13 October 2009 Skopje Number 1

INTERVIEW DARKO MADZOSKI

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LETTER FROM PIETER HAEN

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KLAUS WITTKUHN 9

REPORTAGE HR CONFERENCE

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INTERVIEW KIRIL MINOSKI

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In this number:

ЕЛЕКТРОНСКИ ВЕСНИК ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER NUMBER 1

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Introduction

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Publisher: Macedonian Human Resource Association Street .Nikola Vapcarov 2/4, 2 floor, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia Tel/Fax 3231 250, web page: www.mhra.mk, е-мејл: contact@mhra.mk Editors: Darko Madjoski, Kiril Minoski, Olga Mihajlova Tikvarovska , Marija Ignatova Gosheva, Dojranka Anastasovska Cevtkovska

Distinguished readers,

It is my great pleasure and honor to present you the first issue of the electronic newsletter of the Macedonian Human Resources Association. This is our and your media, “voice” of the Association, through which we will try to bring all our activities and plans to the broader audience, and also to all our members.

The first issue, understandingly, refers largely to the period since the establishment of the MHRA, activities undertaken, achievements, expectations...

As probably expected, the focus of this edition of the newsletter is on the first International Human Resource Conference, impressions from the event and next challenges.

In the forthcoming period, we will try to present various subjects and up-to-date information that we consider useful and valuable for your professional development.

The electronic newspaper will be open for all your ideas and topics that you consider interesting. We also encourage you to contribute to the creation of the content of the newspaper by sending us your articles since it is a tool that belongs to all of us, and has been made in our interest – the members of the Macedonian Human Resources Association...

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Darko Madjoski, President of the Macedonian Human Resources Association

A: The Association was established on April 22 with the support of the USAID’s Business Environment Activity. In a period shorter than half a year, we managed to achieve everything that we pre-dicted at one of the first Executive Board meetings held immedi-ately after the Founding Assembly, and seemed to be our priority for the early stage of the development of the association.

We started with signing a Memorandum of Cooperation with the USAID’s Human and Institutional Development Program thus enabling the work on creating conditions for long-term and sus-tainable development of the Macedonian Human Resources Asso-ciation. Together with the Human and Institutional Development Program, we started a thorough investigation of the type of activi-ties and ways of operation of the association that will bring largest benefit to the HR professionals, closely related professional organi-zations and institutions, and to the wider audience. In that regard, we don’t exclude the expectations of the private sector and their employees.

In the same period, we started an intensive international cooperation. In May, we signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Bulgarian HR Association, which became our mentor in the process of our affilia-tion to the European family of HR professionals. In early June, we prepared and submitted the application for EAPM (European Association of People Management) membership. After the successful presentation of our association at the EAPM Annual Meeting, our application was unanimously accepted and we were granted the status of an associated member. It is the first and most important step to the full membership. Without false modesty, I have to stress that the majority of our colleagues and associations from Europe have spent much more time and resources to come to what we achieved in only two months after we estab-lished our association.

Although a period of moderate activity because of the summer vacations, we used the summer months for preparations of the First International HR Conference, as well as for planning the model of service that will be provided by the association as a precondition for its long-term sustainability.

Our website is already active and we plan to fill it with information about the current activities, announce-ments of upcoming events and other useful information for the professionals in this area. Something that makes me feel pleased, as the President of the association, is the interest of many individu-als and active members to engage and contribute to carrying out the activities of the association. Without their and the support of the members of the Executive Board, which meets on a regular basis, everything that we have achieved so far would have been just an unfulfilled desire.

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Q: Did the Association have any activities since its founding? As the President of the Macedonian Human Resources Association, how do you assess its recent activities?

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zations and companies have expressed their interest to promote their HR-related services and products, as a complementary component of the conference we are organizing the HR EXPO. This exhibition will be an opportunity for the exhibitors to present latest advance-ments in technology and services available to the HR industry. Q: What is the way for the interested indi-viduals to apply for participation? A: Interested individuals may apply for mem-bership through the Association Secretariat. Very soon, it will be possible applications to be submitted electronically, by use of the service provided through the association’s web site.

