THE INTERVET WB JOB SHADOWING OF TEACHERS FROM ALBANIA TO MALTA

11th January 2023

In September 2022 a job shadowing experience took place in Malta in the framework of Intervet Western Balkans project. Two teachers from Albania, Alda Kadiu and Elona Kafexhiu have provided a testimony about their experience.

Alda Kadiu

Hello, my name is Alda Kadiu, a teacher at the “Nazmi Rushiti” vocational school, Pershkopi. I was a participant in the job hadowing held in Malta. The experience week in Malta went perfect both in terms of organisation and professional benefit. Everything was planned in detail under the care of representatives of INTERVET Albania, Albanian Skills, and the project director in Malta: Ing. Louis Aquilina and Mr. Joshua Bugeja, with whom we had a very fruitful collaboration and shared many thoughts, opinions, and experiences, both socially and professionally.

The trip to Malta was organised with two flights from Munich, we were met at the airport to ensure the trip to the hotel (which was in very good condition and positioned by the sea). Every day at 8:00 a.m. the trip was organised from the hotel to the campus where the pieces of training were conducted and from the campus to the hotel. Meetings were organised in the Trelleborg industrial center, and cultural visits to Maltese attractions such as Valletta where we got to know the culture, tradition, and history of Malta.

The Job Shadowing experience in Malta for me remains the most beautiful in several aspects: 

• Social aspect: We met new people, part of the group of 20 teachers from 6 countries of the Western Balkans, with whom we became friends and kept in touch for other collaborations.
• Professional aspect: It was a week planned with pieces of training with lecturers, coordinators, and coordinators of the organizational structure of MCAST, who transmitted to us the operating model of the institutes on the campus, the contemporary teaching methods, and the various student services. The modern technological and laboratory infrastructure, as well as the well-equipped classrooms, was impressive. We got acquainted with the pedagogical model of teaching and the inclusiveness of students in the process of teaching and studying.
• Cultural aspect: It was amazing to visit Valletta and Medina, cities with cultural, historical, and tourist heritage. But impressive was the architecture of the buildings and the infrastructure of the cities, where all the cultural and historical elements were inherited from generation to generation. Unforgettable was the visit to St. John’s Cathedral in Valletta and attractions such as the “Malta National Aquarium” and many others.

Elona Kafexhiu

My name is Elona Kafexhiu and I was a representative of the “Sali Ceka” VET School during Job Shadowing organised at the MCAST College in Malta. I am the Project Coordinator of the school and I currently hold the position of Deputy Principal of this school.

The experience in Malta provided me with many potential benefits for my personal and professional growth, and benefits for my staff and my school. I gained an insight into the roles and responsibilities of college staff members and their departments, college culture, and the working environment. This was an excellent opportunity to learn about work challenges, and successes and to create long-term and professional connections among all colleagues. Interacting with colleagues from different cultures was an ideal way to understand, learn from them and even share the common and unique elements of our culture.