Business Ideas for Young People
20 young people, who have completed the training phase under the Self-Employment Programme, presented their business ideas in front of a jury. Their business ideas are various, with a wide scope, at the same time meeting the market demands. They touch upon many areas, such as information and communication technology, agriculture, Albanian traditional handicrafts, tourism, good nutrition and healthcare. All these young people applied to join the Self-Employment Programme launched during December 2016. Around 270 young people moved to the first selection phase and approximately 110 short-listed received training on how to write business plans. These business plans will be introduced during three days and will be judged by a jury of representatives from the private sector, National Employment Service and UNDP.
The Self-Employment Programme supports young people from 18-30 years old, who possess a vision to start-up their own business. The programme provides assistance in turning ideas into sustainable businesses through training on self-employment, counselling throughout the programme phases and financial support.
The Minister of Social Welfare and Youth Olta Xhacka, present at the Fair, underlined: ”Fostering entrepreneurial and innovative initiatives is a key objective of the Albanian Government. This is why the Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth has welcomed and partnered with UNDP to implement the Skills Development for Employment Programme funded by the Government of Switzerland”
Brian Williams, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative underlined:”The potential of small-scale private entrepreneurship is immense, not only as an engine for economic growth, but also as a means to fighting unemployment. Programmes like this one can be of benefit to all social groups, including vulnerable groups that face challenges in the formal labour market. The self-employment programme reflects the spirit of the Sustainable Development Goals – the SDGs. One of the targets the world has set for itself for the year 2030 is to achieve “decent work for all women and men.” This is an ambitious target; however, such programmes bring us closer to this goal. At UNDP, we are glad to support such initiatives”.
Last year the programme supported the start-up of 36 businesses out of 440 young people that presented their ideas.
The "Skills Development for Employment" Programme is a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in partnership with the Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth. The programme promotes the objectives of the Ministry regarding employment and vocational education and training.Moreover, the programme aims to enhance and diversify employment promotion programmes, establish a regulatory framework on vocational education and training, set-up an accreditation system for providers of vocational education and training, etc.
See Annex:
What are the benefits of the Self-Employment Programme?
Every young person included in the programme will receive:
• Training to further develop the business idea and introduction to the core concepts related to self-employment.
• Individual counselling from financial and legal experts to develop the business idea;
• Support to formally register their business with the National Registration Centre
