School-to-work transition and youth inclusion in Georgia

This paper represents a starting point for more detailed analysis of youth labor market status in Georgia. It analyzes the composition, timing and duration of the school-to-work transition and, based on this analysis, offers policy recommendations to address the challenges of this transition. The lack of employment opportunities in Georgia and the resulting loss of positive motivation and hope for the future are critical challenges for the current generation of young people in the country, whether they live in towns and cities or rural areas. Overall, one in every four young people in the labor force is unable to find a job; on average, it takes six to eight years for youth to settle into work after leaving school. Many of the problems faced by young people in Georgia, particularly those of employment, are rooted in the critical transition from education to working life. Yet the routes that young people take from education to employment are poorly understood and studies relating to this transition period are scarce. The authors recommend that supporting young people as active participants in the evolving socioeconomic development of Georgia requires a multidimensional approach to youth inclusion, risk and conflict management and the transition from school to work. Such an approach necessitates the participation and full collaboration of national youth policy stakeholders, youth representatives and interested third parties.

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