The Serbian Chamber of Commerce hosted the mid-September presentation of a regional development and educational project entitled Creating Shared Values in the Transport Industry of the Western Balkans, with Swiss independent development organisation Helvetas as a key participant
This project forms part of the inclusive RECONOMY development programme (Revitalise, Reconnect, Reimagine) in 11 countries across the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe, a joint initiative of Helvetas and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), with the Volvo Group involved in its implementation in the Western Balkans.
This multiyear project, funded by Sida with SEK 17.3 million (approx. €1.5 million), focuses on vocational training and education for technicians in the servicing and repair of trucks, buses and construction machines. It offers specialised vocational training for young men and women in Serbia, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Project success requires collaboration with local institutions, educational systems and schools, which align training with local educational standards and needs, thus rendering the initiative more efficient and sustainable. Project participants expect targeted groups – including unemployed young people aged 18-34, unemployed women and those in socially disadvantaged situations – to acquire the skills required to become skilled mechatronics technicians for trucks, buses and construction machinery through modern education and practice. This project promotes gender equality and also aims to support a healthy and sustainable transition by training participants in the maintenance and repair of electric trucks and buses.
This multiyear project, funded by Sida with SEK 17.3 million (approx. €1.5 million), focuses on vocational training and education for technicians in the servicing and repair of trucks, buses and construction machines
“Sida and Volvo Group launched the first project of this kind over 10 years ago in Ethiopia, then expanded it to six other countries, while we are now implementing it in three Western Balkan states,” explained Johan Reiman, Director of Corporate Responsibility at Volvo Group, speaking during the presentation.
“These projects have so far provided an 80 per cent employment rate of skilled technicians ready to join the workforce, with women accounting for 10 per cent. Creating Shared Values in the Transport Industry in the Western Balkans offers those interested the chance to develop skills that will help them secure employment,” stated Reiman confidently.
“We have collaborated successfully with technical schools in Stara Pazova, Novi Sad, Čačak and Niš in recent years, and we are implementing a similar approach in other Western Balkan countries,” noted Volvo Trucks Adriatic South MD Dragana Krstić. “Given that products in the commercial vehicle industry are becoming more sophisticated, it is crucial to prepare a workforce with skills aligned with the latest technologies. These technologies are so advanced that the new roles are equally appealing to both men and women,” said Krstić, among her other remarks.