Save the Children supports jobs creation in Una-Sana Canton

“I had no job of any kind, I was looking for work. I completed high school for mechanical technician and I hope to get a full time job here.” These are hopeful words of Edin Tahirović from Skokovi, Cazin municipality, young father of three years old boy. He is one of 110 trainees, beneficiaries of the project “Models of employment for young people in  Una-Sana Canton” implemented by the Development Agency of Una-Sana Canton with support of Save the Children.

According to the latest official data, unemployment rate in Bosnia and Herzegovina is 43.7%, while the percentage of unemployed young people is close to 60% and is the highest in the region. In addition to this negative data, the majority of young unemployed persons is not competitive at the labour market and have no skills that the employers are looking for due to disconnection between the education system and labour market needs.

Setting the future of children and youth as one of its priorities, Save the Children in North West Balkans supported several vocational education projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina, building on feedback from beneficiaries from other Education programs implemented by the agency.

„The very reason why we decided to start a vocational training program lays in the feedback we got from boys and girls that completed primary school education with our support, through catch-up classes and shortened curricula, a project that was implemented in Una-Sana Canton as well. They told us that even though they were happy to have gotten the chance to complete primary education, they still could not get a job because they have no specific skills that would make them employable,” explains the Director of Save the Children in North West Balkans, Andrea Žeravčić.

Based on received feedback, Save the Children started to consider various models of vocational education for young people that would allow them to get employment and improve living conditions for their families. Una-Sana Canton was selected as project implementation site for several reasons: unemployment rate in this canton reaches almost 60%, even though this region has great economy potentials and long standing tradition in wood and metal processing and food industry. In addition, newly adopted Law on Education of Adults in Una-Sana Canton prompted cooperation between education and business sector that resulted in development of new vocational education programs and coordinated activities of education, state, business and civil sectors with the aim to ensure efficient use of existing resources, increase of competencies and job creation.

As a response to high unemployment rate and lack of initiative among young unemployed people, Save the Children provided financial and technical assistance to the Development Agency of Una-Sana Canton and project implementation commenced in May 2014.  Vocational trainings for welders, tinsmiths, CNC machines operators, PVC and ALU carpenters, vocations that are in demand in Una-Sana Canton, are currently ongoing in seven private companies throughout the region. 73 of 110 trainees will get full time employment in these companies following successful completion of the training.

The director of Development Agency of Una-Sana Canton Haris Komić underlines an increase in employment rate in manufacturing industry in this Canton in 2014, where significant percentage of newly created jobs were created through the Agency’s efforts.

“It is important to emphasize that the highest number of newly employed persons are young people. We believe we achieved impressive results through this program and we will invest even more efforts in order to ensure funding for continuation of support to the private sector and employment through such projects, “ stresses Komić.

Seven companies issued a public call in the previous months, asking for eligible candidates to apply for relevant vocational education programs they offer. “Civić company” from Cazin is one of the companies participating in the project. This company produces tin and other metal materials products that they sell mostly on the B-H market. They will train eight welders and tinsmiths, while six of them will have the opportunity to get full time employment in this company upon completion of the training.

Director of the company, Dževad Civić, says they had similar positive experience in cooperation with local high schools that sent a group of students for practical training to their company. “We had seven boys attending practical training, they were spending a couple of days a week in our premises from their second grade until they finished their high school education and we employed them all. Through two years of practical training they obtained the needed experience, they learned and a couple of months since they started they were able to work in the production independently.”

Civić announced his company will be opening new jobs in the near future as they are currently building a new production site, urging the education institutions to follow closely the needs of the business sector when it comes to education of new qualified work force.

Company HH Inox from Cazin is also in metal industry, but they are export oriented. They are currently providing training for 10 welders and 9 CNC machines operators, 11 of which will get full-time employment after successful completion of the vocational training.

Company's Director Edis Tahirović says this project comes at the right time for them as they plan to double their production and are in need for new, trained employees. “Every new worker increases production for about 5%, depending on his qualifications and experience. And yet, we employ new workers based on the quantity of the work we get to do. Thus this is a great opportunity to train the workers and then offer them jobs they are qualified to do, instead of taking someone from the employment bureau with no adequate experience.”

All of the trainees saw this project as the opportunity to increase their chances to get employed. Salih Toromanić (22) from Cazin comes from a workers family. He attends high school in Cazin, specialization in mechanics. “I applied because I needed practical training. For now, all goes well. I work in the workshop in Cazin and also on different construction sites, the work is not that hard. I hope I will keep the job after the training is completed.“

While some find motivation in possibility to keep the job in the companies that are providing trainings, other see hope that they can use new skills and experience, as well as certificates they will get following the successful completion of the training program, in finding work in the nearby EU countries such as Austria, Slovenia or Germany.

Hazim Džehverović from Cazin has a nine year old son and another child on the way. Until now, he applied for several job openings in Austria without success. “I heard about this course and I came to gain qualifications asked for in the Europe and elsewhere in the world. Here, I am jobless for four years and I have a family to provide for. After I complete the training, after I learn how to work on these machines, I hope to succeed in my plans, I hope I will get a chance to work abroad.”

Even though one of the project aims is to prevent young people leaving B-H, Save the Children is aware of the reality that many will leave their home country looking for work elsewhere. Thus as part of the project activities, a comparative study on employment of young people from B-H in Austria, Croatia, Germany, Italy and Slovenia is being made as well as training module in employment of young people and labour migrations. The goal is to provide reliable information about job opportunities in selected EU countries, ways to apply for a job, how to obtain working permit, what are the legal rights and obligations and other information useful for safe migrations.

This project showed that a lot can be achieved through cooperation between state, civil and private sector through synergic action and fund-matching. Besides Save the Children, funds for this project were provided by the Federal Employment Bureau and municipalities from Una-Sana Canton. Project itself proved it can be replicated and scaled up. Save the Children urges all stakeholders to continue and increase their efforts in job creation for young people, while, on the other hand, young people are encouraged to enhance their qualifications and marketable skills in order to obtain and keep a job that will provide for decent livelihood.