Her Path, Her Skills

The project contributes to inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development in Kosovo by increasing girls’ participation in vocational education and training (VET) as a durable route into education and employment.

It sets out to challenge gender stereotypes and social norms, to strengthen gender-responsive career guidance systems, and to improve the links between education and the labour market. Through awareness activities, capacity building for school and VET institution staff, peer mentoring, and stronger cooperation between VET institutions and the private sector, the project supports girls and their families in making informed decisions about education and careers.

Specific objectives

• Raise awareness among lower secondary pupils, particularly girls, their parents and local communities, of what vocational education and training offers and of labour market prospects, reducing gender stereotypes about profiles traditionally regarded as men’s occupations.
• Strengthen the capacity of career guidance counsellors, teachers and VET institution staff to provide gender-responsive, non-stereotypical vocational guidance and counselling.
• Promote positive female role models and peer inspiration by engaging successful female VET graduates as role models for outreach, mentoring and awareness activities.
• Improve cooperation between VET institutions and the private sector, in order to support gender-balanced participation in vocational education and to create employment opportunities.

Beneficiaries

The primary beneficiaries are pupils — particularly girls in lower secondary education — and their parents, who are supported in making better informed, future-oriented decisions about education and careers.

Teachers, career guidance counsellors, school leaders and VET institutions also benefit, through stronger capacity to deliver inclusive and gender-responsive vocational guidance.

A further group are female VET graduates, who benefit from developing mentoring skills and from greater visibility as role models for younger generations.

Indirect beneficiaries are the Ministry of Education and Science, the municipalities and the private sector, through stronger cooperation, better career guidance practice and closer alignment of vocational education with labour market needs.

Municipalities covered

The project runs in five municipalities — Kaçanik, Drenas, Therandë, Viti and Obiliq — with particular attention to widening access to career guidance and skills development in rural areas and in communities that have less access to them.

Activities include informing and raising awareness among pupils and parents, mentoring for girls, promoting female role models, training career counsellors and teachers, visits to businesses, open days at vocational schools, and strengthening cooperation between VET institutions and the private sector.

“Her Path, Her Skills” is carried out with the support of the project “Skills for sustainable employment in Kosovo”, funded by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and implemented by the Ministry of Education and Science and LuxDev, the Luxembourg Agency for Development Cooperation.