Building on the success of its first cycle (2023-2024), the STAR (Study, Train, Act, React) platform entered its second phase in October 2025, continuing to serve as the first regional digital ecosystem designed to boost youth employability and mobility across the Western Balkans. It brings together young people, educators, employers, and institutions on a shared platform for learning, collaboration, and opportunity-sharing. The upgraded platform is now available in all Western Balkan languages and has evolved into the region’s most comprehensive digital hub for youth employability and future-skills development.  

About the Project 

Implemented by the Social Innovation Incubator “MUNJA” with support from OSF – Western Balkans, STAR aims to bridge the gap between education and the labour market through an accessible, multilingual platform available across all WB6 countries.  

STAR.study integrates three core components: 

• STARmap, mapping 1,000+ ecosystem actors across 14 thematic areas; 

• STARedu, a 17-episode video course on future jobs and skills (430,500+ views); and 

• STARinfo, a pilot news and opportunity portal for Bosnia and Herzegovina (1,416 posts and 30,000 active users). 

The project combines online and offline engagement: the platform offers free courses, career-guidance tools, and interactive content on future skills, while seven STARforums held across all WB capitals gathered over 450 stakeholders. The regional STARfest in Sarajevo – the largest youth career event in the region with over 3,000 participants – brought together students, companies, and decision-makers to promote digital pathways for youth development. 

During this phase, STAR also launched a participatory policy-co-creation process, drafting a Regional Policy Guide on Gen Z and the Labour Market. Its iterative approach – with continuous feedback loops through events, consultations, and digital engagement – has refined the platform and validated regional demand.  

Local Impact 

In its first year, STAR engaged over 450 institutions, companies, and civil society actors, creating a strong national network for youth skills development. The project helped local organizations digitize their employability programmes, inspired new partnerships between schools and employers, and made career-support resources more accessible to marginalized youth. 

In Bosnia and Herzegovina alone, the pilot platform generated over 446,000 page views from 30,000 users. STAR also facilitated a first-of-its-kind Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the State Agency for Labour and Employment of BiH and a civil society organization, setting a precedent for cooperation in this field. 

Regional Impact 

STAR has become a regional reference point for digital youth cooperation in the Western Balkans. Its 17-episode video series on future skills reached over 430,000 viewers, and the initiative achieved 745,000 social media engagements and 53,900 followers across platforms. The STAR.study platform now connects users from all six Western Balkan economies. 

This second phase strengthened regional cooperation even further, leading to new EU-level partnerships – including an MoU with 10 EU student organizations for internship cooperation and a cross-border project between labour agencies in BiH and Serbia, now advancing to the next EU funding stage. 

By combining technology, storytelling, and policy engagement, STAR demonstrated that digital innovation can strengthen social and economic ties across the region. As one participant at STARfest Sarajevo summarized: “For the first time, we can see where opportunities are – not only in my country, but in the region.” 

STAR Phase 2 continues to evolve through the Business for Youth (B4Y) Memorandum and the forthcoming Regional Policy Guide, ensuring the sustainability and scaling of cross-sector partnerships and platform growth across the Western Balkans.