Youth & Education
Goal: To provide youth with opportunities to become better educated, productive, and engaged members of a stable Kosovo.
Background
USAID has increased overall funding in education and youth programming under the 2010-2015 Strategic Plan. Education and entrepreneur development programming is closely interlinked with broader goals in economic growth and democratic consolidation. Kosovo has the youngest population in Europe with 50% under the age of 25. The growing youth population that is unemployed (estimates range from 50%-75), disengaged, and disconnected is emerging as an urgent issue for the newly independent state.
USAID's Youth and Education programs provide Kosovo's youth with opportunities to become better educated, productive, and engaged members of a stable Kosovo
Education
Kosovo's education system is hampered by inequitable access, poor teacher professional development, overcrowded schools and an urgent need for learning materials and equipment. Students are not provided with relevant workforce-related skills. Differences in drop-out rates for girls and boys, and for students from ethnic minorities or with disabilities grow wider.
Current Programs
1. Basic Education Program
2. Young Entrepreneurs Program
3. Focus on Results: Enhancing Capacity Across Sectors in Transition (FORECAST) Program
4. Supporting Kosovo's Young Leaders (SKYL) Youth Program
Basic Education Program
USAID’s new Basic Education Program (BEP) supports the Government of Kosovo’s educational reform efforts in three key areas:
• improving school management at the municipal level;
• strengthening assessment of learning outcomes;
• improving in-service teacher professional development.
USAID seeks to improve the Government of Kosovo’s institutional capacity in the education sector and improve the quality of basic education as well as align with global educational trends and EU standards. USAID is taking a prominent role along with other donors in a large GoK education reform effort over the next five years.
Young Entrepreneurs Program
Kosovo's economy is not generating enough jobs to absorb the existing labor supply, nor to accommodate the 30,000 new entrants to the labor market every year. The country needs entrepreneurs to grow the economy and create new jobs therefore USAID designed a three year Young Entrepreneurs Program (YEP) to support young people (ages 18-35) to develop viable businesses. By supporting new business development the project will also make a significant contribution to job creation.
A large group of young people between the ages of 15-24 face the greatest social, economic and crisis transitions in a fledgling country. USAID will focus on supporting entrepreneurship among young people. USAID will help to increase employment opportunities for young people by providing matching grants, coaching and mentoring and employment services for fledgling young entrepreneurs with a focus on private sector opportunities.
Focus on Results: Enhancing Capacity Across Sectors in Transition (FORECAST) Program
USAID's Focus on Results: Enhancing Capacity Across Sectors in Transition (FORECAST) Program is a Human Capacity Development, or Investing in People, is an activity designed to provide support to communities through local NGOs.
Supporting Kosovo's Young Leaders (SKYL) Youth Program
Through this program USAID estimates to reach out to some 1200 youth and train them on job skills and entrepreneurship training, and 1,100 youth will gain on-the-job experience through private sector internships and apprenticeships. The Support for Kosovo's Young Leaders (SKYL) Program is helping young people ages 16-26 from Kosovo's diverse communities become active participants in building a viable shared future for themselves and their communities.
The program addresses three key youth concerns: economic security, civic participation, and interethnic reconciliation.
