SCORE Trainers – Establishment of a Pool of Trainers

Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE)

Furniture and Wood Processing Sector

1. Background

The Association of Wood Processors of Kosovo (AWPK), under the technical guidance of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and with support from the ILO Labour Inspectorate Efficiency Project, funded by Sweden, is seeking qualified professionals to establish a pool of trainers who can support the delivery of the ILO’s SCORE – Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises programme to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Kosovo.

The Project works to strengthen occupational safety and health, working conditions and productivity in Kosovo’s small and medium-sized enterprises. Following a diagnostic assessment, the furniture and wood processing sector has been identified as an area with strong potential to demonstrate the link between better working conditions, improved productivity and better business performance.

In July 2026, baseline assessments were completed at enterprises in the furniture and wood processing sector. AWPK is therefore inviting applications from qualified Kosovo-based professionals who are interested in joining a pool of trainers and participating in a SCORE Training of Trainers programme under the technical guidance of the ILO.

Selected candidates will have the opportunity to complete the SCORE Training of Trainers and, subject to successful completion and certification, may subsequently be engaged to deliver SCORE interventions in selected furniture and wood processing enterprises.

2. About SCORE

SCORE — Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises — is the ILO’s practical improvement programme for small and medium-sized enterprises. It combines classroom training for managers and workers with in-factory consulting visits and is delivered through five modules:

 

Module	What it covers
1. Workplace Cooperation	Building an enterprise improvement team, structured communication, and worker participation in problem-solving
2. Quality	Standard work, defect and rework data, root-cause analysis, and corrective and preventive action
3. Productivity and Cleaner Production	Workplace organisation, flow, changeover reduction, measurement, and material and energy efficiency
4. Workforce Management	Skills matrices, competency mapping, training plans and retention
5. Occupational Safety and Health	Risk assessment in practice, incident and near-miss reporting, and worker involvement in safety

SCORE is not a lecture programme. Trainers work on the factory floor alongside management and workers and are assessed on their ability to facilitate practical improvements within enterprises.

3. What Selected Candidates Will Receive

Selected candidates will receive:

• A fully funded 15-day Training of Trainers covering all five SCORE modules, delivered under the technical guidance of an ILO SCORE Master Trainer with certified co-trainers;
• Practical assessment throughout the training. In every module, participants will deliver a session segment to their peers and take part in practical exercises in a real enterprise;
• An individual assessment record and development note;
• The opportunity to be recommended for SCORE Trainer certification based on demonstrated competence rather than attendance alone;
• The opportunity, following successful certification, to be considered for engagement to deliver SCORE in furniture and wood processing enterprises in Kosovo; and
• Six months of remote technical support following certification, through which trainers can raise technical questions encountered during enterprise delivery.

There is no fee to participate in the Training of Trainers.

The Training of Trainers is fully funded by the Project.

Participation in the Training of Trainers does not constitute a paid consultancy assignment and does not guarantee a subsequent contract or a minimum number of enterprise assignments.

Following successful certification, trainers may be engaged for paid enterprise-level SCORE assignments, subject to the needs of the programme and separate contractual arrangements specifying the applicable scope of work, deliverables and remuneration.

4. Programme Dates and Time Commitment

The Training of Trainers will be delivered in three blocks. The blocks are deliberately separated so that participants can absorb and apply each stage before returning for the next.

Block	Days	Content and timing
Block 1.1	4	September 2026 — Foundation (SCORE method, facilitation, the in-factory consulting approach) and Module 1: Workplace Cooperation
Block 1.2	6	September 2026 — Module 2: Quality, and Module 3: Productivity and Cleaner Production
Block 2	5	October 2026 — Module 4: Workforce Management, and Module 5: Occupational Safety and Health. Final assessment at the close of this block
Certification	—	December 2026 — certification recommendations and individual development notes issued
TOTAL	15

Exact dates will be confirmed to selected candidates in early September 2026.

Attendance at all fifteen days is mandatory.

The modules are sequential and each builds on the one before. A participant who misses part of a block cannot be assessed against the full competency framework and cannot be recommended for certification.

Please do not apply unless you are confident that you can attend every day of all three blocks.

