Ensuring inclusiveness of vulnerable and socially excluded young women and men in the Albanian labour market is in the focus of the RisiAlbania interventions, aiming to support those that are more in need, the most secluded. Targeted GSI interventions are even more relevant in the current situation, as disadvantaged and vulnerable groups are the ones most affected by the consequences of COVID-19. In response to this objective, RisiAlbania established a partnership with Albanian ICT Academy, aiming to train and employ young girls that have lost parental care and are in the transition to leave the orphanages due to their age, to facilitate their access to the labor market. Symbolically, the starting of the online training coincided with the International Girls’ in ICT Day. Hatixhe Bilibashi, the director of the Albania ICT Academy states:

“The initial idea came when we learned that the girls and boys in the orphanage after reaching the age of 18 should leave the institution, and from that moment have to provide everything for their living. We have always had willingness to promote girls in the field of ICT, especially those that are more vulnerable.

As such, the best promotion for these young girls will be to give them job-related skills and a safe profession for their future. The idea is to support the girls with a profession that will provide them not only with income but also independence for a safer life in their future. “Thanks to technology, today everything is possible,” stresses the director of the Academy.

As much as digitalization has spread to many parts of the world, knowledge and learning isn’t yet easily accessible to many young people. It’s important to keep in mind that disadvantaged and vulnerable groups are those that are more heavily affected by the pandemic.

“I took the Graphic Design course provided by ICT Academy during the lockdown. When I first started it, I was very happy because finally I could focus somewhere else rather than the pandemic. Initially it felt strange having online classes, but I got used to it quickly and I managed to learn graphic design programmes. Later we had the chance to take the course in classrooms and apply our knowledge. I always wanted to be a graphic designer and I feel now that this course prepared me to be a professional designer for the market.”- states Sindi Blaceri, a 19-year-old participant.

RisiAlbania project is aware that addressing the needs of the most vulnerable groups like young people without parental care, by supporting their training is an emergent solution in this situation. However, in the long run, it’s important to work on the sustainable financing of skills development. This is where RisiAlbania, has and will keep its focus during partnership agreements and implementation