Brussels, 13 July 2023 (TDI): European Union-funded program center EU4Youth has launched nine projects to enhance youth employment in the Eastern Partnership.
The program consists of nine projects and was launched in Tbilisi, Georgia from July 4-6.
The EU4Youth program is principally aimed at supporting young people with career development and employment.
In addition, the EU young people support is targeted on six European Union Eastern Partnership countries namely: Ukraine, Republic of Moldova, Georgia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, and Armenia.
Grants are allocated to the nine projects with a total budget of €6 million for activities aimed at empowering young people, especially the indigents.
The program captures a wide range of activities such as the development of innovative tools, the creation of centres and youth fairs, mentoring and training programs, apprenticeships, etc.
The activities are channelled toward helping them acquire requisite skills and leverage new opportunities.
According to the European Union Training Foundation, relatively high unemployment rates, high mobility, aging populations, emerging job creation, and high educational attainment characterize the countries of the Eastern Partnership (EAP) region.
Also, as of 2021, youth unemployment in Georgia and Armenia reaches 30.76% and 36.09% respectively.
While in Azerbaijan, more than 16.49% of young people aged 15-24 are unemployed, in Belarus – 10.4%, and in Moldova – 9.13%.
Moreover, in Ukraine unemployment rate in 2021 was 19.11%, but this number has increased significantly due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war says the European Union Foundation.
EU4Youth notes that the project being launched this summer will tackle youth unemployment in the region by promoting social entrepreneurship and providing broad support for young people’s career development and employment.
Additionally, the program will support the necessary infrastructure and resources for young people to begin entrepreneurial activities.
The EU4Youth Phase III Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship program is executed by the Central Project Management Agency (CPMA) and financed by the European Union in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania.
Furthermore, the EU4Youth Phase III initiative is aimed at providing technical support to governmental and non-governmental organizations involved in youth employment and entrepreneurship issues.
