A new chapter for career readiness in the Western Balkans

On 27–28 November 2025, the K2W consortium gathered at PAR University of Applied Sciences in Rijeka, Croatia, for the official kick-off of “Empowering Career Readiness and Industry Collaboration for Higher Education in the Western Balkans”. VERDE was there alongside eight partners: PAR and Vere Montis from Croatia, Harokopio University of Athens from Greece, Barleti University, LOGOS University College and Luarasi University from Albania, and the University of Mitrovica and Universum International College from Kosovo.

The challenge K2W addresses is stark. Unemployment among recent higher education graduates in the region reaches as much as 50.7% in Kosovo, against a regional average of 37.1%. Graduates take nine months on average to find their first job, and 57% have experienced unemployment since entering the labour market. The root causes — curricula misaligned with labour market needs, limited career services, weak university–industry cooperation, and underdeveloped life skills — are exactly what the project will work on over the next two years.

What K2W will build

• Modernised academic curricula that integrate life skills — communication, teamwork, problem-solving — and digital competencies into degree programmes.
• Career centers at the participating Western Balkan universities, offering counselling, CV and interview preparation, and job placement, piloted with students paired with career counselors.
• The SkillsBox digital platform — led by Harokopio University — giving students, professors, and SMEs gamified, personalised career-readiness training and mentorship resources.
• A dual-study model with internships and work-based learning placements of 3–6 months, built with SMEs, chambers of commerce, and industry partners across Albania and Kosovo.

VERDE's role

VERDE leads Work Package 5 — Dissemination, Communication and Exploitation. At the kick-off we presented the project logo, which the partners approved, and we are preparing the Dissemination and Communication Plan. We are also responsible for the project's Quality Assurance Plan and for compiling the Good Practices report on industry-academic collaboration, gathering examples from all nine partners.

The two days in Rijeka set a fast pace: surveys of students and SMEs, focus groups with professors, and industry round tables across Albania and Kosovo all begin in the project's first months, feeding a needs analysis that will shape everything K2W builds. The project (reference 101236528) runs for 24 months and is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education programme of the European Union.