The Economic Chamber of North Macedonia, as part of the Swiss-funded project Education for Employment in North Macedonia (E4E@mk), organized a workshop focused on developing a methodology for forecasting future skills. The event was aimed at representatives from the real sector and institutions that collect and analyze data relevant to education policy development.

The workshop was opened by Mihajlo Donev, M.Sc., Assistant Operations Director for Development, Innovation, and Knowledge at the Chamber, who highlighted the Chamber’s role in shaping education policies and initiatives aligned with the needs of the private sector.

“We initiated dual education and work-based learning with a clear goal—to provide a workforce that can immediately respond to market demands. Although we have mapped current skills needs, the real challenge remains forecasting the skills of the future. That’s why today we are sharing Swiss best practices—not to copy them, but to learn how businesses and institutions there jointly shape the professions of the future, and to apply a similar approach in our context,” said Donev.

On behalf of the project, Boris Trimchev, M.Sc., Private Sector Lead for E4E@mk, addressed participants. He provided an overview of the Swiss program’s activities, placing particular emphasis on the initiative to share Swiss expertise. Trimchev explained how the private sector and policymakers in Switzerland collaborate to identify current labor market needs and emphasized the importance of agility in the education system to respond to those needs, particularly in light of ongoing technological advancement and the evolution of professions.

Marianne Müller, Project Manager at the Swiss Federation for Adult Learning (SVEB), presented the “GO Model” for identifying the skills and knowledge needed for future qualifications driven by technological progress. The model is based on scanning work tasks performed in a given job role and translating them into specific skills and key competencies. This approach enables a better understanding of workplace needs and helps define new skills that will be in demand for the same job roles in the future.

As part of the workshop, participants also visited two companies—Cementarnica Usje AD Skopje and Liberty Skopje—which are actively involved in implementing dual education programs. The visits offered a practical demonstration of the model through case studies of specific job roles within the companies. Participants had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with each company’s operations, daily workflows, and best practices employed by HR teams in developing workforce capacities. The visits also showcased how the companies collaborate with vocational schools and universities in implementing dual education.