The S4J project by Swisscontact Albania seeks to improve digital skills by facilitating teacher training and the necessary infrastructure for a modern VET. In a first phase the project conducted training sessions for 333 teachers. The second phase aims to expand the implementation of blended learning and roll-out the training to a wider number of teachers. Lessons learned from the implementation of training and support in the first phase will be used for the design of the training in the coming phase.

The thesis focuses on the training of the needed digital skills to implement two different forms of blended learning: a teaching tool offering standardized learning (Moodle), as well as the creative use of videos with mobile devices. In an exploratory research approach, an extensive literature re-view has been conducted, followed by five semi-structured, in-depth interviews with teachers. In order to evaluate the adequacy of the training and support, the following questions are discussed: Which skills do teachers need to implement blended learning? Which skills have been trained? How have the teachers been supported? How do teachers perceive the effects of the training and support? Based on the answers to these questions, potential improvements are identified and rec-ommendations for the second project phase are formulated.

The results showed that the training and support for the implementation of Moodle as well as video was adequate and enabled the teachers to proficiently use the two different tools. Three dimensions of the skills training have been identified as vital for the success of skills training: “the mind-set”, “the pedagogical skills” and “the digital skills”. The teachers of the first phase belong to the group of early adopters, who are open for new ideas and pedagogical approaches. The training and support of the second phase will focus on a majority of teachers with various mindsets and pedagogical skills. Future training of digital skills needs to reinforce these two dimensions. It is recommended to involve participants in an intensive discussion of the purpose and benefits of modern learning and inclusive teaching styles, and to show how digital skills can reinforce these benefits. A step-by-step training should enable teachers to use the tools in the role as a student to experience and reflect on the effects of modern teaching methods and media on the student and the teacher. Based on these insights, digital skills can be trained with a focus of enabling an efficient implementation of new ways of learning.