipment investments. It has included the development of new curricula and qualification sets, teacher training, modern workshops, and the introduction of complete vocational profiles adapted to labour market needs.

Particular attention has been given to sectors considered strategic for Kosovo’s economic future, including ICT, renewable energy, wood processing, and manufacturing. In renewable energy and energy efficiency, Luxembourg supported the development of Kosovo’s first curricula covering solar, wind, biomass, and energy efficiency systems, helping schools adapt to the country’s growing green transition agenda.

The wood-processing sector represents another important example of how vocational education is being linked directly to economic development. Kosovo’s wood and furniture industry has become one of the country’s strongest export sectors, with exports of furniture and prefabricated wooden houses reaching almost EUR 190 million in 2025, while recording around 15% annual growth in recent years. The sector exports mainly to Germany and Switzerland, increasingly positioning Kosovo companies within European value chains.

Luxembourg-supported interventions have helped modernise carpentry and wood-processing profiles, strengthen practical learning opportunities, and improve cooperation between schools and companies operating in the sector.

One of the clearest examples comes from the Lutfi Musiqi vocational school in Vushtrri, where students from the carpentry profile completed dual education placements inside the furniture company Loni Dekor. There, students spent nearly 60% of their education in practical training, receiving hands-on experience directly inside production facilities. Many students were offered continued employment after graduation, reflecting the growing demand for skilled workers in the sector.

A major focus of the current phase is ensuring quality and credibility through a structured assessment and certification process. During the 2025/2026 school year alone, around 600 grade-12 students from 23 vocational schools are completing standardised theoretical and practical examinations across 12 occupational profiles, while approximately 900 grade-11 students from 27 schools are also participating in written assessments.

The assessed profiles cover a wide range of professions, including wholesale and retail trade, hospitality assistants, auto mechanics, metal workers, carpentry and wood processing specialists, tailors, HVAC installers, beauticians, hairdressers, electrical installers, cooks, and masons.

To support this process, Luxembourg assistance helped develop operational guidelines for examinations and certification, establish standards, train examiners, and strengthen the role of the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce (KCC) in coordinating implementation.

The KCC has become a key partner in bridging education and business. Through awareness campaigns, company certification systems, and training programmes for in-company instructors and examiners, the KCC is helping businesses become active contributors to vocational education rather than passive observers. More than 240 professionals from the private sector have already been trained and certified as examiners, while the KCC aims to certify 500 enterprises and 500 instructors in the coming years.

This cooperation is already producing measurable results. Across Kosovo, hundreds of teachers, trainers, and private sector examiners have been trained and certified to support the dual VET system. The goal is not only to implement examinations today but also to ensure that Kosovo institutions can sustainably manage the system independently in the future.

Behind these investments lies a broader objective: ensuring that vocational education responds to real labour market needs and gives young people stronger opportunities to build their future in Kosovo.

As Kosovo continues to strengthen its vocational education system, the partnership between Luxembourg institutions, the MESTI, the KCC, schools, and businesses is helping shape a model where education leads more directly to employment, and where companies become active partners in developing the country’s future workforce.

*Note: This article was initially published by the Embassy of Luxembourg in Pristina. 

The Skills for sustainable jobs in Kosovo project is funded by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and implemented by the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, and by LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency. The project aims to contribute to sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation, inclusiveness, and social development in a greener Kosovo. The specific objective is to enhance job prospects for young people and women by strengthening vocational education and training to meet market demands.