Prishtina, 20.02.2024 – Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Economy (ME), Getoar Mjeku, participated in the Certification of the 7th Semester of the Digital Skills and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Training Program.

The ICT for Kosovo’s Growth project is financed by the European Union (EU) and supported by the Ministry of Economy, and implemented by WEglobal in consortium with Prishtina REA and EPM.

Upon the completion of the seventh semester of the training program, 198 young individuals were certified in the field of ICT in this ceremony.

Deputy Minister Mjeku, in his welcoming speech, stated that the information and communication technology sector is a priority and a source of pride for the Government of the Republic, and thanks to the Digital Economy Project (KODE) implemented by the Ministry of Economy, 100% of Kosovo’s settlements are now connected to the broadband internet.

Mjeku added that 85% of Kosovo’s exports are also a merit of ICT services, making it a highly competitive and resilient sector.

The ICT sector offers an insatiable market, with demand for work and products both domestically and internationally. This growing demand primarily translates into a need for people – skilled professionals, whom we as a state and society must train and support in their careers and entrepreneurship endeavors, said Deputy Minister Mjeku.

In conclusion of his speech, Deputy Minister Mjeku expressed his satisfaction with the work being done by the ICT for Kosovo’s Growth Project, and gratitude for the support provided by the European Union to this Project, as well as to other projects in this sector.

The project is designed to address the shortage of skilled labor in the ICT sector in Kosovo by providing advanced ICT training for graduates in computer science, engineering, programming, and mathematics, as well as for the staff of ICT companies, startups, and freelancers.

Among key results achieved by the end of the 7th Semester include:

– Improved digital skills and sustainable workforce development in ICT to meet market needs and increase competitiveness of ICT and traditional businesses in Kosovo.

– Enhanced export capacities of Kosovo’s ICT businesses through collaboration with international companies. 36 managers of Kosovo’s ICT companies participated in six international B2B events in EU countries, where they had the opportunity to meet their counterparts from EU companies and signed 17 Agreements, while 3 contracts have already been implemented.

The 7th Semester Certification Ceremony was organized to deliver certificates to 198 certified trainees who participated in the advanced 300-hour ICT training program in eight above-mentioned training modules. The ICT training was conducted by international and local trainers. Certificates were awarded to trainees who successfully completed the ICT training and passed the final test.

The advanced ICT program over 8 modules consisted of 300 hours of training for 2123 participants, of which 39% are females, and 300 trained individuals are already employed.

Participants were trained in:

• Web Development Professional,
• Enterprise Java Programming,
• Cyber Security,
• Web Development Practitioner,
• Python,
• Big Data Analytics,
• Machine Learning dhe Artificial Intelligence,

The Certification Ceremony was attended by the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Economy, Getoar Mjeku, EU Ambassador to Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog, and the Mayor of the Capital, Përparim Rama.