Q: Who helped the estab-lishment of the Associa-tion? A: Besides the big support and interest of many inter-national institutions to engage in the process of establishing of the associa-tion, major support comes from the USAID's Business Environment Activity and the Human and Institu-tional Development Pro-gram. However, there are many institutions and companies willing to help and sponsor our activities. For example, the telecom-munications company - "T-Home", will be the general sponsor and supporter of the First International Hu-man Resources Confer-ence. Q: Is there continuing interest for membership in the association after the Founding Assembly? A: The interest exceeds the expectations even of the most optimistic among us. The Association was founded by 54 individuals, but within a few months we have received one hun-dred new applications. The Admission Commis-sion, which has been es-tablished in the frames of the Executive Board, has a lot of work. Q: What are your plans for the forthcoming pe-riod? A: Besides the conference in Ohrid, we plan to or-ganize several workshops on interesting topics and to proceed with the proc-

ess of our European and international integration. Q: The First International Human Resources Con-ference will be held on September 11 and 12 in Ohrid. What will be the topics to be presented? A: Main topic of the con-ference, since it is the first event of this kind in Mace-donia, is very general: How human resources contributes to the success of your company? Among the presenters and speak-ers, we will have with us the former president of the German HR Association, Dr. Hans Bohm, while the HR director of one of the largest companies in the region will speak about the human resources as strategic partners of the company. Presentations will be also delivered by representa-tives of the Boston Con-sulting Group, who will share with the conference participants the results of the latest HR survey con-ducted in Europe. In addi-tion, they will present their views about the role of the human resources in times of crisis. During the con-ference, many prominent experts and professionals from the country and the region will talk about very relevant HR topics or will present cases from the practice. Q: Will there be any other events during the confer-ence besides the lectures and presentations? A: Yes. Since many organi-

Who is Darko Madjoski? In his more than twenty years professional ex-perience, Darko Madzoski, the President of the Macedonian Human Resources Association, was head of several companies and has worked on positions focused on human resource manage-ment and development. As Country Manager and Executive Director at two of the largest multina-tional companies - Unilever and British American Tobacco in Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo, he has worked in organizations that have estab-lished nearly perfect HR methodologies and sys-tems.

He served as the Chief HR Director at Macedo-nian Telecommunications and was the first pro-fessional who began the transformation of the HR function and sector.

He was at the position of a Project Manager at a World Bank implemented project and Chairman of the Board and CEO of “Fructal Mak”. Cur-rently, he is manager-partner at Profile Group, one of the largest headhunting and selection of top managers, HR professionals and management consultants. 

Darko Madjoski, President of the Macedonian Human Resources Association

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Until very recently, the HR people were faced rather inappropriate perception and weak recognition of the importance of their profession. Speaking frankly, the method of their work and practice has largely contrib-uted to the image of their profession at the time. Even today, we can still find HR de-partments that execute just administrative work thus providing for the non-functionality of the HR operations in their companies.

Yet, there are companies that have already established modern HR systems and their HR managers and practitioners use contem-porary HR tools. However, the number of such companies is still very small.

I think that it is high time to raise the aware-ness about the importance of HR for the suc-cess of the organizations and companies, including the importance and role of the HR management. This has to be recognized as a need, not as a declaration. It is high time to implement contemporary, practical sys-tems of HR management and development in all companies and institutions…

Q: Are there any special preconditions for becom-ing a member of the Asso-ciation?

A: No. On the contrary, we want to open the associa-tion for all current, former and future professionals in the area of human re-source management and development. The associa-tion is also opened for em-ployees and students. Eve-ryone who thinks that the association may bring benefit to his/her work is welcomed. We are follow-ing the European concept which means that the number of members is not limited since the field of HR is meaningful in a very broad sense.

Q: What are the benefits for the members? What may they expect from their affiliation to the as-sociation?

A: Besides the opportunity to stay in permanent con-tact with their colleagues, by attending conferences and workshops they will be able to exchange opin-ions on different issues and be always informed about the newest trends in the field of HR. They will receive up-to-date infor-mation on the changes in the HR-related legislation, labor market, etc.

Of course, networking with the colleagues from the country, region and worldwide is one of the major benefits that should be expected by the mem-bers.

Q: What is the current status of the profession and the position of the HR professionals?

Darko Madjoski, President of the Macedonian Human Resources Association

Dear President and members of the Macedonian Human Resource Association With great joy our European Association for People Management EAPM wel-comed the introduction of your young and ambitious association in Amster-dam 3 months ago. We were very happy to see that the initiative to organize the HR professionals in Macedonia is bearing fruit and the numbers of members are growing. Fur-ther development, interesting initiatives, establishing professional programs and networks, and transfer of HR know-how will certainly build a basis for a warm welcome to our Association in the future. EAPM will be happy to help your Association to grow and develop and is more than willing to support and to help your association to become a full member of EAPM. The European Association for People Management (EAPM) and its national member organizations in 30 European countries—comprising not only mem-

bers of the EU but also Norway, Switzerland, Russia, and Turkey—are pursuing the goal of improving the quality of HR management and developing and improving professional standards. With its initiatives, con-ventions, surveys, and dialogue platforms, the EAPM is promoting professional exchange among HR ex-perts all over Europe.

