STARforums across five Western Balkan cities united 200+ stakeholders to tackle youth employment challenges and launch the STAR.study platform, a regional hub for career development and future jobs guidance.

In June 2025, five STARforums brought together over 200 participants across Tirana, Podgorica, Pristina, Skopje, and Belgrade to address a vital question: “How can we prepare Generation Z for the rapidly evolving labor market?”

Born after 1996, Gen Z will make up 30% of the global workforce by 2030.  In the Western Balkans, they face face high unemployment and vulnerable NEET status. Against this backdrop, the forums convened key stakeholders from institutions, business, civil society,and youth to explore innovative solutions.

A central highlight was the launch of the STAR.study platform, now available in all regional languages. The platform features an interactive map of 1,000+ youth employment stakeholders and the first episode of a new video series on future jobs and career guidance.

Discussions generated seven key policy recommendations to strengthen youth career development and encourage young people to build their futures in the Western Balkans. These will inform the upcoming STAR Policy Guide, a regional advocacy and benchmarking tool.

The STAR.study initiative is led by Social Innovation Incubator “Munja”, in partnership with local actors across the region and with the support of Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans.

Read the full press release on Starstudy’s website.

Learn more.