Strengthening technical and vocational education system to meet the growing demand of the labour market for skilled workers and specialists is being materialized through significant investments in the educational infrastructure and the increased number of students who choose to enrol in the vocational and training schools across the country.

Two vocational education schools in the central district of Elbasan have recently undergone complete reconstruction, while a brand-new building has been constructed for the practice program and work-based training, as part of the project to build a whole vocational education campus featuring modern labs and equipment.

Prime Minister Edi Rama, accompanied by the Minister of Finance and Economy Anila Denaj, visited the two vocational education schools in the city of Elbasan with a combined enrolment of more than 1,500 students and which have been equipped with new rooms, labs, library and informatics teaching labs.

“Interesting enough is the fact that number of students enrolling in vocational education schools has kept increasing,” the Finance and Economy Minister said, adding that more than 850 students attend “Ali Myftiu” vocational high school alone.

“The other school, a part of which is undergoing reconstruction, has around 700 students. The practice program and the work based training is a very important aspect of the vocational education schools that have concluded agreements with local businesses which are main employers of the vocational education students and graduates. This school has signed agreements with 200 private businesses and the other school cooperates with 100 businesses. The number of students who gain access to the labour market is estimated at 55 percent since the first year of the school,” Denaj said.

Finance Minister noted that government has allocated a funding of 150 million lek to support this investment project to equip the practice program labs with new equipment and modern labs. She noted that rehabilitation and reconstruction projects are already underway in the other vocational education school that offers courses on hospitality and tourism industry, economics, textile and apparel, IT, etc., and a new building is being constructed from scratch for the practice programs.

“The new school will include modern labs for each of the seven study programs it offers,” Denaj said, adding that practice and work-based programs will be carried out both in school and private businesses. According to the Finance Minister, the tourism’s double growth over the past few years has spurred a growing number of students to attend hospitality and tourism programs. Denaj said that curricula have also been revised as part of a program in all vocational schools across Albania.