Pieter Haen, President EAPM

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One of the most recent initiatives of EAPM was the launch in June 2009 of the EAPM/Boston Consulting Group report ‘Creating People Advantage, How to Tackle the Major HR Challenges During the Crisis and Beyond’ The report analyzes the results of the most comprehensive HR survey ever conducted in Europe. BCG and the EAPM conducted the online survey in Europe from November 2008 through January 2009, receiving 3,348 responses from HR and other executives in more than 30 European countries. This survey was sup-plemented by 109 interviews with senior executives, which were conducted between December 2008 and April 2009. The survey asked executives to rate the future importance of 21 HR topics. Despite the crisis, managing talent remained the most urgent future topic in 2009, as it was in 2007, when the previous survey was con-ducted. Managing talent is vital for companies today and in the future, and they know it. Among the 21 topics, improving leadership development and enhancing employee commitment have risen significantly in importance since 2007. In the current economy, leaders have to show that they can lead in stormy weather and maintain employee commitment. Other topics, such as managing work-life balance and man-aging corporate social responsibility, have less priority compared to 2007.

Another important conclusion is that most European companies are unprepared for the demo-graphic “Double Whammy” that will strike when the reces-sion ends. Companies are hast-ily cutting their work force without taking into account that people will soon be a scarce re-source. I think that it is not too late to take action. Only 15 percent of European companies plan their work force more than three years in ad-vance, suggesting that many companies may soon face key shortages in skills as the “double whammy” of falling birth rates and rising numbers of baby boomers entering retire-ment shrinks the size of the work force.

We also found that 47 percent of European companies do not plan their work force requirements more than a year in advance. Companies that have been forced to cut costs and reduce head count during the reces-sion may struggle to find the people they need when growth eventually returns. Companies therefore need to consider the long-term impact of their actions, even—or especially—in times of crisis. In ten years, the scarcest resource for a company will be people. Companies should understand how their work force will develop, which job categories drive the business, and how demand will evolve. With the uncertainty pre-vailing today, the human resources (HR) department should analyze different scenarios to figure out whether and how to find, hire, retrain, outsource, or lay off employees.

Pieter Haen, President European Association for People Management

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In March, BCG and the EAPM published a White Pa-per, Creating People Advantage in Times of Crisis: How to Address HR Challenges in the Recession, that summarizes survey results as they relate to the reces-sion. The results revealed that one-third of European companies were planning to lay off full-time employ-ees. The White Paper encourages companies to follow a 12-point HR plan to cope with the recession and safeguard their long-term prospects. The full report builds on that theme and lays out an approach, strategic work force planning, that allows companies to prepare for the future. Companies need to calculate how different strategic scenarios will af-fect the demand for specific job categories, and they need to determine whether there is an adequate supply of employees—either internally or in the job market. Strategic work force planning, however, requires fun-damental changes in HR practices. Besides engaging in strategic work force planning, companies should also tightly link their overall corporate strategy with their HR practices and rely on metrics that track and prove the performance of people and HR processes. Few non-HR executives believe that the HR depart-ment acts as a partner with business units. One remedy would be to rotate executives in and out of the HR department. But in half of the HR departments, only 3 out of 10 employees had experience in the business line. Many companies struggle not only on metrics but also on delivering HR business part-nership and meeting the cus-tomer’s needs. These and other findings and conclusions are offered to you in a continuing research pro-gram, done by EAPM and BCG. Our reports help and ensure that our members achieve sus-tainable competitive advan-tage, build more capable or-ganizations, and secure lasting results. Unfortunately I am not able to attend your first and historical conference. I hope to be able to join you during next confer-ence and I wish you a fruitful, pleasant and unforgettable Conference! With best regards to you all, Pieter Haen President EAPM  

Pieter Haen, President European Association for People Management

conference with only a few weeks time to organize. Everybody I talked to spoke very positively about the conference and was looking forward to the next one. MHRA couldn’t have had a better start. Now the question is how to keep the ball roll-ing and show the member-ship that all the services MHRA has to offer are of the same high quality.

