Albania to host Balkan crafts conference

TIRANA, April 23 – Albania is expected to host a Balkan crafts conference next October as part of its cooperation with Germany’s Koblenz Chamber of Skilled Crafts which has been assisting with training and qualification for small crafts businesses for several years.
Ilir Zhilla, the president of Albania’s Union of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, tells Deutsche Welle in the local Albanian service he sees a serious partner in the Koblenz Chamber because of the regional spirit and exchange of experience during events.
The Union of Chambers of Commerce, Albanian Konfindustria, and the Association of Professional and Entrepreneur Women are some of the key partners the Koblenz Chamber has been assisting by providing vocational training in car repair, construction-related occupations, cooking, hairdressing etc. in regional countries but also Germany.
Albanian experts consider crafts development a favourable sector not only to create new jobs but also to preserve the tradition of crafts which used to be well-developed in many Albanian regions.
Ilir Zhilla says the German organization which gets funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development has helped boost cooperation among regional NGOs.
“Direct experience has been exchanged among our organizations. The new connections in the frame of the program have allowed us to apply in joint EU-funded projects. I think, the most important thing in this whole cooperation scheme is acquaintance with new technology in the field of crafts which is very efficient in lowering labour costs and creating new models for consumers,” says Zhilla.
Handwerkskammer Koblenz supports the development of the skilled crafts and SME through international partnership projects in South Eastern Europe and Asia.
The chamber conducts several international projects with SME and crafts organisations in the Balkans and Asia focusing on self-help organisations and vocational training.