Back Designing a training strategy for the penitentiary staff in North Macedonia

Skopje 29-30 March 2023
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Designing a training strategy for the penitentiary staff in North Macedonia

A group of experienced staff coming from the Directorate for the Execution of Sanctions (DES) and various prisons  met on in the DES Training Centre in Skopje, to discuss the first draft of the Prison Staff Training Strategy and related curricula. The team of local staffers prepared an initial draft of the documents, which set the basis for this session.

The EU and Council of Europe have supported the process of designing a training strategy by providing expertise and knowledge in the field.  With the assistance of one international consultant, the working group advanced with the development of the Training Strategy, curriculum, and modules, as well as the annual plan of trainings. These documents place the foundation for a regular induction and continuous training provision, with aim to introduce structured trainings for the penitentiary system and increase the overall quality of the work of the prison staff. In addition, the group discussed the specific needs that would further facilitate the operationalisation of the documents, such as setting up experts’ databases, transfer of knowledge, assessment of training needs, etc.

Introducing regular and continuous education of the penitentiary staff is one of the objectives of the National Penitentiary Strategy on the Development of the Penitentiary System in the Republic of North Macedonia (2021-25), developed with the support of the Horizontal Facility programme,

This session was conducted in the framework of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme ”Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye – Phase III ”, and its action on “Enhancing the capacities of the penitentiary system in North Macedonia”.

Horizontal Facility III

The joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” (Horizontal Facility III) is a co-operation initiative, running from 2023 until 2026. The programme covers actions in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye. It enables the Beneficiaries to meet their reform agendas in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy and to comply with European standards, which is also a priority for the EU enlargement process.

The envelope of this facility amounts to ca. 41 million EUR (85% funded by the EU, 15% by the CoE).

Find out more about the Horizontal Facility III programme >>

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.