By Milos Djuricanin, Program Manager at Serbian Association of Managers. Duracanin was a 2014 ChamberLINKS participant.
“It is clear that youth unemployment is one of the biggest problems of our society. If we want to successfully solve the problem of unemployment, we have to listen more to the voice of the economy and private sector. This is the absolute priority of the Government of Serbia. That’s why we initiated conversations with businessmen, in order to get first-hand information on their personnel needs and to create a common set of measures which will enable increase of youth employment”– Vanja Udovicic, Minister of Youth and Sports.
The status and position of young people in the labor market in Serbia falls into the category of challenges with no quick fix. Year after year, we are faced with statistics that continue to confirm that every second, a young person is left without a job. According to data presented at the National Youth Strategy for 2015-2025, youth unemployment in August 2014 in the Republic of Serbia is 41.7 percent for people aged 15-24, and 33.27 percent for people aged 15-30 years. Young people are inactive in the labor market: last year the inactivity rate of young people aged 15-30 years was over 50 percent and in 2013, it was noted that 20 percent of young people ages 15-24 belonged to the category of young people NEET (not employed, in education or training).
One of the key issues affecting the high youth unemployment is a mismatch between the skills that young people acquire through formal education, and the knowledge and skills that employers expect them to have. According to research conducted by the Union of Employers of Serbia, young people throughout the formal education system receive and adopt only theoretical knowledge and only 4.12 percent of young people are considered to possess the knowledge and skills for real business. Eighty-six percent of young people reported that they felt they did not possess any practical knowledge.
Among the barriers for business development in Serbia, the lack of adequate staff is increasingly climbing on the list: from an 8th place ranking in 2006 to third place ranking in 2013. This is a clear indication of how difficult it is to find high quality staff.
Given this information, the Serbian Association of Managers (SAM) with the support of the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) organized an event titled “Support for the youth – future for the country,” during which a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Ministry of Youth and Sport and SAM aiming to increase opportunities for top university students in the country to intern for SAM’s member companies.
Following the MOU signing, SAM also held a round table discussion about “Youth Employability in Serbia,” which was attended by Nenad Borovcanin, State Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Sport, Milos Radosavljevic, coordinator of Fund for Young Talents, Milan Petrovic, President of SAM, and Jelena Bulatovic, Executive Director of SAM, as well as representatives of companies, top managers, members of SAM, and most importantly students.
During the discussion, companies’ representatives and students presented proposals for the improvement of education and employability of young people as well as certain obstacles on their quest for employment. The representatives of the companies also gave advice and directions to students for their professional development, how to approach companies, how to present themselves in the best way, and how to approach potential employers etc.
One of the conclusions of the round table was to work together towards increasing opportunities for internships and developing awareness of the necessity of practical training for students and young people in companies. SAM will take an active role by working with member companies. On the other hand, SAM will work in the direction of the education of students and the capacity building of student and youth organizations.
The round table was followed by an Internship Fair for the students, where 350 scholars had the opportunity to submit their resumes to 33 company booths to apply for internships or employment. As a result of Internship fair, within one month, more than 80 students were offered paid internships with SAM members companies, and some were offered full-time positions.
SAM’s goal for this and next year is enabling the largest possible number of students to gain work experience and engage with companies. Consequently, we are working to launch a program in which we will try to increase the number of companies that accept students for internship, presenting them with the best practices, and share experiences of other companies that have done that. SAM will also highlight the benefits of such initiative for the companies, young people, and the state.
Lastly, one of the most important conclusions from this event is that we should all work on improving the communication between students and companies. Companies should be aware of the needs of students and the need for practical work experience during college. On the other hand, the students should be aware of the needs of the companies, to learn what is expected from them, and that students themselves are responsible for their own professional development and preparedness for the job. At the same time, SAM will serve as the voice of business that is heard by the state, to be state’s partner in the formulation of plans and strategies for youth employment. SAM will advocate for educational reform which should balance the universities curricula and private sector’s needs. In addition, SAM will provide support to student organizations and strengthen their capacity, since they are key organizations that can offer possibilities for professional development of students.
We know that it is not possible to change everything at once, but together we can achieve more. After all, 80 students are at work today thanks to the event like this and it is a motivation for us to continue.
This article was originally posted on the Serbian Association of Manufacturer’s website in Serbian.
