Accomplishments

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCANNING AND PROMOTING THE HUMAN CAPITAL IN DEBAR AND BEROVO AS 2 PILOT MUNICIPALITIES

Municipality of Berovo Municipality of Debar

Overall objective of the project: My Career was granted with a fund from the Norwegian Embassy in Macedonia with the project on “Workforce Development scanning and promoting the human capital in Debar and Berovo as two pilot municipalities”. The project will perform WFD scanning in the abovementioned municipalities and will provide them with reliable and accurate tools to assess their human capacity as a potential for growth which will enable them to utilize this potential, increase development investments and plan education improvements.

Achieved results:

• Trained 100 unemployed people in Berovo and Debar in Career portfolio (writing CV and Cover letter) and Job Interview Preparation
• Analyzed more than 300 questionnaires from unemployed individuals from the two Municipalities
• Generated an assessment of the human capital in the two municipalities
• Identification of future workforce development activities needed for additional skills and requalification of the unemployed

SUBCONTRACTOR-USAID MACEDONIA COMPETITIVENESS PROJECT

The purpose is/was to provide sustainability model for the National Internship and Job Placement program, marketing and promotion of the program, maintenance and upgrade of the Internship portal, placement of students and job seekers and develop a database of donor funded projects.

The activities consist(ed) of:

• Organize an on-going aggressive campaign for the promotion of the program on a national level
• Develop and maintain a database of companies, job seekers, educational institutions
• Maintain the portal with information on up-coming events and information related to job/internship placement
• Organize web streaming events for the companies and job seekers
• Upload the internship placements in the portal
• Develop and implement career development trainings
• Identify calls for proposals from donors
• Prepare applications for grant and project proposal opportunities

Achieved results:

• Over 200students/ job seekers registered on the portal
• More than 50 companies registered on the portal
• Selling of 67 commercial packages to ensure funds for sustainability
• 150 interns placed in companies and 50 jobs as a result of these internships
• Organized career development training for 200 students/job seekers and 20 company mentors
• Developed database of donor funded projects
• Developed a database of local and international partners
• Applications prepared for 7 calls for project proposals

SUBCONTRACTOR-USAID YOUTH EMPLOYMENT SKILLS NETWORK PROJECT

The overall objective of the project is to enhance the coaching and counselling knowledge and skills of career counsellors and others in preparing people between the age of 15 and 27 who are final year students in Macedonian secondary schools, young registered unemployed , out-of-school and unregistered unemployed to enter the labour market.

The activities of My career consist(ed) of:

• Identification of companies per region (Tetovo, Bitola, Strumica) that are willing to take interns for at least 3 months
• Delivery of mentoring trainings for each municipality
• Provide list of candidates to companies in each region
• Provide internship contracts between interns and companies

Achieved results:

• Identified 20 companies per region that are willing to take interns
• Provide 60 internship contracts between interns and companies
• Ensure that companies that take interns, proved small monthly payment to the interns
• Organized mentorship trainings for selected companies in each region

USAID INTERETHNIC INTEGRATION IN EDUCATION PROJECT IN MACEDONIA

Overall objective of the project Macedonian Civic Education Center (MCEC) was awarded the recent call on Inter-ethnic Integration Education Project where My Career is one of the sub-contractor to a bigger consortium.

The activities of My career consist(ed) of:
My Career will be involved mostly in the part of organizing e-career fairs and trainings for the need of secondary schools in the selected regions. My Career needs to organize four e-Career Fair during the life-time of the project.

Achieved results:

• Delivery of career development trainings and presentations for elementary school students and high school students in 4 Municipalities: Tetovo, Butel, Bitola and Strumica;
• Organization of four e-career fairs;
• Delivery of final reports and presentations of the achieved results in the field of interethnic integration in education in Macedonia.

EXPANDING PARTICIPATION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITY

Association of Paraplegics and Paralyzed Children “HANDICAP”- Tetovo

The overall objective of the project seeks to increase the participation of people with disabilities (PWDs) in society and their employment and economic opportunities by increasing their employability skills through internships and trainings, and their participation in public awareness campaigns.

The specific objectives are:

• To increase the employability of PWDs through internship, training and support of entrepreneurs;
• To train PWDs in the necessary skills and competencies to start their own business;
• To increase public awareness of the contribution that PWDs can have in the labor market and the importance for equal representation of PWDs;
• To create a Project Advisory Board of PWDs to ensure PWD involvement in the inception, design and implementation of project activities.

