ERI SEE support to the modernisation of VET in the WB region – Navigating the Road Ahead project contribution
The Education Reform Initiative of South Eastern Europe – ERI SEE has contributed to the modernisation of vocational education and training (VET) in the Western Balkans through its engagement in the Navigating the Road Ahead: Creating Shared Values in the Trucking Industry in the Western Balkans project as part of the RECONOMY programme, implemented by HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation in collaboration with the Volvo Group and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency – Sida. Within this framework, the ERI SEE has supported regional efforts to strengthen skills development in the transportation and logistics sector, with a particular focus on the trucking industry.
A central element of the project has been the regionalisation of qualifications and occupational profiles relevant to the trucking industry. To support this process, the ERI SEE coordinated the development of regional occupational and qualification standards Specialist for Mechatronics of Trucks and Heavy Vehicles. These standards were developed by regional working groups composed of experts from VET and qualification agencies, as well as sector specialists from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia*, ensuring alignment with labour-market needs and existing national frameworks.
Throughout March to May 2025, the ERI SEE coordinated and supported a series of regional working group meetings, conducted online and in hybrid formats, dedicated to the development, refinement, and finalisation of the regional occupational and qualification standards. These meetings included consultations with Volvo technical experts, enabling direct input from industry into the definition of competences, work processes, and learning outcomes relevant to modern heavy-vehicle mechatronics.
Based on developed qualification standards. a regional adult education programme for Specialist for Mechatronics of Trucks and Heavy Vehicles was developed and endorsed at regional level by representatives of Western Balkan 6 VET and qualification agencies. The programme is designed to support adult learners and upskilling pathways and serves as a practical bridge between industry requirements and education provision. Regional working group meetings held in April and May 2025 focused on the finalisation and endorsement of this programme, supporting its applicability across different national contexts.
The Navigating the Road Ahead project contribution reflects ERI SEE’s continued engagement in supporting the development of socially and environmentally sustainable, labour-market-relevant occupational and qualification standards, particularly in sectors undergoing technological transformation. The developed standards and training programme provide a foundation for further national implementation, adaptation, and potential integration into formal education pathways, contributing to the longer-term modernisation of VET in the region.
[1] * This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNCSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo* declaration of independence.
