December 12 (SeeNews) - The Private Sector Youth Initiative launched in October by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Croatian Employers’ Association (HUP) has mobilised more than 500 internships to date, the EBRD said on Monday.
“Since launching, 110 companies and 21 academic institutions have joined the initiative - this response has exceeded all our expectations,” Davor Majetic, HUP director general, is quoted as saying in an EBRD statement issued following the annual meeting of the Croatian Employers’ Association in Zagreb.
The goal of the initiative is to address the skills mismatch of young people and barriers of progression for young women. To achieve these goals, the EBRD and HUP are working closely with private sector companies, professional women associations and academic institutions.
“This is a big and very encouraging success but it is just the beginning,” added Vedrana Jelusic Kasic, EBRD director, regional head of Croatia, Hungary, Slovak Republic and Slovenia. “The registration process is still open and we expect many more opportunities to be available once the online promotion has started.”
Croatia has the third highest youth unemployment rate in the European Union, currently sitting at 43%.
"This persistently high figure is leading many young people to search for jobs and opportunities abroad. This represents not only a loss of talent and skills within Croatia but it will also have an impact on the country’s long-term growth", the EBRD explained.
The next steps for the Private Sector Youth Initiative will be the registration of companies and academic institutions, posting employers’ advertisements online and enrolling students from partner academic institutions in December 2016 and January 2017. This will be followed by the training of mentors, the start of the first internships and four regional events - in Zagreb, Osijek, Split and Rijeka - to present the initiative to employers and educational institutions.