Productive and Inclusive Employment in Kosovo
Development of personal and professional skills and entrepreneurship of youth and women in the Gjakova and Ferizaj districts.
What is OPIK?
OPIK supports entrepreneurship and employment development among young people, women, and economically marginalised groups in Kosovo. It addresses chronic labour market challenges by strengthening beneficiaries' capabilities and expanding access to entrepreneurship support infrastructure.
Through a combination of vocational training, extracurricular programmes, business incubation, and targeted financing, the project equips participants with the tools they need to enter the labour market or launch sustainable enterprises.
What we aim to achieve
Increase the average hourly wage for employees in target districts to €3.
Reduce graduate unemployment from 49.9% to 46% among secondary and tertiary graduates.
Generate 170 jobs through businesses incubated by the project.
Achieve 55% employment among high school and university graduates in the project area.
How we work
Strengthening the programmes of four vocational schools to align with real labour market demands.
Professional skills training delivered outside the standard curriculum for students and young people.
Strategic development and service provision through local business incubators.
Grant and credit financing for entrepreneurs to launch and scale their businesses.
Ongoing mentoring programmes to help enterprises grow sustainably beyond start-up stage.
Target groups
(58% women · 20% minorities · 5% disabled)
Who we work with
Funded by AICS — the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation.