1. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Youth Employability Programme for Balkans Macedonia and Kosovo experience
October 2008

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. Starting up:
October 2008

8. Training and technical support :
October 2008

9. Youth businesses
October 2008

10. 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

11. 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 from SHL and IYF
October 2008

12. BCYF contact info:
For YEPEM : Ljupka Pancevska – For YEK : Kristina Velkovska – and Diedon Ymeri – For overall regional programme: Aleksandra Vidanovic – or website :
October 2008