EYE: Enhancing Youth Employment (Phase 3)

Project description / objective

Young women and men, including disadvantaged and excluded groups, benefit from new or better employment opportunities in a sustainable way.

• See also: EYE Phase 1 and EYE Phase 2

Market system focus

Skills development in non-formal market 

One of the reasons that youth struggle to find employment is that they do not have the skills that companies want. Training providers often do not focus on the specific skills that companies want, because they lack the relationships with the private sector to get information on what specific skills they need.

This intervention addresses a key labour market problem in Kosovo. Despite a steady availability of an educated workforce, employers complain that they cannot find people with the right skills resulting in vacant positions not being filled. Formal Vocational Education and Training (VET) is changing very slowly and employers are seeking more rapid solutions to overcome this. Fundamental gaps include access to training through digitalisation and blended learning, the provision of modular and flexible training, and investment in long-term sustainability. 

Job intermediation services used by jobseekers and employers

Kosovo has a high unemployment rate and a low employment and labour force participation rate. The employment rate for the 15-64 age group rose from 25 per cent to 30 per cent during last decade, increasing to 31 per cent in 2021. Similarly, the labour force participation rate changed slightly from 37 per cent to 42 per cent, reaching 39 per cent in 2021. By 2021, the unemployment rate had levelled at 20 per cent.

EYE works with career guidance services and private job intermediation services to provide more access to job opportunities for youth.

Programme interventions

Skills development in non-formal markets 

The key objective of this intervention is to establish sustainable business models for private sector training providers. This is expected to lead to an increased availability of courses relevant to the needs of the private sector.

Focus will be given to:

• increasing the number of trainees (by making available, and providing access to, training through the promotion of digital and blended training models)
• improving the quality of  training (by increasing the internal capacity of training providers)

This will be achieved by:

• Supporting non-formal training providers to innovate and market their training (through better marketing and geographic expansion).
  This intervention focuses on the system that supports the acquisitions of marketable and needed skills by linking employers' needs to private and public training providers. This will result in better and more appropriately skilled youth for the labour market. They can form relationships with companies to get information on what specific skills they need and then can rapidly revise courses or add new courses in response to demand from the market.
• Working with industry leaders and business associations to find solutions and invest in areas related to vocational skills development.
  EYE works with lead companies that require specific expertise to either upgrade their existing employees, or skill-up new employees.

Job intermediation services used by jobseekers and employers

More and improved labour market information and services help young people make better informed career choices based on labour market trends and requirements.

This intervention aims to:

• Contribute to the expansion of, and institutionalisation of, School Based Career Centres at VET schools, helping more youth access VET education. Moreover, the goal is to also improve career guidance services and provide a qualification programme for career counsellors.
• Work with public and private job matching service providers to establish more affordable, accessible services in the market and support them to innovate and market their products. Private job matching service providers are the main partners in the intervention. Their biggest incentive to change is to increase their profits by investing in new services and products. By investing in marketing, more businesses will use their services, leading to higher profits.

Notable results (systemic change, poverty impact)

Results to date:

• 5,992 youth having new or better employment
• more than 320,000 youth accessed labour market information
• 2,500 jobs matched

[Uploaded September 2023]