USAID'S COMPETITIVENESS PROJECT - USAID Macedonia

Industry led education
As reported in the previous quarter, in December the MCP Workforce Development team met with the HR
representative from automotive firms LTH and Ruen IT to discuss cooperation in leveraging the industry‐led
education and internship platforms to support their workforce needs. MCP produced an offer of services and
proposals for cooperation and received feedback for implementation in 2011. As a result, a pilot project in
aligning curricula to industry needs was selected. All stakeholders were contacted and all demonstrated buy‐in
to the project which entails defining the concrete study program for a new curricula being prepared for
introduction in vocational schools from the next school year. The goal of the project is to provide concrete
industry input into the process of developing new curricula and to define and trace the process so that it can
be scaled and replicated for other specific vocational programs. The lead from the industry will be taken by the
company Ruen IT which, with the assistance of the MCP staff will coordinate the automotive industry feedback
through the ACM. The MCP intends to replicate this process with other industries.
Implementation of Supply Chain Management Program in Ruen IT
After a series of meetings with the management of the automotive parts manufacturer Ruen IT and MCP,
cooperation was agreed in the area of Supply Chain Management. Ruen IT is one of the companies that has
been cooperating with MCP on different levels and using the different services that MCP is offering. It wants to
implement a supply chain program in the company that will increase their effectiveness, especially now when
they start to supply directly to OEMs, in addition to the aftermarket business they have at the moment.
This supply‐chain program was agreed with Ruen IT, as they showed willingness and desire to change the
mentality and the regular way of working of the company and become a real leader in the industry and
competitor to the “biggest players in the game”.
MCP created an eight modules program that will be implemented in the period April to May 2011. The
program will be delivered in the facilities of Ruen IT in Kocani to the top and middle management of the
company. In addition, MCP will open the program to other companies from the automotive sector who would
like to attend and learn new ways of working and dealing with the increased competition in the sector. MCP
also intends to have a number of individual consultants who will participate at the training and will be able
later on to carry the program and make interventions of this kind in other companies in Macedonia.
Activities Planned for next Quarter
• Finalization of the certification process for one manufacturer from the LM sector, Ozon Skopje
• Implementation of the European Automotive Component Show 2011 in Stuttgart.
• Execution of the training for Supply Chain Management and intervention with Ruen IT and other
potential clients from the automotive sector.
• Finalizing the industry input on the pilot project basis and defining the process for scaling to other
industries.
• Implementation of the Hannover Messe 2011 in Hannover
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