5. Who We Are Looking For

Essential requirements — all must be met

Applications that do not meet every essential requirement will not proceed to assessment.

1. Fluent English — written and spoken

All SCORE materials, the trainer competency framework and assessment documentation are in English.

Training is delivered bilingually, and the selection interview is conducted in English. Applicants must be able to work from English technical material, follow and contribute to discussions in English, and write clear reports in English.

2. Working fluency in Albanian

Enterprise-level delivery takes place in Albanian.

Fluency in Serbian in addition to Albanian will be considered an advantage for work in Serb-majority municipalities.

3. Practical exposure to manufacturing and furniture and wood processing environments

Practical experience in furniture and wood processing is strongly preferred. Experience in other manufacturing sectors may also be considered where the applicant can demonstrate relevant technical and enterprise-level experience.

4. Credible access to furniture and wood processing enterprises

A trainer who cannot get onto a shop floor cannot deliver SCORE.

Applicants should either hold existing relationships with furniture and wood processing SMEs in Kosovo or be in a professional role — such as consultant, business association staff member, sector specialist, OSH professional, auditor or other relevant professional — that provides credible access to small and medium enterprises.

5. Experience facilitating groups

SCORE is delivered to mixed groups of managers and workers, often with differing views.

Applicants should have experience running training, workshops or structured meetings and demonstrate the ability to facilitate groups effectively.

6. Full availability for all 15 days

Applicants must be available to attend all 15 training days across all three blocks in September and October 2026.

7. Commitment to deliver after certification

Applicants must be willing and able to deliver SCORE in at least two furniture and wood processing enterprises in Kosovo following successful certification, subject to the availability of assignments and separate engagement arrangements.

8. Based in Kosovo, or able to work in Kosovo without restriction

Trainers must be available to undertake enterprise visits across Kosovo. Travel be compensated.

Desirable — strengthens an application

The following will be considered an advantage:

• A degree in industrial or mechanical engineering, wood technology, furniture technology, business, occupational health or a related field;
• Prior exposure to lean, Kaizen, 5S, quality management systems or continuous improvement in any form;
• Consultancy or advisory experience with small and medium-sized enterprises;
• Relevant professional certification — for example ISO 9001, ISO 45001, HACCP or a recognized OSH qualification;
• Experience working with furniture and wood processing enterprises and their production, quality or OSH systems;
• Experience working on donor-funded programmes and to donor reporting standards; and
• Existing relationships with furniture and wood processing business associations or enterprises in Kosovo.

Prior SCORE experience is not required.

This is a Training of Trainers programme and applicants are not expected to already know the SCORE methodology.

6. Selection Process

Selection is competitive and will be conducted against published criteria.

The interview will be held in English and will also verify the language requirement.

The interview is a conversation about how applicants would handle real situations on a factory floor. It is not a test of SCORE knowledge.

The highest-scoring candidates will be invited to participate in the Training of Trainers. A reserve list may be maintained.

7. Subsequent Engagement of Certified Trainers

The purpose of establishing the pool is to create a group of qualified trainers who can support SCORE implementation in the furniture and wood processing sector in Kosovo.

Successful completion of the Training of Trainers and recommendation for certification does not automatically result in a consultancy contract.

Following certification, AWPK and/or the ILO Project may engage certified trainers for specific enterprise-level SCORE assignments, depending on programme needs, available resources and the trainer’s availability and suitability.

Such assignments will be governed by separate contractual arrangements and will specify, as applicable:

• the enterprises to be supported;
• the scope of services;
• the SCORE modules to be delivered;
• the expected number and type of enterprise visits;
• deliverables and reporting requirements;
• duration of the assignment; and
• applicable remuneration.

The initial programme objective is for certified trainers to support SCORE delivery in at least two furniture and wood processing enterprises, subject to the availability of assignments.

8. Application Requirements

Interested candidates should submit the following:

·       Curriculum vitae in English, maximum three pages..

9. How to Apply

Applications should be submitted by email to:

info@kosovowood.org

kosovawood@yahoo.com

 

Subject line

SCORE ToT Kosovo — Application — [Your Surname, First Name]

Application deadline

Monday, 31 August 2026, 17:00 CET

Questions are welcome before the application deadline and should be addressed to the contact above.