Nikolina and Miloš returned from abroad to Gradiška with the goal to build a better future in their hometown. They have been running successfully their sole proprietorships with the support of the EU and Local Employment Partnership (LEP) Gradiška, showing by example to their fellow citizens that real development opportunities exist domestically as well. LEP Gradiška did not only enable entrepreneurship development but also special trainings for unemployed and had them connected with employers, thus proving that the cooperation of key local labour market stakeholders yields sustainable results. In the last three years, thanks to special trainings and mentorships, 46 persons were trained for shortage occupations, 11 of them got employed, and 13 new businesses were financially supported and registered.
Given the large number of unemployed, the City of Gradiška administration undertook to coordinate employment interventions and had all relevant institutions work on getting the employability rate up at the local level.
“First and foremost, we have identified employment gaps and the need to reduce the unemployment rate, especially amongst young people, women and long-term unemployed. On the other hand, we were aware that local employers struggled with the lack of skilled labour force in certain sectors on daily basis. Therefore, we have consulted other key stakeholders in our area as well, such as educational institutions and public employment services and identified specific labour market needs and possibilities to meet such needs”, said Bojana Bjelovuk from the City of Gradiška administration.
Nikolina and Miloš underline that they are grateful for the allocated EU grants and technical support from the International Labour Organisation for organizing entrepreneurship trainings and mentorships. Their positive story proves that the local Gradiška administrations has worked actively to promote conducive environment for entrepreneurship development:
“After returning from Austria, I decided to start a business with my twin sister. Given that I never had any entrepreneurship training, I can honestly say that it helped a lot. Therefore, I would recommend to anyone who has this opportunity to respond to calls and projects such as this one”, said Nikolina Janjić, owner of the hairdresser’s “Luxsus” in Gradiška.
Miloš, a third-generation carpenter from Dardić family from Nova Topola, has been involved in the family business from early childhood.
“Owing to circumstances, we moved to Germany where I finished my carpentry education and worked for a company after that. But then, two years ago, we decided to come back to Bosnia and Herzegovina and start our own business”, says this young entrepreneur from Carpentry Dardić and emphasized that he managed to buy furniture designing software thanks to the EU support, which accelerated his work and services provided.
Encouraged by the huge interest to support entrepreneurship development, the City of Gradiška administration allocated additional funds in budget for the next year to be able to continue this positive trend of small businesses development even without the donor’s support.
Although the interest in self-employment is on the rise, the City of Gradiška administration established that the unemployed persons participated less in the special trainings and requalification. As a response to the issue, they made additional efforts to connect job seekers, employers, employment services and educational institutions, thus enabling unemployed persons to acquire new skills and get a chance for employment. Such approach facilitated employment through practical trainings with support of employer, which opened the doors for employment to many.
EU funds enabled many project beneficiaries to become more competitive in labour market, some found jobs, and some started their own businesses. Local ownership over the process and active partnership of all institutions in labour market became a guarantee for all other unemployed persons to be able to find job much easier in the upcoming period. Nikolina and Miloš are proof that you can make it at home with the right support. Their success will inspire other wannabe entrepreneurs in Gradiška and beyond to take the same path, EU Delegation in BiH writes.
