Starting today, 50 more Kosovo youth are better prepared for the job market. These are the 50 graduates of the KEDS Academy of the Second Generation, who received today their internationally recognized certificates.
“We have been part in many activities of social responsibility throughout Kosovo. Whether taking part in cleaning actions, or supporting a sporting event, we have done that with great dedication. But what makes us the proudest is the KEDS Academy.
Therefore our commitment and support towards this program will continue to be stronger and even more determined. While we are graduating the second generation, we are in the process in recruiting students from the 3rd generation, said the KEDS CEO, George Karagutoff.
This program started two years ago, and the person that stood behind the idea since its inception is Limak Deputy Director of Energy, Mr. Serhat Dinc who states that:
“KEDS Academy has a very special place in my heart.
Every time I visit Kosova, I meet students and this is the part that makes my visits very special. Once I asked a student what do you think about KEDS Academy? And after a pause she said very briefly, A Dream come true?
It is not what she said, but how she said it that moved my heart. The spark in her eyes and the honesty in her face said everything. What gratitude can a person ask than being able to make dreams of the young people come true?”
KEDS Academy couldn’t be successful at this level without its partners. “This is a special event. Investment in education is investment in economic development. We are happy as a ministry and as a government promoting this connection between economy and education. KEDS Academy is an example how companies should invest in education. For that, I’m calling other companies to act like KEDS, to follow this practice. This is the biggest help that can be for Kosovo”, said Mr. Arsim Bajrami, minister of Education, Science and Technology. “We are happy that our students can be educated and familiar with modern technologies”, he added.
The support for KEDS Academy has been very strong also in the headquarters of the corporations that led KEDS. The Limak Chairman, and at the same time the Vice Chairman of KEDS, Mr. Ozdemir, in the occasion of greeting the students who graduated once again stated this support: “Kosovo is blessed with a young and vibrant population. But we have an obligation to these young people. Our obligation is to make available new opportunities so these young people can succeed. This is what KEDS Academy was intended to do. And being here today, celebrating the graduation of the second generation is a testimony that we are succeeding.”
KEDS Academy began in 2013, and its first generation was focused on delivering theoretical and practical knowledge to the young students of Kosovo in technical and industrial aspects. The idea was to prepare leaders, who will be an important part of the decision-making process, and strong contributors to the economy of the country. Everyone after the graduation was given the opportunity to work in KEDS with regular employment contracts.
The success of the students, especially those who have become part of the company, is a great example of the dedication of this program, and as the Calik Holding and KEDS Chairman, Mr. Ahmet Calik stated “The success of the young graduates of KEDS Academy is the biggest source of pride for us. I sincerely believe, these talented young people, trained and competent in technical background will play a crucial role in Kosovo’s development. “
KEDS Academy was founded in partnership with the Ministry of Education in Kosovo, The University of Prishtina "Hasan Prishtina" and the Bogazici University in Istanbul. Already, 100 young people are prepared for the labor market and they play an important part in it. Most of them are employees of KEDS, while KEDS claims to expand the Academy in partnership with other companies so that the best students of Kosovo are offered a safe future and the country benefits from them as much as possible.