The activities will take place in Skopje region, Polog region and North-East region of the country.

Achieved results:

• The project team will organize presentation and meetings with the stakeholders in all three regions: the DPOs, the NGOs, the selected municipalities, representatives of chamber of commerce and media to lay out the project activities and integrate their input to the activity plan. The DPOs and the local authorities will take part in nominating and selecting the members of the Advisory Board in order to ensure inclusion of PWDs in all phases of the project.
• With the guidance of the Advisory Board, the consortium My Career will integrate policies and procedures of the internship and job placement program specifically targeting this disadvantaged group.
• The project will deliver training for and support 50 PWDs potential entrepreneurs to start-up their own businesses. Initially, the consortium will complete a need assessment before developing the training curriculum and result of the need assessment will be factored in developing the final agenda of the entrepreneurship trainings.
• The project will support the PWDs in the start-up phase of their business by consultancy and networking support. After the training, the project will provide for them individual counseling to complete the Business Plan.
• In the very beginning the project will develop and latter disseminate public awareness materials targeting the private sector and including toolkits, videos, brochures and posters in local languages.

1. Promotional Activities

April-June 2010

Road show: promotional events were held in 11 cities throughout Macedonia, including (in order) Shtip, Bitola, Prilep, Ohrid, Struga, Tetovo, Gostivar, Strumica, Kumnaovo, Sveti Nikole and Skopje

March- June 2010

Signing a MoU with Ministry of Education and Labor and Social Policy; with the top 20 companies in Macedonia; with 12 Universities in Macedonia; with ZELS, the association of local municipalities in Macedonia; and partnership agreements with more than 50 municipalities in Macedonia.

February 2011

Promotion of My Career activities in the Municipality of Veles collaboration with the Center for Development of the Vardar Planning Region (which includes Veles, Kavadarci, Negotino, Sveti Nikole, Lozovo, Gradsko, Rosoman and Demir Kapija;

March 2011

Promotion of My Career activities in the Municipality of Tetovo with the Local Economic Development Unit; Promotional event in collaboration with the Municipality of Stip;

April 2011

Promotion of My Career activities in Bitola in collaboration with the University St.Kliment Ohridski and the municipality of Bitola. Presentation of My Career activities at Yes Foundation at the Entrepreneurship training organized by the Foundation. Promotion of My Career at Vocational High Schools in Tetovo, the Economic High School “8mi Septemvri” and the Chemical-Textile High School “Goce Stojceski” Participation of My Career at the Education and Career Days at Skopje Fair.

September 2011

Promotion of My Career at the Secondary Auto-Traffic School and Electro Technical Secondary School in Skopje

October 2011

Promotion of My Career activities in Ohrid and Struga with Municipality of Ohrid, Local Economic Development Unit and Municipality of Struga and the Regional Agency for Employment.

December 2011

Participation of My Career at the Career Fair organized by the State University in Tetovo; Delivered a presentation on How to write a successful CV and organized an open competition for best CV Participation of My Career at the Career Day Fair at the University American College Skopje. At the fair My Career delivered a presentation on Job Searching Strategies.

February 2012

Participation of My Career in the fair “Traditions and values of Tetovo region” organized by the Municipality of Tetovo March 2012 CNN Television Promotion -My Career workforce development interventions received wide coverage in CNN show “Eye On Macedonia”.

2. Online activities

The www.mycareer.com.mk online matchmaking tool, that functions in Macedonian, Albanian and English and serves as a communication tool bringing companies, job seekers, students and career counselors together in one location.

October, 2009 - April 2011

E-Career Fairs- are virtual and fully interactive, bringing students, educational institutions, and companies to one virtual place, the portal, where they can exchange information in real time. So far, My Career organized four e-Career fairs, two career fairs per year.

Achievements/ Results

• 12 815 registered students
• 462 registered companies
• 2735 internships placements
• 425 permanent job positions  
• More than 100 companies; Over 40 educational institutions participate in each of the fairs; 30-hour live program
• On average 5000 people visit the site  
• 170 students on average apply to over 30 active job/internship postings

3. Training

Training for Mentorship for Successful Internship Program was delivered in Skopje, Prilep, Bitola and Tetovo and other cities.

