Within the framework of the program “Support for strengthening sustainable and multipurpose forest management to improve livelihoods in rural areas and address climate change in Kosovo”, implemented by FAO with support from the European Union and Sweden, the third episode of the podcast series has been published. “Love and Preserve the Forests”.
Although Kosovo urgently needs forestry professionals, dozens of young graduates in this field remain unemployed due to unfavorable policies and lack of law enforcement.
This is the assessment of Prof. Faruk Bojaxhi from the University of Prizren, raising concern about the mismatch between education and the labor market in the forestry sector.
According to Bojaxhi, over the last eight years, around 60–70 students have graduated in Forest Sciences, while public institutions have employed only two of them, despite the significant lack of professional staff in forestry agencies and directorates.
“There are regional directorates that do not have a single forestry engineer, while our students graduate and remain unemployed. The needs exist, but the law is not implemented,” says Bojaxhi, writes Telegrafi.
One of the main obstacles, according to him, is the legal requirement for three years of work experience even for entry-level positions.
“It is absurd to ask a young person who has just graduated for work experience, especially in a sector where there are not enough private companies to gain that experience,” the professor emphasizes.
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He adds that this situation not only demotivates young people from choosing to study forestry, but also directly endangers forest management and environmental protection in Kosovo.
“The laws exist and are harmonized with the European Union. The problem is that they are not implemented. If they were implemented, Kosovo would not have a personnel crisis in forestry,” concludes Bojaxhi.
This podcast is part of the program’s podcast series. “Support for strengthening sustainable and multipurpose forest management to improve livelihoods in rural areas and address climate change in Kosovo”, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – FAO. The video was produced with the financial support of the European Union and Sweden. Its content does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union and Sweden./Telegrafi/.