The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Embassy of Sweden in Albania announced today that The Headhunter has been selected to implement “People First: Growth in Tourism through Qualified Human Resources” (“People First”), a human resources-focused approach to stimulating job growth and job placement in Albania’s tourism sector.  The Headhunter is a private business that helps to pair Albanians with tourism jobs through placement, staff leasing, and career advising. 

Minister of Social Welfare and Youth Blendi Klosi, Head of Development Cooperation for Sweden Birgitta Jansson, and USAID’s Country Representative to Albania, Cate Johnson delivered remarks at a ceremony to launch the project.  CEO of The Headhunter Elton Ilirjani and Project Manager Besart Kondi presented details of the project to represetatives of NGOs, young people, women, and the media. 

“People First” will promote job growth by training and placing employees with the skills demanded by tourism industry in businesses throughout Albania. The project will create partnerships between prospective employees, Vocational Training Centers (VTCs), and businesses, and thus establish pathways for prospective employees-particularly youth and women—to gain skills and enter the workforce.  This project will focus on four tourism hotspots in Albania: the Southern Rivera, Durres-Kavaja corridor, Shkodra/The Albanian Alps, and the Korca region including Lake Ohrid, Pogradec, and Voskopoja.

Over the next five years, the United States and Sweden will invest $6 million to promote job creation and economic growth in Albania’s tourism sector.

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