Leadership Capacities Development in Higher Education across Albania and Kosovo

ongoing

The Albanian and Kosovan Higher Education (HE) sectors are facing significant change as they strive to develop dynamic higher education experiences that are valuable to students and provide impact for their economies and societies. The change needed in Higher Education Institutions in Albania and Kosovo to deliver on these objectives is being slowed by a lack of leadership capacity. Universities in Albania and Kosovo need to build the capacity of their leaders for governance, strategic planning and management in order to deliver these reforms. The project addresses the need for development for university leaders in Albania and Kosovo through the creation and piloting of a joint leadership and development programme (NLDP). The project will create the materials to support the programme; and identify and equip dedicated facilities where the development activities will take place. Learning will take place through networking meetings, lectures from visiting speakers, action learning sets, and promote immediate improvements through national change projects. The project will develop and execute staff training workshops for Albanian and Kosovan university staff responsible for delivering the programme. During the life of the project, 25 HE leaders from Albania and Kosovo will benefit from the NLDP with a demonstrable impact on their capacity to operate the governance, strategic plans and management of HEIs. In the 5 years following the project, it is expected that additional leaders will benefit from taking the NLDP and that at least 10 additional Albanian and Kosovan HEIs will have adopted it for leadership development. All HEIs in Albania and Kosovan HEIs and their leadership staff will benefit from the leadership symposium at the end of the project and thereafter annually. Together these actions will enhance the capacity for reform across Albania and Kosovo.