State Secretary of North Rhine Westphalia Christian Wiermer Meets Alumni of the WUS Program “Career Transition Support North Macedonia”

Skopje, August 19th, 2026. State Secretary Christian Wiermer, representatives from North Rhine Westphalia, WUS and GIZ participated in a roundtable discussion in Skopje. The event was hosted by the WUS program Career Transition Support North Macedonia, which supports young graduates in their transition from university to professional life and enables several month internships in North Macedonian institutions, in collaboration with GIZ.

The delegation of the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia, Representatives of Career Transition Support North Macedonia (WUS) and GIZ North Macedonia met former grant recipients and discussed the importance of practical work experience for young professionals from North Macedonia and Kosovo. Alumni shared how their internships strengthened their skills, broadened their career opportunities and helped them gain insight into national and European labour market. Experiences ranged from placements at the Wuppertal Institute in Germany to internships at the AHK North Macedonia.

The discussion also highlighted future oriented fields such as circular economy and sustainable development, supported through the NRW funded project University Dialogue on Circular Economy. Participants emphasised that returning home with new technologies, methods and professional networks creates tangible benefits for institutions in North Macedonia and Kosovo.

The event clearly demonstrated the strategic value of the WUS program Career Transition Support North Macedonia, which strengthens the link between higher education and the labour market, promotes in-country employment and deepens long term cooperation between NRW, North Macedonia and Kosovo.