With the conference held in the Cultural center of Novi Pazar we have successfully finished the project Novi Pazar – New Jobs, implemented by IDC  in partnership with the City of Novi Pazar and the Regional Development Agency of Sandžak.

The project lasted 13 months and was aiming to contribute to the reduce the unemployment on local level, especially among the hard to employ social groups. The primary target group of the project were returnees under the Readmission Agreement, as well as Roma, women, youth and other residents of Novi Pazar in need for employment.

Results of the project:

• 34 persons passed training and retraining courses in order to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills for employment at already known employer;    
• 30 persons employed by a known employer, selected under the project, with a subvention to the employer, and the obligation not to reduce the number of employees within one year after receipt of the subvention;    
• 40 unemployed persons have been trained to start their own business;    
• 19 unemployed persons, registered a business entity within the project and received subventions for self-employment in the form of necessary equipment, machines and intermediate goods;  
• Mentoring and counseling were provided during the project to beneficiaries of self-employment subventions;    
• Social entrepreneurship promoted as a tool for increasing employment and achieving greater social inclusion through the Social entrepreneurship fair  held in Novi Pazar;     
• The first two social enterprises were established in Novi Pazar and supported by the purchase of fixed assets;    
• Positive employment measures and the dialogue among relevant stakeholders have been promoted with the aim of strengthening the capacity of local authorities and other stakeholders to address unemployment as a burning social issue at the local and national level.

The project was implemented owing to the support from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).