The Kosovo Challenge Fund (KCF) as a funding program has the goal to strengthen the labour market relevance by increasing the quality of vocational education and training, thus increasing the employability of VET participants. The KCF contributes to the quality and effectiveness of cooperative training programs by investing in adequate training facilities, suitable training workshops, relevant equipment and machinery at VET schools, as well as regular and adequate use of such facilities by teachers and trainees in the schools.
Kosovo’s economy is driven by micro, small and medium-sized companies (MSMEs), which provide 99% of employment in the country. While in Kosovo around 50% of students in upper secondary schools attend one of the 67 public VET schools, enterprises find it difficult to recruit qualified youth. VET has the potential to bridge the gap between labour supply and demand, by instilling in students the technical and transferrable skills they need to be employable and productive.
The KCF seeks to raise the overall quality of VET and align it with the needs of the labour market and aims to strengthen the employment-oriented economic development in Kosovo in accordance with the Stabilization and Association Process of the EU.
The Fund was commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), delegated to KfW Development Bank, and is executed by the Ministry of Education and Science.
Since its founding in 1948, KfW (German Development Bank) has remained true to its mission of supporting change and encouraging forward-looking ideas – in Germany, Europe and throughout the world. The projects and programmes promoted by KfW Development Bank are proposed by the governments of the partner countries, so that the respective country’s development strategies and structures form the basis of cooperation.
The Ministry of Education and Science (MES) is responsible for implementing the project, with the support of a professional Fund Management Unit (FMU).
