Through a collaboration with an Austrian project the Department of Vocational Education at the Institute of Pedagogical Studies in Tirana initiated an experiment in May 2001. This experiment involved creating teacher portfolios in two Hotel-Tourism schools in Tirana and Saranda. The main goal was to enhance teaching quality and establish an enduring tradition of using portfolios for this purpose. The need for these teaching portfolios stemmed from several factors:

• Inadequate teaching materials
• Vocational schools in Albania hired specialized teachers without pedagogical training, resulting in challenges for curriculum development. Apart from the training, there was also a lack of consistent institutional training for teachers, which hindered the creation of teaching materials
• Shortage of skilled educators due to insufficient payment in the sector of education
• The desire to form a group of experienced specialist teachers capable of sharing positive experiences with younger colleagues by encouraging them to develop portfolios.

Seminars were organized concurrently with the creation of portfolios. The seminars’ objectives were:

• Enhancing teachers’ ability to bridge the gap between teaching and job market, leading to improved teaching material quality and portfolio preparation
• Evaluating teachers’ prepared materials based on tasks assigned, introducing different approaches to crafting support materials for lessons, and selecting the most suitable method
• Deliberating criteria for designing tests and choosing appropriate test types for each subject

The portfolios involved the following content:

• Table of contents, serving as a crucial introduction to facilitate navigation withing the portfolio
• Brief summaries of significant materials within the dossier
• Illustrations of class organization structures, demonstrating diverse methods for arranging students and implementing teaching techniques, especially in practical subjects like cooking, restaurant management, and reception
• Teaching materials crafted by instructors for lessons, addressing the scarcity of teaching resources in many subjects.
• Samples of student evaluations, including drafted test examples, accompanied by teachers’ insights on test strengths, weaknesses, needs, and alternative evaluation methods beyond tests
• Student assignments, encompassing individual tasks and group projects
• Integration of photographs and tapes as didactic tools, particularly beneficial in practical subjects to enhance teaching and learning efficiency.
• Inclusion of other elements aligned with teachers’ creativity.