RisiAlbania, Making Labour Market Work for Youth


The last phase of RisiAlbania will continue to consolidate a functional labour market system that performs sustainably. The project will support businesses to grow through increased access to markets, competitiveness and resilience, leading to the creation of more and better jobs for young women and men. It will scale up its support for improving career intermediation, guidance as well as non-formal skills provision for youth to get access to jobs.

Country/region Topic Period Budget
Albania
Employment & economic development
Vocational training
SME development
Employment creation
Vocational training
01.11.2021 - 31.12.2029
CHF  6’900’290
Background Albania’s moderate economic growth of around 2-3% until end 2019 has translated into a reduction of youth unemployment. However, the socio-economic situation has been aggravated by the negative effects of the Covid pandemic, leading to increased youth unemployment of 23.3% in 2021. The country faces challenges in integrating youth into the labour market.
Objectives Young women and men, equipped with wellinformed career advice and market-relevant skills, have access to better and inclusive jobs which are provided by competitive and resilient businesses.
Target groups

The end beneficiaries are:

  1. Young women and men aged 15-29.
  2. Vulnerable and socially excluded groups, including rural women, internal migrants, orphans and returnees, who have limited access to job intermediation services and lack the necessary skills to find employment.

The direct beneficiaries are:

  1. Private businesses are the main partners to benefit from improved standards, business, technical, financial services and increased access to markets. 
  2. National Agency for Employment and Skills, regional employment offices, municipal and university career guidance centres as well as private job intermediation and nonformal private training providers will be supported to deliver effective labour market information services and qualifications to young people.
Medium-term outcomes
  1. Private sector businesses grow sustainably and create employment opportunities for young women and men (outcome at institutional level).
  2. More young women and men make informed career choices and have more employment opportunities thanks a strengthened labour market intermediation system (outcome at population level).
  3. More young women and men increase their skills and employability as a result of access to quality private, non-formal training opportunities
Results

Expected results:  

  • Public and private sector actors collaborate in addressing barriers to enterprise growth and job creation.
  • Businesses access better quality services, stimulating productivity improvements and growth.
  • Institutional career guidance service providers offer improved and in-demand services to young people.
  • Private and public job matching service providers offer improved services to young jobseekers and employers.
  • Private, non-formal training providers develop and offer job related innovative courses and learning methodologies to young people.
  • Private, non-formal training providers are capacitated to offer qualifications in compliance with the Albanian Qualification Framework.


Results from previous phases:  

  • On demand side, it contributed to the employment of 12’000 people (50% young women and 20% from vulnerable groups), accounting for 15% of unemployed youth. 
  • Regarding job mediation, 110’000 young people (52% women), accounting for 15% of youth in the country, gained better access to labour market information and career guidance services. 8’000 young people were placed in jobs (50% young women and 30% from vulnerable groups).
  • On skills development, 9’750 young people (50% women and 15% from vulnerable groups) improved skills as a result of access to non-formal training.


Directorate/federal office responsible SDC
Credit area Swiss cooperation with Eastern Europe
Project partners Contract partner
Private sector
Foreign state institution
Swiss Non-profit Organisation
  • Central State of South East
  • HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation
  • Foreign private sector North


Other partners
The implementing consortium is Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, as lead agency, and Partners Albania for Change and Development (local Non-Governmental Organization), which was selected through an open tender during phase 1.
Coordination with other projects and actors
  • The Government of Albania’s Integrated Policy Management Groups on Employment and Skills serves to coordinate the initiatives of development partners (UN, WB, EBRD, EU, Italian Cooperation, SIDA and GIZ).
  • Synergies will be further fostered among Swiss funded projects on Vocational Education and Training, private sector development and decentralization.
Budget Current phase Swiss budget CHF    6’900’290 Swiss disbursement to date CHF    5’900’000 Total project since first phase Budget inclusive project partner CHF   6’900’290
Project phases Phase 3 01.11.2021 - 31.12.2029   (Current phase) Phase 2 01.11.2017 - 31.10.2021   (Active) Phase 1 01.07.2012 - 31.10.2017   (Active)