Coca-Cola HBC Company organized the Networking and Certification event for 150 young people of total 300 within Coca-Cola Youth Empowered program, which aimed at empowering young people and preparing them for the labour market. The Networking event has given these participants the opportunity to establish relations and find employment opportunities through direct contact with the attendees such as representatives of businesses and institutions of Kosovo.

Pristina, November 21, 2018 – The Executive Director of Coca-Cola HBC Kosovo, Mr. Neritan Tira, has talked about the impact of this program to the trained young people, by emphasizing their achieved success.

“Today we mark the completion of the program which is one the largest projects dedicated to the young people of Kosovo. Over 300 young people have benefited from this program by receiving concrete advice and useful practices for their career development. I am really happy to share with you the fact that 57% of participants of the first phase have been able to find a job, start an internship or establish self-employment. This is an evidence that this project has been one of the most successful projects implemented, therefore, our goal for the next year is to triple the number of trainees”, stated Mr. Tira

During the event partners of this program appraised and welcomed this initiative of Coca-Cola HBC Kosovo in training young people.

Deputy Minister Heset Sahiti from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and Deputy Minister Vesel Makolli from the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare stated that the program is an excellent opportunity for young people to get trained and increase their potential for the labor market. They added that such programs that contribute to youth employment and training as well as the reduction of unemployment will have continued support from the Government of Kosovo.

Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce Mr. Arian Zeka explained that the projects initiated by Coca-Cola HBC Kosovo are unique in improving the skills of young people of the country for easier access to the labor market. “The implementation of this program is a concrete evidence of the investments that Coca-Cola HBC Kosovo is doing in the community it operates and at the same time is a champion in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility,” said Zeka.

One of the participants of Coca-Cola Youth Empowered program, Dorina Imami, spoke about the impact of this project. “Through this program we have been motivated to start a career by getting detailed knowledge on the job market and the way of doing business. We have also met other participants with whom we share the same goals and passion for the future. Inspired by this training we took the initiative and established our youth group ProActive Generation, which aims to raise awareness, through humanitarian, social and cultural activities, for mobilizing the force of humanism among the citizens”, stated Ms. Imami.

Ms. Lisa Magno, USAID/Kosovo Mission Director, was the guest of honour of this event.

“Coca-Cola Youth Empowered” program is supported by Employment Agency, Pristina Municipality, ICK, Venture Up and CSR Network in Kosovo.

“Coca-Cola Youth Empowered” program is being implemented in 28 countries where Coca-Cola HBC operates. Meanwhile, the company’s commitment is to train 1 million young people by 2025.

Coca-Cola is considered a symbol of American heritage, but today it is an international brand, which was created not only through commercial activities but also through community-based support around the world.