The quality education and adequate training play a key role in the recruitment of staff in the employment process. The responsibility is even greater when recruiting staff from specific sectors, candidates for positions in the pharmaceutical industry, who need to be properly prepared and trained for the challenges and responsibilities of this industry.
In this regard, the Embassy of Switzerland, through the “Education for Employment Project “, in partnership with “Alkaloid” AD, the Secondary School of Medicine “Dr. Pance Karagjozov” and the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University Ss. Cyril and Methodius, have began to implement a training for laboratory technicians. The training will take place in accordance with the standard prescribed training program, but the theoretical part of 45 hours will be implemented virtually, using the digital learning platforms while the practical part of 30 hours will take place in the laboratories of “Alkaloid” AD.
The “Education for Employment Project” is focusing on candidates with secondary vocational training, aged 18 to 29, who are not employed. The first group of 18 registered candidates started with the theoretical training on June 16, and on that occasion a virtual meeting was held between the representatives of the partner institutions, projects and companies.
The Swiss Ambassador, H. E. Ms. Sibyl Suter Tehada, stressed that the competitiveness of the Swiss economy is in part due to the skilled workforce.
“Switzerland has a well-developed vocational education system, and the private sector plays a key role. Based on Swiss experience, we believe that a quality secondary vocational education system is only possible through a strong partnership with the private sector”. Currently, the Swiss Cooperation Program for the period 2021-2024 is being developed, where the digitalization and cooperation with the private sector are particularly important topics.
Zhivko Mukaetov, the General Manager and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Alkaloid AD Skopje, noted that this cooperation is a result of the mutual coordination and the experience of the E4E project, implemented by Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation as well as Alkaloid’s goal of improving the competencies of the high school candidates for their employment at the level required for independent performance of the activities by the laboratory technicians within the company.
“We are starting with the first group of 18 candidates, out of a total of 30 planned with the project, and after the completion of the second round of training, 15 of the recruited candidates will start their careers in the laboratories of Alkaloid, in the pharmacy segment where much of the work they shall perform independently. “Within this project, Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation has provided 500,000 denars, while “Alkaloid” AD Skopje will invest additional 3.7 million denars from its own resources,” said Mukaetov. At the same time, he stressed that the cooperation with the professors from the Faculty of Pharmacy from the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University and SMUGS “Dr. Pance Karagjozov” will be a great added value in this process, expressing gratitude to the professors for their commitment.
“The Education for Employment Project, which supports this activity, has been implemented by the Swiss Development Organization ‘Helvetas’, the Economic Chamber of Macedonia and the Macedonian Civic Education Center and the focus is on improving formal and non-formal secondary vocational education and training”, said Mr.Kurt Wüthrich, the project Team Leader.
Professor Maja Saliu, Director of the High Medical School “Dr. Pance Karagjozov”, expressed gratitude for the involvement in the implementation of the training, which increases the chances of employment of the young people, supporting the co-operation between policy makers and the labor market. “Thus, we promote vocational education and training, and the social character of this cooperation is a clear example of our joint endeavors to create quality professional staff ready to work,” said Director Saliu.
The Cooperation between the institutions of higher and secondary education, with the support of companies, is probably the recipe for success. In that direction, prof. Dr. Svetlana Kulevanova, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy in Skopje, emphasized the key role of the vocational training in meeting the demands of companies, especially when companies such as “Alkaloid”, a leader in the pharmaceutical industry, are included in their implementation. “The Education for Employment project is the first project that we have been involved in, which refers to the non-formal education and I hope it will be a great success,” said Professor Kulevanova.
This cooperation between the institutions will be further extended in future in other segments of their operations and work.
