Kosovo's hospitality and tourism sector has significant potential to create productive employment and support economic growth. However, persistent gaps between vocational education and training (VET) curricula and the skills needed by employers limit both: the growth potential of the tourism sector and the opportunities for young people to access decent jobs, according to a new assessment by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The ILO report, "The vocational education and training system in Kosovo: addressing skills needs in the hospitality sector", finds that existing qualifications and training programmes do not yet fully reflect the industry's evolving needs. It calls for updated and more flexible qualifications and curricula, with greater emphasis on customer service, digital, green and entrepreneurial skills, supported by more systematic use of labour market information for educational planning.
The assessment also identifies governance arrangements, insufficient opportunities for employer engagement in training development and delivery, as well as an uneven implementation of work-based learning as key challenges. While the expansion of dual vocational education and training in Kosovo represents important progress, strengthening other forms of work-based learning can be a viable option for acquiring practical skills. By better structuring existing work-based learning schemes, they can become more consistent with the reality of the labour market. This includes clearer arrangements between training schools and businesses on how to train young people, and a closer alignment with curricula and learning outcomes.
Stronger quality assurance and better VET data are equally important. Fragmented data systems and the lack of systematic graduate tracking make it difficult to assess the employment outcomes of young people. However, this information is essential to plan VET programmes effectively. Better links between VET and labour market information could produce more up-to-date curricula and support the government in better shaping the vocational training offer.
The report also calls for a more strategic investment in modern training facilities and equipment, considering functionality, occupational safety and health, energy efficiency, accessibility and effective use of resources. Better training facilities are not enough to reach young people and young adults with training opportunities for a hospitality career. With more sector-specific career guidance and stronger measures to improve access, the VET offer can be expanded to underrepresented groups. In parallel, provisions for the recognition of prior learning experiences offer workers without formal training certificates the chance to obtain an official qualifications.
To address these challenges, the report recommends developing a comprehensive skills strategy for the hotel, restaurant and catering (HoReCa) sector, informed by labour market information and shaped jointly by public institutions, training providers and social partners - the representative workers' and employers' organisations. It also calls for strengthening the HoReCa tripartite Sectoral Skills Council as a mechanism to ensure more systematic engagement of employers and workers in identifying skills needs and shaping qualifications, training programmes and work-based learning.
Overall, the assessment finds that Kosovo has important foundations to build on. Stronger coordination, greater involvement of social partners and targeted investment in relevant, high-quality training could help create a more responsive skills system and enable the hospitality sector to realise its potential for decent work and for Kosovo's youth.