Q: What are the services you mention here? A: During the last weeks we did a survey on the HR situation in Macedonia. Around 600 companies were interviewed and the results will be published during the next weeks. In this survey we also asked what people considered th most important services of the MHRA. The clear re-sult was that people ask for Experience Exchange Groups and for educa-tional events like the con-

Q: How did you get connected to the MHRA? A: I am a managing partner for a consultancy in Germany that fo-cuses on HR. We support companies in setting-up HR departments, proc-esses and systems. Our second com-pany, performance design interna-tional, focuses on organizational design and has been working for USAID here in Macedonia for about four years on several projects. This combination experience and exper-tise lead to USAID asking us to sup-port the MHRA during the initial phase. We are fortunate have the former General Manager of the German HR Association, Dr. Hans Boehm, as a team member. He served as Secre-tary General and as President of the European HR Associations also. With Dr. Boehm as a member of the team we have the best know-how to support the MHRA. Q: You attended the first HR con-ference in Macedonia in Sep 2009, what was your impression? A: I was impressed. I would not have expected such a high quality

ference or seminars. In addition they expect an attractive web site and an HR magazine. MHRA is working on establishing those ser-vices as quickly as possi-ble. The web site is al-ready online and will be continuously improved. The next conference is already in the planning. To develop the other ser-vices depends on volun-

tary work. MHRA has little resources and that means also little man-power. Like any associa-tion it depends on what its members are willing to do as volunteers.  

Interview Klaus Wittkuhn—HR Consultant

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In addition, handbooks to support volunteers have to be developed to ensure that they get as much support as possible and to ensure that there is a structured environ-ment for them to work within. Then the volunteers should be trained. Q: What are your wishes for MHRA? A: I wish that they develop fast and that they continue to strive for a high quality approach. And a last remark that is more than a wish: I’m quite confident that it will all work out. The future looks good for MHRA. There is a lot of interest and there are many people who are will-ing to support MHRA. It is hard to believe that such a combination would not be successful.

MHRA already looked for volunteers at the conference and collected a reasonable number of people that would like to support MHRA with their know-how. I know, and this might be the most important sign for the sustainability of MHRA. Volunteer work can’t be estimated high enough. The wealth and the social coherence of rich states like Germany very much depends on volunteer work. It might be in sports clubs, in choirs, in church, in kindergartens, in schools, you name it and you find it. This is often over looked. Many people told me that Macedonia doesn’t have a culture of comprehensive volunteer work. I can’t judge, but the signals we see at MHRA are more than promising. Q: Perhaps people think that there is no bene-fit in voluntary work. A: Might be, but they are completely wrong. First of all it is satisfying to do work that one likes. To contribute to the community is also rewarding in itself for many people. And peo-ple get a lot of recognition out of voluntary work. Take my example: I’m member of the Board of a German Association, which is per-sonally very rewarding work, but not only that. Without formally marketing our company I made a lot of contacts that ultimately resulted in projects. This doesn’t happen all the time and it doesn’t happen in the short term. It is a side effect. In addition I have extensive professional exchange with people I wouldn’t have met oth-erwise. I also have the feeling that I am contrib-uting to the community in a way that makes sense. I only can hope that enough people in Mace-donia see things in a similar way and are will-ing to support the MHRA. Q: What do you think are the next steps to go? A: The next steps are to set up committees run by volunteers. That way the MHRA can lever-age its personnel base. Those committees then set up the services the membership asks for. First committees should be: Committee on Experience Exchange

Groups Committee on Conference Committee on Membership Committee on Marketing All these committees should work out concepts to serve the membership.

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The 1st International HR Conference titled How HR Contributes to the Success of Your Company organized by the Macedonian Human Resources

Association was held in Ohrid on September 11-12.

As a complementary component of the conference, HR EXPO was organized to present educational institu-tions, consulting companies, executive search and headhunting companies from Macedonia and the region to the participants of the event.

Main supporters of the Conference were the USAID’s Business Environment Activity and Human and Institutional Develop-ment Program, while general conference sponsor was T-Home Macedonia.

MHRA President, Darko Madjoski, opened the conference by outlining the importance of the event in the light of the status of the HR profession. In the absence of the President of the Euro-pean Association for People Management, Mr. Pieter Haen, his speech was read by a member of MHRA. Then the Director of the Economic Growth Office at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission, Timothy Ham-mann, and the representative of T-Home, Sandra Lipsha, ad-dressed the audience extending their best wishes for the success of the conference.

