Tuesday 21 August 2012

Pna: EU funded training in Territories, from fashion to food

Programme of four years implemented by German agency

20 August, 15:35

(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, AUGUST 20 - The European Union is funding a programme to improve Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the Palestinian territory, aiming for a better match-up between training and labour market demand.

According to the Enpi website (www.enpi-info.eu), the EU and the Palestinian Authority signed five implementation agreements for TVET development projects in the following fields: car mechatronics, food production & waitering, air conditioning & refrigerating, office & home appliance, and fashion designing.

With a budget of 4 million euros, this four-year EU funded programme is being implemented by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). It aims at strengthening and scaling up TVET institutions in three pilot regions of the Governorates of Bethlehem, Nablus and Hebron, as well as encouraging partnership between local institutions for technical and vocational education and labour market (LET Councils) and the private sector. It will focus on curriculum development, training of trainers and teachers, the upgrading of equipment, and capacity building in educational administration, with the aim of making TVET institutions more effective and attractive learning places, which are relevant to labour market demand.

Serbia: Most Serbs against joining EU, poll shows

last update: August 20, 16:15
Belgrade, 20 Aug. (AKI) - Public support for Serbia’s membership in the European Union has fallen for the first time below 50 per cent, government survey published on Monday showed.

According to the survey, conducted by the government office for European integration, only 49 per cent of those surveyed support membership in the EU, with 25 per cent decisively against and others undecided.

Serbia was awarded the status of an official candidate for EU membership last March, but public support has fallen by two per cent since the beginning of the year and by 23 per cent since first survey in 2003.

The EU has tied Serbia’s membership bid to normalization of relations with Kosovo whose majority Albanians declared independence in 2008. Belgrade opposes independence, but Kosovo has been recognized by ninety countries, including the United States and 22 out of 27 EU members.

The majority of Serbs resent EU pressure for normalization of relations, which has contributed to the fall of EU popularity.

Nevertheless, the head of government’s office for integrations Milan Pajevic said the survey results were “excellent” considering difficulties and pressures to which Serbia has been exposed and growing negative campaign at home.

“I think that the results are excellent considering difficulties we have been facing for years,” Pajevic said.

Former pro-European president Boris Tadic lost May election to Tomislav Nikolic, former ultranationalist turned pro-European. Nikolic has vowed to persist on European path, but has signaled a harder approach on Kosovo.

Defense: Turkish industry exports to 60 countries

20 August, 12:41

(ANSAmed) - ANKARA, AUGUST 20 - Turkish defense industry exported its products worth 1 billion USD to nearly 60 countries in 2012.

Otokar, one of Turkey's leading design and production centers for armoured vehicles, exports tactical wheeled vehicles to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Bangladesh, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Romania, Turkmenistan, Algeria, Iraq, Britain and the United States as Anatolia news agency reported.
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