A working meeting was held at the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia with representatives from the Faculty of Design and Technologies of Furniture and Interior in Skopje. The meeting was organized to facilitate the exchange of information and experiences aimed at improving the quality of education and aligning workforce competencies with labor market demands.

The meeting was attended by the Vice Dean of the Faculty, Dr. Zoran Trposki, and Prof. Dr. Goran Zlateski, Head of the Center for Research and Development in the Wood Industry (CIRDI). Also present were Vasko Ristovski, Operations Director for Development, Innovation, and Knowledge at the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia, Natasa Janevska, M.A., Project Manager, and Valentina Cvetkovska, an expert in the Chamber's Professional Service and Coordinator of the Association of Wood and Printing Industry and Publishing Activity.

The Faculty of Design and Technologies of Furniture and Interior, particularly its Center for Research and Development in the Wood Industry, will once again this year organize open meetings with representatives of the business community from the wood industry across various regions of the country.

As Prof. Dr. Goran Zlateski emphasized, these meetings will provide an opportunity for all interested companies to familiarize themselves with and discuss activities related to the following topics:

·        Free technical assistance from the Faculty for companies applying for funding under the IPARD program – the Agency for Financial Support of Agriculture and Rural Development.

·        Practical training for students in wood industry companies.

·        Preparation of studies on workplace safety and environmental protection.

·        Services from the furniture testing laboratory at the Faculty – Skopje.

·        Organization of professional courses and training in the wood industry sector.

·        Scholarships for full-time students enrolled at the Faculty – Skopje.

The Economic Chamber of North Macedonia, for which quality education is a priority, supports this initiative and will actively participate in organizing a joint event with the Faculty of Design and Technologies of Furniture and Interior in Skopje. All companies from the wood industry sector across the country will be invited to this event, where they will discuss open issues and challenges faced by businesses, as well as ways to enhance collaboration with academia, particularly in the field of practical training.

As a result of this meeting, the need for greater unity among companies in this sector was highlighted to ensure professional support and, through the Economic Chamber, to engage with relevant institutions in creating better conditions for industry development. This initiative is expected to contribute to the creation of products with higher added value and to strengthen the export potential of North Macedonia's wood industry.