Training for students, unemployed and interns placed in companies on Career Portfolio (writing skills – CV and Cover Letter) and Job Searching strategies and ‘soft skills’

4514 trained in writing skills–CV and Cover Letter;

3016 trained in ‘soft’ skills and job searching strategies

328 mentors trained on internship methodology

September, 2009

Lotus Training: Project: LOTUS – School for Professional Taxi Drivers- realized trainings for: basic communications skills; communications skills for specific situations, appropriate of the need of taxi-driver profession; regulations in navigation – knowledge of streets and main objects needed for everyday taxi-driving; using of radio-station and fiscal-taximeter.

• Trainees: 50
• Employments: 20

October, November 2011

Training on “Sales Skills” for companies -The training covers 6 topics: Identifying customer needs, impulsive buying factors, Communication skills, Active listening, Salesman, effective communication with customers FABS.

Trainees: 41

November 2011

Training on “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” for companies

Trainees: 20

 November, 2011- March 2012

Training on “HR management” for companies- The training covers the following topics: the rules of the game, what HR management, strategies and policies for human resources, elements of planning the human resources.

Trainees: 31

 November –December 2011; April 2012

Collaboration with University American College Skopje: delivered trainings on writing CV and motivation letter for the students from 1st year of study and training on communication skills and job searching strategies for the students at 2 and 3 years of study. For approximately 400 students.

March 2012

Collaboration with SEE-University Tetovo: delivered trainings on CV and cover letter writing and trainings on Job Searching Strategies. 265 students present

April 2012

Collaboration with AIESEC Prilep: provided trainings for 40 students on job searching strategies within the Career Days Project in Prilep at the Faculty of Economics.

4. Certification Programs

Project Management for Professionals (PMP) is one of the most effective certification programs applied widely in the private sector which gives to individuals and organizations not only get recognized skills and knowledge during the vigorous credentialing process, but also show dedication to the profession and professional development

December 2011

My Career’s application to enroll as a PMI Registered Education Provider (R.E.P.) was approved by the Project Management Institute (PMI). My Career organized two PMP trainings for representatives from over 10 companies. The PMP courses of My Career are registered in the R.E.P. Directory (CCRS). 

• Certification body: Project Management Institute (PMI)
• Trainees: 24
• Number of Certified participants: 16 Certified PMP

 February 2009-April 2012

Certification program for Global Career Development Facilitators (GCDFs)

The GCDF (Global Career Development Facilitator) process that started in 2009 introduced the career counseling as profession in Macedonia.

• Certification body: National Board for Certified Counselors in the US
• Number of certified participants: 4 Master trainers, 36 GCDFs and 12 GCDF trainers.

May 2010

Certification program for Certified Management Consultant: training and certification process for the first generation of CMC in Macedonia thus, improving significantly the consultancy profession in the country.

• Certification body: CMC Croatia
• Number of Certified participants: 33 trainees

June 2010

Mergers and Acquisition Evaluators: In cooperation with Euro Phoenix and Grenoble University in France facilitated the certification program for the financial facilitators on how to evaluate the mergers and acquisition. This is a unique program not offered before in the country.

• Certification body: Grenoble University, France
• Number of Certified Participants: 16

Organization based certification program: certification of companies where this is a requirement by the foreign partners or impediment to export. Such certification program include: ISO certification, TS, CE Mark

• Certification body: MQS
• ISO 9001-14000 TS Certification program: certification program that assisted the company TT Plast to be able to source to foreign buyers.

5. Consultancy

Industry education led programs coordinated design and delivery of curricula and training programs that meet a specific skills set required within a given industry (e.g. software development or pharmaceuticals) to develop a pipeline of candidates necessary for the growth of a sector.

Collaboration with an automotive parts manufacturer company Ruen IT and Vocational Schools for training improvements: design of an internship program to develop technical skills, and evaluate and suggest improvements in the vocational school curriculum. For this reason, besides internships, RUEN has provided training on CNC as part of the regular coursework in their school based in Kocani. The vocational school in Kocani introduced new courses focused on RUEN IT skills requirements and enabled the creation of 35 new jobs.

Partnership with KNAUF (German investor in construction materials production) to change the academic program for construction materials: initiative carried out in partnership with KNAUF, the Municipality of Debar and the Vocational School “Zlatko Cockovski” to support introduction of a new academic program in the secondary school for students interested in pursuing a career and employment in the construction sector. In addition to the regular courses part of the academic program, each semester new classes will be added using the KNAUF methodology and content. All students are required to complete the internship program at production facility of KNAUF. First generation of students specializing in construction material and dry walls. There are more than 20 students attending the class in this new specialization that never existed before.