The ECMI supports a new GIZ-project in Serbia and assists with its expertise in the field of access to Education of Roma pupils. In the frames of this project, relevant stakeholders from Serbia were in Schleswig-Holstein this week. They were advised by practitioners from the Schleswig-Holstein administration and employees of the youth employment agencies and met the Association of German Sinti and Roma with a view to its mentoring programme in Schleswig-Holstein schools. Yesterday, they visited the vocational education network “Perspective Training gGmbH” and on Wednesday they spent a whole day at the vocational training centre RBZ Technik in Kiel.

Tomorrow there will be a group workshop where the representatives of the Serbian education sector will share their impressions of the Schleswig-Holstein method to integrate Vulnerable Groups in the education system and think about possible ways of how to transfer the positive findings to the Serbian system.

Background:

Serbia is currently reforming its vocational training system. New legislation has been introduced concerning the setting up of dual education profiles, as well as with setting up career guidance and counselling teams (CGC teams) in vocational schools. Measures for the inclusion of vulnerable groups (in particular pupils of Roma background) in secondary vocational education and training are however inadequate and poorly defined. The project started with a fact-finding trip to Belgrade earlier this year, in the course of which the two ECMI experts Dr. Popova and Dr. Carstocea were asked to identify the main challenges confronting pupils of Roma background in accessing and participating in the dual education system, as well as their transitioning to employment once they have graduated. They were also asked to outline tentative solutions to each of the challenges they identified.

*GIZ =  Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH/ German Corporation for International Cooperation GmbH

Source: ECMI InfoChannel @ European Centre for Minority Issues.