The Promoting Private Sector Employment project signed recently four new agreements with local partners to support activities ranging from improving tour guide capacities, to introducing organic input for essential oil production, to increasing employment opportunities for rural youth and to establishing specialized seedling production.

Agrobora from Skënderaj will establish a 2,000m² specialized seedling production greenhouse in Kosovo, which will enable a sustainable production of seedlings in Kosovo, while creating opportunities for a continuous growth of contracted production, and meeting the needs of processors through cooperation with 800 farmers. Stay tuned for updated on these new activities! Peppermint International from Leposavić will establish the first facility in North Kosovo to provide seedling production, semi-processing and processing of medicinal and aromatic plants.

This will have an impact on contract farming, employment and income generation throughout the value chain, creating new opportunities for a continuous growth of contracted production. Tourism Organization Gračanica will deliver two short-term training programs for waiting staff for hotels and restaurants in the area, which are facing lack of qualified personnel. This activity seeks to create employment opportunities for rural youth in the tourism sector. Some 40 new and existing young women and men will participate at the training.

Gears up Solutions will tackle the lack of sufficient information and of tour guides available in Prishtina, Prizren and Gjakova, as tourism destinations within the country. This company will address the need to improve the tour guide capacities in these cities through the recruitment, selection, training and coaching of 30 tour guides, addressing at the same time the high unemployment rates among youth.