7. PROGRAM OF BUSINESS EDUCATION IN KOSOVA

    According to our estimates, one of the most important fields, in which one could act more successfully and more rapidly in order to establish conditions for entrepreneurship development, is advancement of business education in Kosova. Analysis of situation in the field of business education has indicated that:

• education programs in regular system of education are not reformed completely in accordance with market economy needs;
• programs are not oriented toward in gaining of practical skills (more notions, less practice);
• Inadequate techniques and methods of teaching and inadequate technology;
• the lack of training programs out of regular education system;
• the lack of development of private initiative in business education
• the lack of international cooperation and technical assistance.

The problem does not deal greatly with formal qualifying structure of personnel, owners and managers of private enterprises (54% of owners and managers have high or superior education, 60% have finished secondary school, and 14 % other). In fact, the problem is that this training and knowledge they have, do not correspond to the needs of market economy. Innovation and some kind of "reconstruction" of their knowledge are indispensable.

If we analyze the structure of private economy in Kosova, we can see that a great deal belongs to family business even in private enterprises, and stores, especially in agricultural economies in the village. A characteristic of theirs and particularly of those in the field of agribusiness is that they lack the knowledge for business in market conditions, market-oriented approach and modern management of the firm. Another problem is low economic activity of women. Special forms in business education and organization of women is also one of important fields for future activities.

Publishing and media oriented activity for creation of business culture and developing of certain contents from these fields, is still undeveloped.

The described situation implies the necessity for changes through a complex activity in most important segments of business education in various levels. This implies a program of activities – Program for business education in Kosova, which with its proposals and recommendations, is addressed to appropriate competent and responsible subjects for changing the situation.

Implementation of a complex program of improving current situation with regard to business and management education and enforcing an infrastructure network that must follow it, must be observed as one of the most significant components of transition in Kosova and of development of entrepreneurship philosophy. This represents an important factor for creation of prerequisites for development of private enterprises and generating of new enterprises, for developing entrepreneurship and an entrepreneurship spirit, business culture and ethics for strengthening the business community in Kosova.

7.1. MISSION AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAM

    The main mission of the Program of Business Education in Kosova must be a reduction of the difference between demands for entrepreneurs and managers of market economy, and of reality – knowledge and skills that the education system and other forms of business education in Kosova, offer.

Therefore, the Program aims to fulfill new demands for knowledge from the field of entrepreneurship and business that must ascertain the education, which would enable the approach in circumstances that create "chance for self-employment" and to ascertain economic growth through "job creation".

The aim of the program is to develop entrepreneurship spirit, which is characterized by:

• Identification of chances and opportunities in the market
• Generation of business ideas based on these opportunities
• Managing resources and facing the risk for realizing these ideas
• Creation and operating business

Such mission and objectives of the Program are completely compatible with the system of open market economy and with development strategy based on generation of SME and their support.

Major objectives of the Program are:

1. Enabling of business education network
2. Improvement of program contents and enhancing of business education forms
3. Improvement of teaching methods and technologies
4. Development of partnership with proper international organizations and institutions

Implementation of business education program must start with the creation and enabling of business education network and launching of different forms and contents of program.

In the development of this network and business/management and entrepreneurship education in general, two essential phases can be identified:

• Planned stimulation of network generation and enabling by government institutions, and NGOs with a direct assistance of institutions and organizations from Western countries and
• Development of entrepreneurship in the field of business/management and entrepreneurship education based on market impulses.

Business education institutions and organizations network for the time being is reduced to public education institutions, without the presence of private institutions and forms of education outside the regular education process. Despite efforts for reformation, these institutions with their programs and working methods still do not correspond to the needs of market economy. Therefore, the Program must include activities that enable qualitative strengthening of existing institutions and extending of network.

Activities for enhancing of business education network must include particularly:

• Personnel / teachers training of secondary schools and university for advancement of contents, methods, and technology of business education;
• Enabling of private institutions and organizations for becoming generators and bearers of activities of business education, as formation of private schools (with provisional and permanent contents);
• Enabling of Association of Businessmen of Kosova (ABK) and its regional centers for SME promotion and for realizing of certain programs for business education;
• Development of cooperation and partnership with appropriate international institutions and organizations;

Activities in network building up can start immediately. Priority should be given to training of personnel for education institutions, as well as for regional centers and private institutions. With regard to this, these activities should be undertaken:

• Identification and selection of bearing personnel for establishing of business education network (about 100 persons);
• Previous preparation of personnel (improving of knowledge in the English language, acquaintance with the situation in private economy (Realized project: Economic Activities and Democratic Development of Kosova);
• Training of a selected team (10-15 persons) in foreign countries for a period of 3 months in the field of business plan, finances, marketing, management, informatics, international business in foreign institutions;
• Training of ABK teams in regional centers (10-15 persons for each center) in terms of four workshops each with 20 participants. Topics will be in the fields of entrepreneurship, business plan, finances, marketing, promotion and financing of SME; agribusiness, women business (Riinvest, ABK in cooperation with international institutions and consultants);
• Organization of one-week study visits for teams of regional centers regarding enabling (Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, Austria, Poland);
• Workshops and seminaries:

1. Seminary with main personnel and secondary school authorities regarding the necessity for education programs and teaching technology improvement;
2. Seminary with university and economic faculty authorities, technical, juridical and agricultural branches regarding improvement of education programs, teaching methodology and technology;
3. Seminary regarding results, experiences and future developments of private initiative in business education (in cooperation with ABK, Economic Bank and important enterprises);
4. Women enabling for management
5. The role of media

• Creation of business school
• Elaboration of the program and starting of Five-month Business School
• Elaboration of the program and starting of Summer School on Economics and Finance
• Elaboration of program and starting of Winter School on Entrepreneurship
• Translation of literature (books and other materials) from the field of entrepreneurship, management, marketing, business plan, finance, family business etc. and the simulation of publishing activities from these fields;
• Creation of association of organizations and institutions that deal with business education with the intention of sharing of experiences and undertaking of mutual activities.