The Private Sector-Led Workforce Development Activity in Kosovo (PSWD) is a five-year activity that supports the Kosovan private sector to develop and strengthen the workforce with more market-driven skills.

PSWD harnesses collaboration between the private sector, technical and vocational education and training providers, government, youth and civil society organizations to prepare young people with skills to meet the needs of Kosovo’s growth industries and help them move into jobs in these sectors. PSWD will address system constraints and leverage opportunities in three interrelated areas: skills demand, skills supply, and the enabling environment.

• Advance private sector leadership in collaboratively determining needs, designing, and financing tailored workforce solutions (Demand).
• Strengthen private sector and key workforce ecosystem actors’ capabilities to co-implement and co-assess workforce solutions (Supply).
• Strengthen workforce ecosystem relationships for sustained collaboration on inclusive employment solutions (Enabling Environment).

These goals will be achieved through the following core activities:

• Establish Sector Workforce Councils in the Information and Communications Technology, wood processing, and agri-business growth sectors to unite employers, educators, the diaspora, civil society, policy makers, and donors to define workforce development needs, and support workforce development solutions. The activity will work with Council leads to advance their ability to strategically manage the Councils, use data to develop responsive vocational and technical education, connect with the diaspora to catalyze support, and promote workforce solutions that are inclusive.
• Provide Workforce Innovation Grants to strengthen the supply of flexible, demand-led, workforce development solutions. Through careful control of grant eligibility and selection criteria, PSWD will incentivize the behavior it wants to promote and identify committed and capable recipients who are well positioned to take ownership, deliver with increasing autonomy, and sustain activities after PSWD closes.
• Support data informed decision-making to ensure that workforce solutions are demand-driven and evidence-based, and to demonstrate value to incentivize sustainable investments in workforce development. PSWD will support each Sector Workforce Council to improve its use of data through the improvement of, or development of new, digital tools that provide labor market information and measure the performance and impact of new and improved training programs.
• Support positive youth development, gender equality, and social inclusion to support diverse youth to influence and benefit from workforce solutions, ensuring that their voice is front and center throughout: as members of Sector Workforce Councils, as participants on Workforce Innovation Grant selection panels, and as central actors in annual learning exchanges.

Kosovo Office 

Valmira Haxhaj Gushlla, Chief of Party, IREX 

Liza Marku, Deputy Chief of Party, Crimson Capital 

Donika Macastena, Private Sector Leadership Manager, Crimson Capital 

Agon Jusufi, Workforce Innovation Manager, IREX 

Fatlume Halili, Ecosystem Relationship Manager, IREX 

Enver Kerçeli, Finance and Operations Manager, IREX 

Washington DC Support 

Marcel Ricou, Project Director, IREX 

Tim Shorter, Senior Program Officer, IREX 

Stephanie Large, Program Coordinator, IREX

For country inquiries, Chief of Party: vhaxhaj@irex.org

For HO inquiries, Senior Program Officer: tshorter@irex.org