Stakeholders meet to improve youth employability, employment, and entrepreneurship in Moldova

EU co-funded EU4Youth Phase III Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship programme organised a National Steering Group in Moldova on 14 March 2023. Representatives from the public, private and third sectors discussed relevant policy, legislation, action plans, strategies, and partnerships to improve youth employability, employment, and entrepreneurship in the country.

Youth unemployment remains to be an important issue to solve

Too many young people are inactive. The numbers of youth NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) reached 26.7% approximately. That could be caused due to complicated transition from education to the labor market, economic conditions such as low demand, high unemployment, low wages, or lack of information regarding career opportunities.

Aiming to better this situation the EU co-funded EU4Youth Phase III Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship programme organised a National Steering Group in Moldova. Here representatives from governmental institutions, businesses and NGOs together endorse the actions and plans to create a greater environment for successful Moldova’s youth employment and entrepreneurship.

“Our ambition today is to bring together and to facilitate discussion to mobilize resources in addressing youth employment policy direction. In the longer term, we believe this group can evolve into a permanent body developing further youth employment policies in the countries,” states Erikas Jankauskas, EU4Youth Project expert from Central Project Management Agency, during the opening ceremony of the event.

Cross-sectoral cooperation for the best solutions for youth employment

Youth unemployment impacts the entire nation. Therefore, the expertise of different stakeholders is necessary to ensure the best and most well-rounded solutions. Additionally, the National Steering Group will be necessary upon the first steps concerning the local Youth Guarantee-type of initiatives.

National Steering Group of Moldova includes experts from European Business Association (EBA) Moldova, National Youth Agency, National Employment Agency, Centre for Entrepreneurial Education and Business Support, Foundation for Education and Development, National Platform for Social Entrepreneurship, Center of Information and Resources “Pro Bono”, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, Central Project Management Agency as well as EU4Youth Phase III Employment and Entrepreneurship Team.

How will the National Steering Group continue to work?

Twice a year the National Steering Group will provide feedback and endorse actions and plans of the EU4Youth programme, not excluding discussions of other topics relevant to the group members’ priorities.

The Presidency of the National Steering group is assigned to the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, Vice-Presidency to the National Youth Council of Moldova, and the Secretariat to the National Employment Agency of Moldova. While the Presidency and Vice-Presidency will occur in yearly rotation, the Secretariat will be co-managed by the Public Employment Service and the EU4Youth Phase III Employment and Entrepreneurship programme, implemented by the Central Project Management Agency. As from December 2024 the National Steering Group will be permanently handed over to the Public Employment Service.

About the Action

EU co-funded EU4Youth Phase III Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship programme focuses on three main aspects: grants scheme (Component 1), technical assistance (Component 2), and scholarships scheme (Component 3). Such tools help with the development of specific skills for activation of youth, building institutional set-up and structures for youth employment policy implementation, and strengthening understanding of European policies and governance among youth in the Eastern partner countries.

The action pursues these specific objectives:

• Foster young people’s digital, green transition, entrepreneurial and career management skills;
• Develop cross-sector partnerships between NGOs, public, and private institutions in the area of employability and career development for youth, in particular disadvantaged;
• Build structural capacities of key institutions for offers in view of employment, continued education, apprenticeships or traineeship (piloting Youth Guarantee–type schemes in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries);
• Strengthen understanding of European politics and governance among EaP youth.