“When I was at high school, even in my best dreams, I didn’t think I would become a freelance videographer, a job that not a lot of girls have the courage to do”, says Migena Kodra, a 25 years old Roma girl. Trying to find her path to the future, she was not sure about what she wanted or how would she meet her expectations, until one of her friends suggested her the Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan in Albania.

Kodra visited the National Agency for Employment and Skills, where, after counselling and guidance, she enrolled in a graphic design course. “I found it more suited to my passion for creativity. Then, I was given a grant, which I used to buy cameras and turn my passion into a profession,” she says, speaking enthusiastically about her achievement.

She is one of the 540 young Albanians, from 15-29 years old, who have applied for the Youth Guarantee scheme, as part of EU4Youth. The project aims to improve the employability of young people, their training and education.

“The Youth Guarantee, led by the National Agency for Employment and Skills, is a key EU initiative to reduce youth unemployment by ensuring that young people under 30 receive quality job opportunities, education, or training within four months of registering with employment offices. In Albania, it is being piloted since October 2023 in Tirana, Shkodra, and Vlora”, explains Jona Dundo, “EU4Youth” project manager, emphasizing the role it has, in enhancing data on young people not in employment, education, or training (NEETs), strengthening outreach by identifying and engaging hard-to-reach NEETs, foster innovative local solutions for their integration, and expand the programme’s offer with new apprenticeship and traineeship schemes.

The employment offices serve as the first stop in a process that begins with counselling and guidance to help young people understand their opportunities, capacities, and limitations. Depending on their interests and abilities, they may be directed towards professional courses, further training, qualifications, or university education. They are then guided towards job opportunities or offered grants for their own initiatives, based on an individual case-by-case evaluation.

“We work with young people from disadvantaged communities, including Roma and Egyptian youth, young parents with family responsibilities, returnees from migration, discouraged job seekers who have struggled to find suitable alternatives, and those who have completed their education but feel disconnected from the labour market,” says Lorena Gjindoda, Tirana Local Coordinator for EU4Youth.

During the first year of the programme’s pilot phase, of the 540 young people who applied, almost half have had a ‘positive outcome’—meaning they have either found employment or attended vocational training courses.

To expand its outreach, the programme has also organised awareness-raising meetings in different areas and administrative units. “We have a dedicated sector that connects employees with employers, as well as two public vocational training centres. The trainings, covered financially by the Youth Guarantee scheme, are a key part of our success. Most of our positive outcomes have come through the employment promotion programme,” says Mimoza Ulqinaku, head of the Youth Guarantee pilot office in Tirana.

The programme aims for policy coherence and coordination—built on diverse partnerships—to “guarantee” a quality offer within four months, continuous monitoring, and effective use of both domestic and international financial resources.

“I came here uncertain about my choices and left with my own business as a videographer. If anyone wants to find their path, they should try the Youth Guarantee at the National Agency for Employment and Skills,” says Migena Kodra.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
“EU for Youth” is an EU funded project, which enhances inter-institutional capacities to effectively implement and govern the Youth Guarantee in Albania. It also strengthens local engagement and partnerships that effectively support the integration and retention of vulnerable NEET youth in the labor market through well-monitored and adaptive Youth Guarantee programmes. The project, is working on enhancing capacity and effectiveness of VET systems in producing a skilled workforce prepared to contribute to the green economy, with reduced student drop-out rates and increased engagement with the private sector. Implemented by UNDP and UNICEF, it is expected to target 17,000 young people registered in the public Eos, who will benefit from the improved employment services, through youth-friendly tools.