The working part of the conference started with the presenta-tion of D-r Hans Bohm, former president of the European Asso-ciation for People Management and Board Member of the World Federation of Personnel Management Associations. D-r

Bohm has also served as a manager at Audi AG, Bosch Foundation and Fiesta AG. In his presentation, he talked about the newest trends in the professional HR management and pointed out the importance of the re-implementation of clear ethical and moral values of corporate culture (corporate social responsibility and common feeling of fairness and honesties, trust, mutual solidarity and loyalty and taking responsibility for an omission made), as a precondition for surpassing the global economic crisis.

Second presenter was the HR Director at Mer-cator Group, largest chain of supermarkets and malls in South Eastern Europe, known as the biggest employer in the region with almost 22,000 employees. Topic presented by Ms. Jaz-bec was HR as a Strategic Partner in the Or-ganization: The Case of Mercator, which de-scribed the HR practices implemented by Mer-cator Group.

The afternoon session included presentation of the results of the latest survey conducted by the European Association for People Manage-ment and Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Their report Creating People Advantage in Times of Crisis refers to data gathered in 33 countries, covering 3,340 respondents. The survey results were presented by BCG’s Janis Karajotis. The message from the survey presentation was that management of talents and leadership, as well as the motivation of the employees are critical for the development of the companies.

Reportage from the HR Conference

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Thomas Higgins and Svetislav Zarov from the Bulgarian Balkan Accession Fund talked on the topic of change management. They illustrated how HR-related issues can affect the entrepreneurial success and

how important is proper HR management in the area of investment. They stressed that consistency, concentration and cooperation are main preconditions for the success of the companies.

The panel on corporate social responsibility (CSR) from the human resources management perspective took place in the afternoon conference session. It was organized in partnership with the National CSR Coordina-tive Body. The panel started with a presentation of the activities of the Coordinative Body, delivered by its president, Goran Lazarevski.

As a part of this panel, two companies that have been awarded by the CSR Body for their corporate social responsibility activities - EVN Macedonia and Cosmofon, were invited to present their success stories.

Iskra Tikvarovska from EVN Macedonia talked about the way in which the company cares about the edu-cation of the employees through the EVN Academy. The HR Director of Cosmofon, Emilija Trajkovik Hris-tova, presented the case of performance evaluation.

The Corporate Social Responsibility panel was closed with signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation be-tween the Macedonian Human Resources Association and the CSR Coordinative Body.

The working part on the first day of the Conference was closed with the presentation of Anita Nikova, who referred to the results from the latest survey on the needs for labor force in the ICT industry, conducted by the IT Chamber of Commerce (MASIT). After the presentation, the President of MHRA, Darko Madjoski, and the President of MASIT, Vasko Kronevski, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between the two organizations.

The second conference day was devoted to presentations of practical examples from the HR practice.

Bill Drusdale and Marija Shishkova from AIMS addressed the challenge of adding value to education through development of quality training curricula.

Prof. Leonid Nakov from the Faculty of Economics at the Ss. “Cyril and Methodius” University in Skopje explained how the advanced methods of management education contribute to the improvement of their performance.

Reportage from HR the Conference

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Pavel Petrov and Goran Velinov from Tech-nologica presented their model of use of modern IT systems for effective human resources man-agement, pointing out that the implementation of ICT tools leads to enhanced effectiveness of the human resource management.

The representative of Macedonian Telecom, the Director of HR Systems Toni Lukanovski, gave a presenta-tion on services culture, describing the case of his company through an impressive audio-visual presenta-tion.

Ana Andova, HR Manager at Feni Industry presented the model of occupa-tional safety and employees health protection implemented at her company based in Kavadarci.

During the second conference day, particular attention attracted the presenta-tion of one of the leading European consultants in in human resource manage-ment, Wittkuhn Klaus, founder and managing partner of Performance Design International. In a very illustrative way, he presented the performance as a concept that has changed the process of human resources management.

The second day of the conference ended with the presentation of the web por-tal My Career, which is aimed at promoting internship programs, and the presentation given by a representative from the Institute of Directors.

In his closing remarks, the president of MHRA, Darko Madjoski, summarized

the conclusions of the conference and talked about the next challenges for the Association: further participation in regional and international activities, bringing association’s activities closer to the members, de-centralization and introduction of professional standards.

The conference was moderated by Kiril Minoski, Head of Labor Mar-ket and Pension Reform at the USAID’s Business Environment Activ-ity.

