Boost Employment: Continued efforts for labour market inclusion in Albania and Kosovo

After the successful 10-year intervention for the employability and economic integration of marginalized and youth groups - based on the “Coaching for Employment” methodology - Boost Employment Project brings Swisscontact’s support to labour market in Albania and Kosovo to another level.
Project duration
2021 - 2024

Unemployment remains a significant challenge for Albania and Kosovo. Still in the recent years it is pushing many young people to leave the country and find better opportunities abroad. Many others circulate unoriented in the labour market trying to find sustainable opportunities, but lacking competences and not being able to match with jobs.

The present labour markets in Albania and Kosovo have encountered several positive changes in the recent years improving both services for job seekers and employers (job givers). State and non-state stakeholders are more engaged in coordinating and exchanging to create a better labour market ecosystem.

The Project

The “Boost Employment” project aims at changing the livelihood of unemployed job seekers in Albania and Kosovo, through digital solutions, equal access, guided matching and engagement of public and non-public stakeholders.

Among the root causes unemployed job seekers face are the difficulty being oriented in the market, validation of their skills, lack of minimum incomes, lack of work experience, problems in social circles, loss of confidence, difficulty in finding a job, etc.

The project will work in 3 main directions to enhance the relations between job seekers and employers, by developing digital solutions of assessing, developing and matching skills, by establishing and enforcing policy and dialogue among key labour market stakeholders and by raising awareness among the mass population about the improved solutions and opportunities in Albania and Kosovo.

Goals

  1. Labour marketplace:
    Improving access to job seekers in Albania and Kosovo to assess, enhance and match their skills with available jobs. An online platform will be developed and in place for piloting as a digital tool for bringing together in a coordinated way the service providers, policy makers and beneficiaries (job seekers).  The idea for the Boost platform is to provide inclusive solutions by becoming the platform of all jobseekers.
  2. Guiding the job seekers
    during their employability path through existing coaching capacities.
  3. Mobilization of Labour Market Resources:
    Working with labour market stakeholders', service providers and groups of interest to familiarize with the objectives of the platform, services, establish common strategies and interventions and develop capacities of certain actors in offering their services and specially coaching and training in a matching way between offer and demand. In addition, special focus will be given to the dialogue and cooperation between the two governments in Albania and Kosovo in establishing common labour market policies and services and implement the mobility agreement that may offer unified services for the job seekers in the 2 countries.
  4. Communication and Awareness:
    Raise awareness among the population about the platform and its services. Awareness campaigns will be organized with selected targets throughout the timeline of the project to make sure that the services offered by the platform reach out to the communities, individuals and service providers in Albania and Kosovo.

Project Partners

  • National Agencies for Employment Services in Albania and Kosovo
  • Public and Private Vocational Training Centres
  • Private Sector Companies
  • Civil Society Organizations
  • Private job centres

Expected Results

  • Development of an online assessment, guided coaching and matching platform providing access to all unemployed job seekers in Albania and Kosovo.
  • Better employment access for 20,000 unemployed job seekers (50% female), and higher employment opportunities for 3000 individuals actively engaged in project services and interventions.
  • Improved and unified employment service practices under the framework of mobility agreement between the governments of Albania and Kosovo.

Financing partners

This project is financed by the Medicor Foundation, among other donors. This project is part of the Swisscontact Development Programme, which is co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA. 

News

Albania, Kosovo
13.06.2024
Leonita Cenaj's hope-filled journey through her eyes
Leonita Cenaj's eyes hold a story beyond her years, at just 20, they reflect hardships well-lived. They reveal missed opportunities and dreams blocked by limited education options and a lack of opportunity in her village.
Albania, Kosovo
20.12.2023
Boosting dreams into reality - a story of determination
Valon Vishaj is a young, determined young man with a passion for furniture craftsmanship. Despite obstacles, Valon's ambition knows no boundaries.
Albania, Kosovo
Labour market insertion
28.10.2022
The employability platform launched for job-seekers and job-providers
"MundësiPlot" (Plenty of Opportunities) is an online platform for the employability services provided in the labour market of two countries: Albania and Kosovo. The platform has been launched to the public and is live and accessible since July.