The Government of Italy contributes 4 million euros to support UNICEF to improve resilience, skills for life, and employability of young people in Albania

Tirana, 20 December 2021- Education is a human right. Without education and skills, young people will be more likely to follow through the path that leads to lower-paying jobs, poorer health, and the possible continuation of a cycle of poverty.

There is growing evidence of the significant social and economic returns of education – including at upper secondary level –for individuals and for entire societies. The list of benefits is impressive: better lives, better health, greater gender equality, greater social cohesion, greater incomes, more tax leverage for governments, reduced crime and risky behavior among young people, and a lower burden on social welfare, health and justice budgets (UNICEF, 2017).

Given these benefits, it is not surprising that the prevention of dropout has become a priority for the Albanian government. "Every Young person matters" is the name of the 4 million Euros project funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Cooperation intended to prevent school dropout in secondary schools in Albania. This initiative, developed together with UNICEF, aims to advance the agenda of inclusion of young people in education and training in Albania. An innovative and systemic three-pronged approach, tackling policy level changes to include youths in education training and employment opportunities will be taken, through improving schools’ practices to prevent drop-out, improving resilience, skills for life, and employability of young people. At least 10.000 young people and 2.800 teachers will benefit from this program.

“Quality education is the key to success in every society. One of the key priorities is the work we do to prevent the phenomenon of school dropout. We are working hard to improve the quality of education. Our focus is to equip the students with the necessary knowledge and skills for education and labor market outcomes. We want them to stay in Albania . Hence, the quality and the effectiveness of the training for young people is our goal so they can become good professionals; improve their wellbeing and be able to make their contribution to the development of Albania. We are very pleased to begin this innovative project with UNICEF and the Italian Government,”- stated Elvis Kushi, Minister of Education and Sports in Albania.

The Ambassador of Italy, Fabrizio Bucci added: “This program is aimed at fighting the root causes of school dropout and social exclusion to reduce the vulnerability of young persons in Albania and improve their skills and employability. This is an important element of a comprehensive development strategy of the Italian Government towards a stable and prosperous Albania, able to reach European standards in education and social protection and capable to join the European Union”.

“Addressing the multiple vulnerabilities of out-of-school children is critical to tackle factors pushing children out of education. Thanks to the generous support of the Italian Government, the program will run for a period of three years and will substantially contribute to identify, refer, and respond better to the needs of out-of-school children and drop-out students – said UNICEF Representative in Albania, Roberto De Bernardi.

The program will be implemented with Ministry of Education and Sport in close coordination with Ministry of Youth and Children, Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Agency for the Assurance of Quality in Pre-university Education, the National Agency for Employment and Skills, general upper secondary and vocational schools, municipalities, civils Society Organization, young people and adolescents.