WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Youth Employability Programme for Balkans Macedonia and Kosovo experience October 2008
Project background Balkan Children and Youth Foundation partnered with Slovenia-based company Studio Moderna, for developing and implementing the project Youth Employment Program for European Macedonia (launched in October 2006, co-funded by FOSIM in 2007) and expanded to Kosovo in 2008 – Youth Employment Program for Kosovo Studio Moderna is the largest direct marketing company in Central & Eastern Europe. It was founded in Slovenia in 1992 and is now present in another 19 CEE countries. October 2008
Project Goals Fight high youth unemployment in the Balkans Provide financial and technical support to young unemployed Promote active cooperation between business and NGOs October 2008
Strategies: Working on creation of favorable youth policies through various measures Matching young interns with companies and institutions Providing employability training to unemployed youth Providing young people with start-up grants/loans for small businesses October 2008
Outcomes in Macedonia: More than 200 young people employed in the first year of project implementation (over 60% of interns stay in hosting companies beyond the internship period) Over 20 young people involved in cross-border job- learning exchanges 9 training grants distributed to the youth employability training providers More than 100 companies involved in the program Over 600 youth gained employability skills Initial support and promotion of the program through the Clinton Global Initiative october 2008
Outcomes in Kosovo: Office in Prishtina established with the support from Studio Moderna Project launched in June 2008 and more than 30 businesses involved 4 training grants distributed to youth employability training providers More than 60 young people will be placed in internships and job-shadowing before the end of 2008 October 2008
Starting up: October 2008
Training and technical support : October 2008
Youth businesses October 2008
Project phases Studio Moderna supported the pilot phase of the employability program in Macedonia, starting in 2006, in Kosovo since 2008, and has pledged to support its replication into other countries in the region. Phase pilot - Macedonia Phase scaling up – Kosovo Phase scaling up – Croatia, Serbia Maturity phase – extension to other countries 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 FOR MORE INFO... www. studio-moderna.com October 2008
Next steps Launch of the project in Serbia in November 2008, supported by SHL Germany Extension of the program to Bosnia and Croatia 2009 Support to the programme in Macedonia from FOSIM in December 2008 Support for the programme in Macedonia and Kosovo in 2009-2010 from SHL and IYF October 2008
BCYF contact info: For YEPEM : Ljupka Pancevska – ljupka@balkanyouth.org For YEK : Kristina Velkovska – kristina@balkanyouth.org and Diedon Ymeri – diedon@balkanyouth.org For overall regional programme: Aleksandra Vidanovic – asha@balkanyouth.org or website : www.balkanyouth.org October 2008