YEP the Youth Employment Programme for Bosnia Herzegovina
Whilst YEP Phase 2 retains the objective of supporting the unemployed youth of BiH into employment, the focus is now to do this by developing the public employment service institutions to efficiently support integration of the youth in the labour market. The activities detailed are those intended to achieve this goal.
By developing the public employment services, YEP aims to achieve the result of placing unemployed youth into employment against stated targets. The tools to be used include Job Clubs, Model Offices, continued work with private sector employment agencies, the introduction of a performance management system, staff training and targeted local initiatives. Through these activities it is also expected to significantly contribute to youth employment policy.
To do this the employment services will need to become performance orientated and much more targeted towards the demand side of the labour market, that is employers. Activities such as Job Clubs and Model Offices will both build employer relations and develop strategies to promote it further. There will be support in marketing skills and planning, vacancy gathering and display and the improvement of matching services. Performance measurement indicators will be introduced based on the core business of a public employment service, that is, vacancy gathering and filling.
Unlike the other projects which are supporting the institutional development of the public employment service the YEP aim is to translate this into performance achievement. In Phase 1 the Public Employment Services (PES) contribution to project targets was comparatively small, though increasing significantly in the third year. In Phase 2 the contribution will be increased dramatically. For the first time the PES will be working towards specific operational targets and its success or failure will be judged on this. Performance management will bring accountability and the HR development will have the goal of improving operational effectiveness. Real cultural change is by definition the most difficult to achieve, but three years preparation during Phase 1, has allowed YEP to become embedded in the system, giving a much better chance of achieving this objective.
A number of YEP concepts have been replicated by other projects. Rather than seeing this as a threat it is recognized as an opportunity. The team will work with other projects and donors to maximize the institutional development of the public employment services. This strategy has been acknowledged and appreciated by beneficiaries.
Additionally, in line with European employment policy YEP will continue to give priority support to disadvantaged sections of the labour market. These include long term unemployed, disabled, those with limited education and located in remote rural areas. Within BiH, a very large part of the potential labour force has currently no support within the jobs market and it is the aim of the Youth Employment Project Phase 2 to address this. Youth in particular feel neglected and their development of the well known coping mechanisms has resulted in understandable de-motivation and apathy. By working with well established and respected local youth organisations YEP hopes to contribute to the re-energizing of this crucial human resource.
Under Phase 1 the YEP team and donors were able to gain the appreciation of beneficiaries, this will be built on in Phase 2.
