Siria has developed professionally through work and study in context of the European Union’s external relations policies for almost 30 years.

Siria coordinates the content of the ETF’s Skills Governance and Quality Assurance project, which covers ETF expertise in: mechanisms for multi-actor and multi-level governance mechanisms, role of non-state actors including social partners and civil society organisations in the skills policy processes, public-private partnerships, frameworks for quality assurance of skills systems, monitoring of progress in partner countries, knowledge development and actors’ capacity, policy advice, networking and dissemination.

She coordinated the “VET governance toolkit” VET Governance Toolkit | Open Space (europa.eu), a set of concepts and related tools that the ETF applies in its work with partner countries. In the lifelong learning domain, her focus is on innovative learning environments to motivate learners, continuing VET, skills for enterprise development, equity and human capital development thematic areas. Project evaluation and impact assessment are also part of her expertise.  In 2007 she was seconded to the World Bank in Washington, DC, as a human capital development specialist in the regions of Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In the 1990s, she worked at the European Commission and prior to that she was based at a non-governmental organisation working on international cooperation for development.