Mission Director James Hope spoke September 21^st at the inception conference for USAID’s new After School Support for Teens (ASSET) activity.  After School Support for Teens is a five-year program to develop employment and entrepreneurial skills in Kosovo’s youth and to help them make the transition from students to the workforce.  Because it is important to prepare students for a range of opportunities, the program has several complementary components, including career counseling, entrepreneurial education and makerspaces for students, as well as a host of new resources for teachers.  The program will also engage with businesses and entrepreneurs interested in supporting the development of workforce skills in students.  The recent workshop brought together many of the key stakeholders critical to the activity’s success, including Ministry officials, educators, implementing partners, donors, and local businesses.  The day’s presentations and discussions served as an in-depth introduction to project’s goals, activities, and relationship to the new high school curriculum.

The first two pilot high schools selected to participate are in Prishtina and Gjakova, and both municipalities recently signed MOUs with the schools to officially launch the program’s activities.