TVET Bosnia and Herzegovina
About the project
The project “Strengthening the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) System in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by GOPA Worldwide Consultants, aims to improve the effectiveness, relevance, and sustainability of vocational education and training in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The project intervention focus is efficient and SMART TVET governance through strengthening roles of all relevant actors from demand and supply side with structured cooperation and EBPM principles applied.
The project is implemented in two phases: an Inception phase (2023–2024) and a four-year Implementation phase (2024–2028). Through collaborative work with educational institutions, the private sector, and decision-makers, the project seeks to strengthen the dialogue between education and the labor market, reform curricula, enhance the pedagogical and technical capacities of schools, and promote the attractiveness of the TVET sector among youth and parents.
Being the sectors with the highest income and growth generating power, it is decided that, at the beginning, all project implementation interventions and activities will focus on tourism and catering, wood processing, and metal processing sectors to showcase the project’s logic and approach in terms of capacities for change. The results achieved in these sectors will be used as a rationale and role model to transfer the logic and multiply the results on other sectors, vital for the country’s economy, as well as sectors in which the supply-demand gap for the skills development is largest. In line with the Theory of Change and cost-efficiency principles, the Project has designed a set of activities that supports TVET governance with modular approach, facilitating changes in the TVET system in order to ensure strong ownership, and institutionalization, thus long-term functionality, and sustainability of the Project (including a result-based approach).
The SMART Governance Dialogue means to build capacity to systematically evaluate TVET policy cycles to be enhanced in order to promote evidence based decision-making, organisational learning, accountability and policy learning.
The Challenge
The TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) system in Bosnia and Herzegovina faces many challenges. The latest international reports highlighted that TVET governance is one of the weakest in the Western Balkans.
TVET related reforms in BiH are advancing at a slow pace at all governance levels. TVET is governed by 14 educational authorities responsible for overseeing educational developments across state, entities, cantons, and district. This governance structure has resulted in over 70 policy documents, including framework laws, strategies, legislation, and guidelines.
TVET as such also faces challenges in terms of weak structured dialogue between world of education and world of economy which is precondition for high quality, industry relevant dual oriented TVET and human capital development in general. Further, the absence of a systematic approach and functional mechanisms hinders structured social dialogue, limits potential of TVET to contribute to sustainable economic growth and development, competitiveness and resilience of society as whole. Lack of capacities of social partners puts additional burden to TVET efficiency.
This has led to a shortage of a qualified workforce and well-paying jobs, as well as low productivity, competitiveness and transition to Industry 4.0. These issues are primarily due to the poor alignment between vocational education and the labor market.
The Goal
The main goal of the project is to improve and strengthen coordinated TVET governance framework system in Bosnia and Herzegovina in line with evidence-based policy making (EBPM) and European Framework for Quality Assurance in TVET (EQAVET) principles.
The impact is attributed to two designed outcomes, that reflect the need to support selected (based on commitment) education authorities countrywide to fulfil their roles and responsibilities as well as drive inclusive dual TVET reforms, including system financing, to bring policy to practice, and support businesses to proactively engage with governments on dual TVET reforms.
Our Approach
The project’s approach is modular and focused on multiple levels – macro (policies and strategies) and mezzo (schools and relevant educational institutions).
The project uses a modular approach (MRAS), offering a stakeholder-focused methodology that can easily be adapted to meet the specific needs and goals of each administrative unit. This approach is based on the resources, capacities, and expertise of all stakeholders to engage in a systemic dialogue for the development of policies focused on dual-oriented TVET. Partnerships in TVET, driven by demand and involving multiple institutions, require the active participation of all relevant stakeholders as a key condition for establishing a SMART TVET system based on commitment and political will. This approach encompasses planning, development, implementation of policies, as well as their revision and improvement.
The project applies the principles of SMART TVET, which involve linking education and the labor market through:
- strengthening the institutional capacities of key supply and demand stakeholders,
- establishing functional cooperation mechanisms between educational authorities and employers.
The project is expected to improve TVET governance efficiency at all levels by strengthening TVET stakeholders capacities, their roles and responsibilities for effective application in line with ‘strategic document’ “Riga Conclusions”. This is to be achieved through structured dialogue and peer learning, provision of high-quality work-based learning (WBL)/dual-oriented TVET, and empowering committed actors to develop and implement needed policy reforms.
The approach is grounded in key reference documents, extensive consultations with stakeholders and development partners, as well as an analysis conducted as part of the project’s inception phase.
Project team
Expert team
Efka Heder
Team Leader
Amir Sarajlić
Expert in Public-Private dialogue
Eldin Sarajlić
Governance
Mirsad Ferizaj
Amra Ćatić Dedić
Project assistant –
Finance
and administration
Key Principles of Implementation
General Approaches and Horizontal Principles Applicable Across All Project Components
- Smart management of quality assurance in the TVET sector
- Clearly defined and formalized cooperation through the signing of memorandums of understanding with relevant partners
- Developed criteria for user selection
- Structured collaboration between the education sector and industry at all stages of implementation
- Gender equality (gender mainstreaming)
- Industry 4.0 as a reference framework for the modernization of vocational education
- Classroom 3.0 – innovative approaches to teaching and learning
- Schools as drivers of change
- Evidence-based policy-making (EBPM) and results-oriented focus as the foundation for long-term sustainability
- Peer learning and knowledge exchange
- Application of best practices from Switzerland and Slovakia
Management Through Modularity and a Multilayered Approach
The project is based on modular management, structured through three clearly defined levels of action:
- Macro level – policies and strategies at the systemic level
- Mezzo level – institutional framework and cross-sectoral coordination
- Micro level – activities at the level of schools and companies
Principles of Smart Management and Quality Assurance (EBPM & EQAVET)
- Active involvement of educational authorities
- Participation of business association representatives
- TVET schools as key drivers of quality improvement
- Activation and operation of VET councils
- Establishment and strengthening of quality assurance (QA) systems
- Structured collaboration with companies
- Evidence-based management with clear evaluation and quality control mechanisms
- Focus on economically relevant sectors
- Alignment with development strategies at the entity and canton levels
5E Approach: Integration of Key Development Components
- Education
- Economy
- Entrepreneurship
- Employment
- Environmental Protection