The project promotes holistic approach in responding to the immediate needs of vulnerable returnees as well as in tackling the structural challenges, which propel unregulated migration of men and women from the Western Balkans to EU. The comprehensive mix of technical assistance, capacity building and direct support to vulnerable men and women aims to demonstrate innovative solutions that will underpin transformational change in the models of governance of reintegration services and socio-economic empowerment programmes, with an objective of ensuring sustainable reintegration of the vulnerable returnees and social cohesion.
In each country, the project will support establishment of local reintegration platforms in 3 municipalities, with a purpose of mobilizing public service providers, business community and civil society in co-designing and implementation of local strategies for reintegration of returnees. Local strategies will propose a set of context specific innovative solutions for improving the livelihoods and social wellbeing of returnees and the broader community. Moreover, local strategies will tackle the local governance issues, individual and institutional bottlenecks and gaps, which hinder the effective service provision.
To ensure effective targeting of activities the project will carry-out the assessment of economic potentials and capacities for service provision, which are critical for sustainable reintegration of returnees. The main objective of this assignment is to undertake an assessment of the local economic development potentials in the three target municipalities (Devoll, Fier and Berat). The assessment will map out the prospective local supply and value chains, which can generate quality jobs, assess the employability level of returnees and the needs of potential employers. The analysis should highlight the existing gap between demanded skills by the employers and the skills offer of the unemployed.
The analysis should particularly focus on the skills gaps of the vulnerable population, Roma and the returnees. This assessment needs to be based on a research (questionnaire, polls, interviews or other innovative methods of data collection) conducted with vulnerable population, Roma and returnees, private companies, local banks, and business support providers. The workforce analysis should assess labour market from 1) labour supply side i.e. the profile of returnees (demographics, education, technical and soft skills, previous experience abroad or in informal economy, preferences and interest for future employment, self-employment etc.) and 2) the demand side i.e. local economic development potentials: employers, future skills needs of the employers, investment plans of private sector in future. The analysis should also contain: 3) assessment of the available support system in skills development such as: schooling, skills development institutions and 4) financial support services, economic and business development service providers, employer’s organizations and policy creators. The analysis will be based on an in-depth assessment of identified local supply and value chains with jobs creation potential. Focus should be put on potential backward value chains, possibilities for contracting of individuals, micro and small businesses, social enterprises etc. in the existing or new short value chains, which might be established . After providing a critical analysis of the current situation, the report should provide practical recommendations for interventions on skills development, employment/self-employment and entrepreneurship support programmes as part of improvements of the local system in delivery of effective socio-economic integration of returnees.