Many young people in Moldova intend or chose to go abroad to look for a job owing to the low salaries in the country and the shortcomings existing in the employment process. The young people who have experience are often ignored by employers, while the jobs provided by the National Employment Agency do not meet adolescents’ expectations, Roman Banari, secretary general of the National Youth Council, stated in a conference entitled “Employment prospects and opportunities for young people in the Republic of Moldova”, IPN reports.
Roman Banari said the problems faced by the young people in the employment process are due to the discrepancy between what they studied at school or the skills they gained in the educational process and the demands of employers. Also, the teens experience discrimination owing to the lack of experience. There are no counseling mechanisms or services that would help the young people to understand what their professional future is. The system of internships during the university studies should be reviewed so as to make it more effective. The young people from rural areas face a shortage of jobs. There are more employment opportunities in urban areas, primarily in Chisinau. That’s why the young people from villages should be supported.
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Larisa Șavga, president of the Committee for Promotion of Technical Vocational Education of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Moldova, noted that the economic and social challenges require a new educational system paradigm. Continuous, formal and informal training is important. The educational system should take into account the innovation system, the future economic and technological developments. On the other hand, it should be closely connected to the challenges and future developments on the labor market so that the young people meet the rather ambitious requirements imposed by employers.
Felicia Bechtold, secretary of state of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, said the young people without professional experience risk being exposed to social exclusion. There are many young people who are outside education, training and employment. To encourage the young people to become employed, the Ministry, through the National Employment Agency, offers a series of services, such as professional internship for those without professional experience, grants for starting an own business, training at the workplace, free professional training courses with scholarship that covers transport, subsidized employment for young people who grew up without parents. Also, those who live in rural areas and have a job in urban areas can get a subsidy to cover travel expenses. The local employment subdivisions and the colleges and vocational schools should cooperate. “The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection will continue to encourage and support the young people to find a suitable job, to access all the necessary information,” stated Felicia Bechtold.
Merle Kreibaum, cooperation co-head at the Embassy of Germany in Chisinau, said that the salaries in Moldova are so low that the young people cannot purchase a home and start a family and they therefore go abroad. It is important to create a youth-friendly environment for the young people to stay at home. If they are offered opportunities to study in a dual education system, they accumulate theoretical knowledge and combine this with practical activities. They gain experience and can earn their first salary.
The conference is a starting point in the identification of the strategic directions of the Youth Employability Initiative that aims to become an instrument for facilitating cooperation between institutions and players involved in the development and training of specialists.
