Through EU Support to an easier path to Youth Employment

Forum MNE has extended an invitation to individuals aged 17 to 30 in the central region—who are seeking to improve their knowledge and skills while unemployed—to apply by 15 January for a free one-stop-shop training programme. This programme aims to make it easier for them to find employment.

The programme is implemented as part of the project “Inclusive Progress towards EU Integration–Empowering Civil Society for Effective Contribution to Inclusive Development of Local Communities,” which is funded by the European Union.

Jelena Fuštić, Executive Director of Forum MNE, said that the programme will include 50 young people from Podgorica, Cetinje, Tuzi, Danilovgrad, or Nikšić, with priority given to the NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) youth.

“The programme will last for six months, from the end of January to July 2024, and will involve the simultaneous implementation of three courses–soft and digital skills, as well as career counselling. Upon completing the courses, networking events with employers will be organised to give young people the opportunity to showcase their knowledge to broad audience of employers and potentially secure employment,” Fuštić stated.

She highlighted that after the six-month course, there will be an entrepreneurship course covering 25 young people interested in starting their own businesses.

“In this programme, young people will gain the necessary skills and mentorship support, followed by participation in a business ideas competition,” Fuštić said.

According to her, Forum MNE initiated the one-stop-shop programme recognising the needs of the NEET youth on one hand, and the requirements of employers and the job market on the other. “It is a model that offers multiple services for young people in one place, enabling the acquisition and development of necessary skills for competitiveness in the job market. We piloted the model four years ago and, after excellent results, continued to improve it to provide services to an increasing number of young people,” Fuštić added.

She noted that seven courses have been held so far to increase employability, with over 100 young participants who are more competitive in the job market. “Through the previous programmes, we developed 22 business ideas, involved over 250 actors in Montenegro, and the tangible impact on young people is reflected in the figure of 38% of young people who got employed during and after completing the course in the central region,” Fuštić said.

Explaining why they focus on the NEET youth, Fuštić pointed out that 23.2% of the total number of young people consisted of the NEET population in 2022, which is around 32,200 young people aged 15 to 29.

“Of that number, every tenth NEET person in Montenegro is discouraged, meaning they believe they lack the opportunities or skills for employment,” Fuštić emphasised.

She clarified that the term NEET is often associated with discouraged, inactive young people who are somehow trapped in the transition process after formal education.

“However, the fact is that this term encompasses an extremely heterogeneous group of young people, posing challenges in creating appropriate measures and policies. Therefore, it is our responsibility to create a support system that will suit every young person and their needs. Mechanisms definitely exist but they require a strong role from all relevant stakeholders, including empowered civil society organisations,” Fuštić highlighted.

Snežana Milačić, Project Coordinator at Forum MNE, while presenting the situational analysis “NEET Youth in Montenegro,” said that they conducted desk research, observing policies, institutional frameworks, and existing data related to the NEET population. In the empirical research, they conducted focus groups with this population.

“From 2015 to 2018, the NEET rate slightly decreased from 23.4% to 21% of young people. After that, this indicator rose to a maximum of 26.6% of the total youth population in 2020, corresponding to the decline in the Montenegrin economy caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The following year, 2021, was marked by stagnation–the NEET rate  decreased at 26.5%,” Milačić explained.

She pointed out that a noticeable decline in the NEET rate was recorded in 2022, where, according to data by the ARS, slightly less than a quarter of the total youth population, or 23.2%, belonged to the NEET population, comprising around 32,200 young people aged 15 to 29.

“Within the group of unemployed NEET youth, we distinguish short-term unemployed and long-term unemployed, while inactive youth are divided according to the reason for inactivity into five different groups: discouraged, sick or disabled individuals, inactive for family reasons, inactive for personal reasons, and inactive for other undetermined reasons,” Milačić explained.

She expressed concern that in both observed years (2021 and 2022), within the group of unemployed falling into the NEET category, a higher percentage of individuals have been unemployed for more than one year compared to short-term unemployed.

Milačić highlighted that participants in all four focus groups indicated that the Montenegrin education system cannot adequately prepare a young person for the job market.

“In addition to outdated teaching methods and overloaded curricula, the key problem in the Montenegrin education system, according to participants in all four focus groups, is the lack of practical experience. Additional problems related to gaining practical experience include the fact that even when practical training exists within the education system, it does not take place in the way that students and student populations would prefer,” Milačić said.

Regarding informal education, Milačić noted that the majority of respondents, 75 out of 105, stated that they had participated in a course, seminar, or training in the last two years.

“Concerning career counselling, the research showed that young people most often seek advice from parents and older siblings. It is important to emphasise that the family’s attitude can be a limiting factor, especially when the parents’ desires conflict with the direction in which young people want to go,” Milačić stated.

Speaking about recommendations, Milačić emphasised the need to include measures directly targeting the NEET population in strategic documents and legislative frameworks in the coming period. “It is necessary to recognise the youth sector as a significant partner that can help in contacting the NEET youth and implementing support programmes, conducting periodic monitoring and evaluation of support programmes aimed at young people through the analysis of their actual results, establishing a practice of continuous data collection related to the NEET youth, and influencing the reduction of the number of the NEET youth by creating policies focused on specific groups within this population,” Milačić said.

The event was organised as part of the project “Inclusive Progress towards the EU Integration–Empowering Civil Society for Effective Contribution to Inclusive Development of Local Communities,” implemented by Forum MNE and the Centre for Youth Education with the support of the European Union and the Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro.