Following the successful activities in Ohrid, Bitola, and Skopje, the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia continues its series of promotional events aimed at presenting careers in the tourism and hospitality sector to ninth-grade students from schools in Veles.

In this context, a one-day event was held at Hotel Romantique Veles, attended by around fifty students from four primary schools in the city. The objective was to familiarize them with the opportunities offered by vocational education, with particular emphasis on hospitality and tourism professions.

As part of the event, the educational capacities of the Secondary Vocational School “Kole Nedelkovski” in Veles were also presented. This public educational institution, established in 1995, offers modern conditions for teaching, including its own school building, mechanical and electrical workshops, and a sports hall, thereby fully meeting the spatial and technical standards for quality education.

Since its establishment, the school has continuously carried out educational activities, providing vocational education and professional training across several fields, including mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, transport, and hospitality and tourism. Within the hospitality field, students have the opportunity to train as chefs and waiters through three- and four-year dual education programs, which combine theoretical instruction with practical training in real working environments. Currently, around one hundred students from first to fourth year are enrolled in this field.

Representatives of Hotel Romantique, a prominent member of the Hospitality and Tourism Association within the Economic Chamber, also shared their experiences at the event, highlighting opportunities for personal development in the hospitality profession.

This series of five events was initiated by member companies of the Hospitality and Tourism Association and implemented with the support of the project “Education for Employment in North Macedonia – E4E@mk.” The project recognized the needs of the private sector, particularly the importance of building capacity within the Chamber system at the sectoral level through relevant associations, in order to address the educational challenges faced by companies in specific sectors or industries. The aim is to ensure a workforce tailored to business needs, capable of rapidly transitioning from the classroom to the workplace. Such activities are of great importance for properly informing and guiding students in choosing their future paths. They also contribute to raising awareness about the importance of vocational education and emphasize the role of hospitality and tourism as key drivers of economic development.