Sarajevo Job Fair Connects 3,000 Jobseekers With Employers to Shape Future Training

The International Labour Organization (ILO) used the fair to involve companies in its EU-funded EU4Education and Employment project.

For people looking for work, knowing what employers need can make training choices feel less uncertain. Sarajevo's "Gledaj sebi posla 2026" Job Fair brought around 3,000 jobseekers and 140 companies together on 3–4 September, creating opportunities to discuss employment and gather practical information that will help shape vocational education in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Organized by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the event attracted businesses from manufacturing and industry, finance, services and technology, transport and logistics, tourism and retail. Employers shared their expectations about skills, occupational roles and changing workplace requirements with institutions working to make training more relevant to available jobs.

Turning Workplace Experience Into Better Training

The International Labour Organization (ILO) used the fair to involve companies in its EU-funded EU4Education and Employment project. An Employer Engagement Zone gave business representatives a space to contribute to the development and validation of ten occupational standards across technical, digital, construction, business and service occupations.

Occupational standards describe the skills, knowledge and competencies someone needs to perform a particular job, providing a foundation for updating vocational curricula and qualifications. For students and jobseekers, their relevance depends on how closely they reflect the tasks people actually carry out at work and the abilities employers expect them to bring.

Through 62 structured interviews and questionnaires, employers explained essential duties, identified important competencies and described how technology and changes in work organization are reshaping jobs. Their responses provided detailed workplace evidence about where training needs improvement, giving education providers a clearer basis for preparing learners for employment.

Ten Occupations Receive Employer Input

Discussions covered standards for Auto Electrician, Electrician, Nutrition Technician and Salesperson, with the sales role focusing on online sales. Six further standards are under development for Local Area Network Administrator, Programming Technician, Website Technician, Construction Technician, Graphic Technician and Chemical Technician, extending the work across a broad range of career paths.

Dženita Namgalija, the ILO's National Project Coordinator for EU4Education and Employment, emphasized that employers' contributions would help qualifications reflect today's workplaces and support training that better prepares young people and jobseekers for quality employment. Involving companies gives those developing qualifications direct access to the people who understand daily tasks and changing demands within these professions.

This new cycle builds on four occupational standards already developed and endorsed with participation from employers and the education sector: Electrical Power Engineering Technician, Electrical Installer, Mechatronics Technician and Tourism Technician. Surveys, working groups and validation activities are being used to expand that process and strengthen the connection between vocational qualifications and labour market requirements.

Students Put Business Skills Into Practice

Teachers and students from three schools participating in the ILO's Know About Business programme demonstrated an interactive Business Game on the fair's second day. The activity showed how entrepreneurship education can develop teamwork, decision-making and initiative, giving young people opportunities to practise abilities that matter in both employment and running a business.

An ILO Podcast Corner introduced visitors to the organization's broader work on employment, skills and labour market institutions, grounded in its Decent Work Agenda. These activities placed career preparation within a wider discussion about the quality of employment and the institutions that help people access opportunities.

Employer feedback collected at the fair will inform the finalization of occupational standards and the next phase of curriculum development. Bringing businesses, educators, public institutions and jobseekers into the same conversation creates a practical route for turning workplace experience into training that responds more closely to the needs of Bosnia and Herzegovina's labour market.