Since its establishment, HD ECG has actively supported activities which are compatible with the mission of NALED, providing expertise that enables governments, businesses and civil society to design and implement successful development programs that improve the quality of life and facilitate progress towards European Union standards.

The membership further consolidates HD ECG’s values and presence in Serbia, also extending its exposure throughout the region of South East Europe. Mr. Danijel Pantic, Managing Director of HD ECG was one of the supporters of NALED’s establishment, through his role in the team of consultants who prepared the strategic business development plan of the association.

More about the work of NALED is available here.

The Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Policy and the National Employment Service, supported by the project team, will launch two very important national surveys among employers of Serbia in April 2013. The surveys are assisted by the EU IPA 2011 project ”Support to evidence-based employment policy creation”.

Both surveys are of profound importance. The feedback from employers will be used for improving the results of employment policy and improving responsiveness of educational system to the labour market needs.

More than 10.000 companies will be asked to participate in the surveys – some of them will be visited and interviewed by the councillors’ from the National Employment Service and some will be asked to respond in electronic form.

The first of the surveys – the Employer Survey – will be focused on the needs/ demands of employers in terms of the workers’ skills and possible niches for expanding employment. The NES will use the results obtained for planning active measures for 2014 (job broking, training, guidance). It will also help educational institutions on the local level to shape their offer in accordance with the existing demand.  It is already the third survey of this kind to be performed in Serbia. Results of previous surveys have been used for planning services for the unemployed in 2012 and 2013.

The aim of the second survey (the Survey on Occupations) is to collect information on existing occupations in the companies and prepare descriptions of occupations in line with their characteristics (tasks performed, educational background, qualifications and skills required). The national classification of occupations has not been updated in Serbia since 1990. Thanks to the survey it will be updated, adapted to the needs of economy and adjusted to international standards (ISCO 2008 standards). The new classification will help the NES to improve vocational counselling and will help to adjust the offer of vocational schools to labour market requirements.

http://podrskapoliticizaposljavanja.org/en/

Until now, 145 convicted persons from three detention facilities in Serbia have successfully completed their training and obtained a certificate, with 126 more prisoners currently attending. The project anticipated that five hundred convicted persons from three detention facilities are trained in one of the five trades which are in high demand on the labor market (welding, silk screen printing, production and assembly of furniture, bakery and market gardening). The journalists will have the opportunity to speak with Project representatives, convicted persons in training, and the instructors who are working with the prisoners.

The project is a part of a broader support the EU is providing to the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration in improving the system for rehabilitation of convicted prisoners, and the overall prison system in the Republic of Serbia. All training equipment was provided through the donation by the EU Delegation in Serbia, as well as preparation of legal procedures and solutions, public information, drafting of VET Concept and Action Plans, and training of 200 civil servants who will cooperate with the prisoners: the Head of Sector, the treatment counselors, instructors of practice, teachers from VET schools with centers for adult education, and employment counselors.

A keynote speech was delivered by H. E. Mr. Michael Kirby, Ambassador of the United States of America to the Republic of Serbia, who summarized the achievements and results made in this field over the course of the past six years. He stressed the commitment of his country towards sustainable economic development of Serbia, particularly through strengthening the SMEs and supporting entrepreneurship in underdeveloped areas. He also made a reference to the less obvious, but equally significant result – the impact businesses development has in small, local communities, and its contribution to the overall improvement of the living standards among the local population.

The cluster action plans have been presented by Mr. Danijel Pantić, Managing Partner of the European Consulting Group (ECG). He gave an overview of the expert research and business data analysis conducted in the process of action plans development, also pointing out to the common themes and organizational needs pertaining all five clusters. He went on to outline the contents of action plans and indicate some of the highlights of the proposed interventions contained in each, such as the creation of regional brands, strengthening cluster management HR capacities, facilitation of new quality standards introduction and initiation of multi-annual R&D projects.

The assembled representatives of the national and local government, businesses, business associations and NGOs were also addressed by Ms. Irena Bulat, director od Adizes SEE, as well as Mr. Nihat Ugljanin, a cluster representative and Mr. Miroslav Milenković, representing one of the clusters’ client companies. They have shared their experience of involvement with the project, and stories of successful business cooperation resulting from the founding of the clusters. The cluster promotion event was concluded with the official awarding of Certificates of Appreciation to the cluster representatives by Mr. Michael Pilsbury, Chief of Party of the Economic Security Project.

The action plans for business clusters were produced within the scope of the Economic Security Project, a USAID–funded initiative, implemented by Development Alternatives, Inc. The six-year project to support Serbian civil society, as well as small businesses from Sandžak and South Serbia regions has culminated with the creation of five business cluster associations. These are the “Asstex” association of jeans and textile producers from Novi Pazar, Prijepolje Textile Association, “Keepers of Tradition” dairy and processed meat producers’ association from Pester, Kopaonik and Golija, “Kostana Shoes” cluster from Vranje, and Presevo Construction Association.