The conference was attended by over 200 participants. During the conference, MHRA members were invited to declare their interest in participating in the work of the committees of the Association. The

work in the committees is on a voluntary basis.

General impression from the conference is rather enthusiastic and the membership is looking forward to gathering soon at a similar event organized by the Macedonian Human Resources Association.

Reportage from the Conference

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Kiril Minoski is Head of the Labor Market and Pension Reform De-partment at the USAID’s Business Environment Activity. For over ten years, he has been engaged by the US consulting company Booz Allen Hamilton in the implementation of human resource and work-force development programs, and institutional development of the Macedonian public administration and private sector, as well.

Q: Mr. Minoski, what was the challenge for your project (Business Environment Activity) to be one of the main initiators and sup-porters of the establishment of the Macedonian Human Resources Association? A: Working on the labor market reform and workforce development and communicating with the related institutions – mainly the Minis-try of Labor and Social Policy and Employment Service Agency, we recognized that one of the main priorities for Macedonia is the issue of standardization of the informal education. For this reason, we believed that the establishment of a professional association focused on human capital development that would bring together the hu-man resource management professionals from both the private and public sector, might contribute to achieving these goals. Q: How was the attempt for establishing the association achieved? A: It was necessary to get together a decisive group of HR manage-

ment professionals, who would share the vision and mission of a professional association and be ready to work on achieving its program goals and tasks on a voluntary basis. At the Association’s Founding Assem-bly, we managed to compose executive bodies by appointing professionals who unselfishly involved them-selves in the initial activities of the association. Q: Are you satisfied with the results achieved by the Association since its establishment? A: The dynamics of the work imposed by the President and the Executive Board was really demanding. Several memorandums of cooperation were signed, including with the USAID’s Human and Institutional Development Program, Bulgarian Human Resource Association, Macedonian Association of Information Technology (MASIT) and National Corporate Social Responsibility Coordinative Body. Besides, the asso-ciation was involved in the activities of the European and World Human Resource Associations and, fi-nally, two special events were organized: official promotion of the association in June 2009, and the First International HR Conference in September. Q: What are your impressions from the conference? A: As the conference moderator and one of its main organizers, I don’t feel comfortable to appraise its suc-cess. However, I would like to stress that if we look at the number of participants, quality of presentations and reputation of the presenters, we have set high standards that the association should follow in the forth-coming period. Impressions that were shared with me after the Conference were positive. The topic of the conference How Human Resources Contribute to the Success of your Company was a full shot, while addi-tional contribution was provided through the HR EXPO, which included presentations of several consult-ing houses, IT companies and educational institutions.

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Q: Will the USAID’s Business Environment Activ-ity continue to support the work of the association?

A: As I already mentioned, in addition to the sup-port from the Business Environment Activity, the association has also received support from the USAID’s Human and Institutional Development Program. In the past months, we worked intensively together with a team of international consultants on the development of a strategy for the association that will ensure its long-term sustainability. The imple-mentation of this strategy will start immediately af-ter it will be finalized and adopted by the Executive Board of the association. Our approach for the forthcoming period is to assist in the organization of educational events, creation of database of HR professionals, enrichment of the con-tent of the association’s website, etc. Also, we will support further involvement of the association in the regional, European and world activities and initia-tives, and will contribute to the activities related to standardization of the profession on a project basis. Considering that in the past few years our project has worked on strengthening the economic-social dialogue at national and local level, we plan to assist the establishment of partnership between the asso-ciation and the organizations of employers with an aim of stimulating creation of legislation that will encourage investment in human capital.

Q: Do you, as a project, support any other initia-tives in the area of workforce development? A: Currently, we work on the implementation of a special software in the Employment Service Agency that will enable basic professional orientation, identi-fication of the so-called “skill gaps” and creation of individual employment plans. We supported the establishment of the Internship Program, which is part of the Operational Plan of the Government of Macedonia for Active Labor Market Measures.

Q: What would be your recommendation to the members of the Macedonian HR Association? A: The global economic crisis has once again shown that the 21st century is a century in which companies

will compete not on the basis of capital and technol-ogy, but on the basis of their human capital. Compa-nies’ success will depend on the ability to provide career development and leadership. Involvement in the activities of the association enables exchange of experience and knowledge, standardization of the profession and implementation of the experience gained in other areas - professions. The success of MHRA will depend on the eagerness of its members and leadership to engage in the reali-zation of one of the main priorities of Macedonia that is the development of its human capital as a pre-requisite for a competitive economy and welfare.

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