WORK AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Kosovo, a province of former Yugoslavia, has been independent since 2008. Its population is mostly of Albanian origin but also includes a substantial Serbian minority. The economy is one of the least developed in Europe, with an estimated per capita income of around 1,600 euros. The official unemployment rate is around 30% of the labour force, but among young people the percentage rises to 55% and over 30% of boys and girls are not in education or employment.

The project stems from the lack of communication between the labor market demands and the offers of newly graduates and qualified. Added to this, universities and vocational schools often do not develop the soft skills needed to face the world of employment; as a result, young people find themselves unprepared. Kosovo ‘s labour market does not offer great opportunities and jobs to unemployed young people, and the country does not have a clear economic development plan applicable to all sectors.

The project’s main objective is to facilitate employment using three tools.

• Updating and boosting the Epic platform (Employability accelerator and private businesses incubator centre) transforming it into a meeting point for young people and companies. This goal will be achieved by guaranteeing free easy access and use and by creating an application for smartphones and tablets. The strength of this application lies in an algorithm that will match companies’ needs with the profiles of young unemployed people, sending a notification in the event of a match.
• Boosting the existing workshops in a dozen professional centres, especially those focusing on subjects that are relevant to the labour market, such as tourism and accounting. Within this context we will try to set up internships with companies operating in specific sectors.
• Thanks to ad hoc funds, supporting young people wishing to set up micro-enterprises and companies wishing to expand their activities and hire young people. On the one hand these activities will focus on creating the conditions for long-term employment and, on the other, they will favour the most disadvantaged groups and young people aged between 16 and 30 and women in particular.

The project’s general objective is to increase the number of hired young people or startuppers, also through direct funding to companies or in support of emerging start-ups. Within four/five years, the project aims to get 12 thousand young people to register on the Epic platform (three thousand during the project, which will be added to the five thousand already present). At least two thousand young people will be in contact with companies and it is estimated that around 950 will find work within 24 months (385 girls, 25% of the total). To achieve this, two thousand companies, 70 between international and local NGOs and at least 5 universities will register.