The development and presentation of action plans represents the final stage of intensive business support provided to cluster members, as well as the concluding activity of the entire project.

A copy of the full Report, prepared by the European Consulting Group is available for download – Report.

Project funded from Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (EU IPA 2011), “Support to evidence-based Policy creation”, implemented by HD European Consulting Group Consortium from September 2012, has organized trainings for 700 National Employment Service Counselors who, in the capacity of interviewers, will be conducting two vastly important National researches with Serbian employers: Employers survey and Research on occupations.  These one-day trainings are held in Belgrade, Niš, Novi Sad and Kragujevac with single aim to inform future interviewers about methodology and guidelines for the future implementation of the researches. Commencement of both researches is planned for middle April 2013.

Trainings are due to be implemented in period from 18th March – 4th April 2013, held by the Project team lead by experts: Vladimir Vasić, Key Expert for Monitoring, Evaluation and Forecasting, Miroslava Pavlović, Expert for Occupational standards and Dušanka Milošević, Expert for Occupational standards and training.

The overall objective project “Support to Evidence-based Employment Policy Creation” is to improve the impact of Serbian employment policy, to embed forecasting, monitoring and evaluation in the design and implementation of active labour market policies. The main Beneficiary institutions are the Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Policy of the Republic of Serbia and the National Employment Service.

http://podrskapoliticizaposljavanja.org/en/

“Strengthening of the Blood Safety System” in Macedonia is a new challenge for ECG on a new market. This project, won in consortium with the Institute for Blood Transfusion of Serbia and EPOS Health Management, will be implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Health in Macedonia, and specifically deal with achieving high blood self-sufficiency and safety status. Objective of the project is to provide quality, efficient and continuous health care to the population of Macedonia through providing safety of blood and blood components, as well as through protecting the population from communicable diseases.

• Republic of Serbia - Further Integration of Forecasting, Monitoring and Evaluation in the Design and Implementation of Active Labour market Policies and Adjustment of National Classification of Occupations to ISCO 08 standards (EuropeAid/131428/C/SER/RS)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina – Institutional Capacity Development of Three Innovation Centers and the Research Sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EuopeAid/129575/C/SER/BA)

The first one, Further Integration of Forecasting, Monitoring and Evaluation in the Design and Implementation of Active Labour market Policies and Adjustment of National Classification of Occupations to ISCO 08 standards (EuropeAid/131428/C/SER/RS), was launched on 5^th September 2012.  This project in its three components addresses: forecasting labour market needs and evaluation of active labour market measures, assistance to preparation of the National Employment Action Plans for 2014 and 2015, and adjustment of the national classification of occupations to ISCO 08. The project office was formed in the premises of the National Employment Service. The project is expected to last for 24 months and end in September 2014. The main project beneficiaries are the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Policy and the National Employment Service of the Republic of Serbia. The overall objective of the project is to improve the impact of Serbian employment policy.

The second project, Institutional Capacity Development of Three Innovation Centers and the Research Sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EuopeAid/129575/C/SER/BA), started in October 2012. This project has three major components: to strengthen the innovation system in BiH through support to and development of three innovation centers, to further assist and strengthen the capabilities of the MOCA and the entity ministries to design and implement support measures assisting universities, public research organizations and business to undertake research and innovation projects, and to support the execution of the action plan of the STI Statistics Manual for BiH in order to ensure that BiH provides the minimum set of statistics required by Eurostat/OECD by 2015. The overall objective of the project is to improve the competitiveness and productivity of the scientific community and economic impact of BiH to be able to participate more actively in the European research area and to be more involved in international scientific cooperation through the FP, COST and EUREKA programmes.

This project (EuropeAid/126970/C/SER/RS) was successfully implemented by HD European Consulting Group between May 2010 and August 2012, producing among its results the amendments to the National Strategy for Tourism Development, raising the capacities of the National Corporation for Tourism Development, and increasing the awareness of population of the importance and potential economic benefit from tourism in Serbia.

Serbia has one of the highest mortality rates due to cancer in the WHO European region. The goal of this project is to improve the implementation capacities of the Ministry of Health to battle the three most common types of cancer. Project’s training component is critical, as through this comprehensive education the Ministry of Health assists national and regional institutes for public health in mobilization and motivation campaigns directed at public health services users

All teaching materials and equipment manuals have been prepared in close cooperation with . Selected teachers from VET schools went through comprehensive preparations and training, which included adult learning, student motivation, conflict management, modern strategies of teaching and learning, monitoring and evaluation. Methods for enhancing the motivation of prisoners for further education were also addressed.

The major goal of this project is to develop a viable concept for the future model of vocational education and training in all institutions for execution of criminal sanctions in Serbia. In order to improve the visibility of the project, a logo and web site www.vet-kpz.rs  have been developed.