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Strengthening cross-sectorial cooperation for youth entrepreneurship education in the South Caucasus

Project Description
In light of the EU's strategic directives and recent political developments in neighbouring countries, it is critical to invest in youth. This priority is emphasised by the EU Council's Conclusions on Youth in External Action, which advocates for the creation of stronger, more legitimate, peaceful, and democratic societies. Yet, in our focal region—the South Caucasus—numerous young individuals face substantial barriers. These include limited job opportunities, which contribute to reduced involvement in political and social activities, increased emigration of skilled individuals, and uncertain prospects for entrepreneurial initiatives.
The partnership addresses these challenges by highlighting the essential role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the economy, the need for enhanced entrepreneurship education, and the importance of aligning educational outcomes with labour market demands.
The project aims to boost youth employment and develop entrepreneurial skills, knowledge, and attitudes through a comprehensive entrepreneurship education program. This program includes mentorship and practical experiences such as boot camps and internships and specifically targets NEETs while promoting entrepreneurial initiatives.
The underlying assumption is that equipping young people with the necessary skills and motivation will reduce youth unemployment and empower them to participate more actively in their societies and economies.
Specific Objective
The project's overall objective is to strengthen the quality and recognition of youth entrepreneurship education in the South Caucasus through multi-stakeholder cross-sectoral cooperation for youth employability, specifically youth entrepreneurship. Accordingly, the project pursues the following objectives:

1. To strengthen multi-stakeholder cross-sectoral cooperation among public authorities, CSOs and the private sector for entrepreneurship education. It will be established through local and transnational partnerships to facilitate dialogue and cooperation across various sectors and facilitate the realisation of the Program.

2. To promote entrepreneurial take-up and entrepreneurship education among young people. The aim is to innovate entrepreneurship education, develop and pilot a high-quality, blended entrepreneurship education program that leverages private sector expertise and fosters educational partnerships between civil society and the business community. The Program aims to create an 8-week learning programme, 9 boot camps, and 3 national ideathon, with a final international competition with the best entrepreneurial ideas from participants from the 3 countries.

3. Create a virtual community of practice to facilitate ongoing knowledge exchange and networking and promote best practices in youth entrepreneurship education.
Expected Results
During the execution of the project and its associated entrepreneurship education initiatives, we anticipate the following impacts on our target groups:
- Increased youth engagement and entrepreneurial skills: A total of 168 young individuals with different backgrounds will participate in the educational program on entrepreneurship, gaining essential skills, knowledge, and attitudes required to launch and sustain their entrepreneurial initiatives and have better employment prospects.
- New and comprehensive educational resource: New educational materials, including training handbooks, will be developed and made freely accessible through the project's communication channels. These resources will assist stakeholders in replicating and adapting youth entrepreneurship initiatives effectively.
- Sustained community engagement: The Virtual Community of Practice will remain operational for at least two years following the project's conclusion, facilitating ongoing stakeholder engagement and resource sharing.
- Establishment of new partnerships: 15 new local and international private-public partnerships will be established, bolstering both international and regional cooperation.
- Increased youth societal participation: There will be a significant increase in the active participation of young people in the social and economic spheres of their local and national communities.
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PROJECT DETAILS
Regional
Priority Area:
Partnership that creates
Subsector:
Youth (entrepreneurship & skills development)
Topic:
Business, Civil society, Eastern Partnership, Education, Skills, Youth
EaP Countries:
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia
Project Status:
Ongoing
Start Date:
01.01.2024
End Date:
30.06.2025
Social Media Links:

EU Project Number:
ENI/2021/423-431-01-0010