Professors Joachim Ertelt and Michael Scharph from the University of Applied Labour Studies in Mannheim, Germany, met with Rector Arben Hajrullahu and Vice-Rector Avni Hajdari to discuss pathways and opportunities for transferring German expertise to Kosovo, specifically linking vocational training for employment counselors to the labor market. 

GIZ Kosovo, supported by the German Government and in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance, Labour, and Transfers (MFLT), has engaged the two professors to assess the needs of the Employment Agency in Kosovo and design a certified career counseling program. 

Rector Hajrullahu welcomed the initiative, pledging full support from the University of Prishtina (UP). The professors expressed honor in contributing to this pioneering effort, which is the first of its kind in the region. 

The meeting was also attended by Vjosa Mullatahiri, manager of the labor market policy component at GIZ Kosovo, and Bjondina Rexha, a consultant for youth development at the MFLT. 

The University of Applied Labour Studies (HdBA), with campuses in Mannheim and Schwerin, operates under the framework of Germany’s Federal Employment Agency.