Unemployment among young people in the Western Balkans is alarming, from 32% in Serbia and Montenegro to 46% in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Young people are facing problems such as limited access to reliable information concerning employment and services that should be available to them. Low-quality of internships and insufficient incentive environment for entrepreneurship are also challenges at the regional level that contribute to this problem, according to research data carried out last year.
At a partner meeting of the consortium of organizations working within the WEB4YES project, held on 24-25 January 2019, it was concluded that the next project year will contain a large number of activities and challenges brought about by the current socio-economic and political situation that is affecting the young people, and especially those who are unemployed.In 2019, advocacy campaigns are planned on the territory of the Western Balkans with the aim to change or adopt laws and regulations concerning the field of employment and entrepreneurship of young people.
In parts of the region partner organizations are coming, support will be given to organizations that promote the employability of young people through two-day training on the topics of Improving Youth Employability Policies and Advocacy Campaigns. Within the framework of the abovementioned training, 90 organizations will be supported. In addition to training, organizations that promote youth employability from the territory of the Western Balkans will be supported by financing of the projects that will be submitted to the Consortium of partners.
Developing of the WeB4JOB platform is in progress. This platform should help young people to get information and advice on job opportunities, internships, education and mobility throughout the Western Balkans region.
The project coordinator is Belgrade Open School, and partners in the project are Association for Democratic Prosperity - ZID (Montenegro), Lens (Kosovo), Association Beyond Barriers (Albania), Institute for Youth Development - KULT (Bosnia and Herzegovina), National Youth Council of Macedonia and Olof Palme International Center (Sweden). The WEB4YES project will last 36 months, from December 2017 to December 2020.
