Adriapol can stimulate job creation in a structured way by encouraging innovation, skills, & development of industry, aligned with national policies and donor goals. Building on the concept of “triple helix”, bringing together universities,government & industries, this eco-system will function on integrated approaches at the regional level with special attention to regional variances related to problems, such as inequality. Leading universities, such as Marin Barleti in Albania and its academic partners, provide a “one stop shopping” experience for the industry as they perform executive education; student recruitment and engagement, corporate relations through colleges, schools and research centers. Adriapol has decided to take this nontraditional role as it considers it a major potential source of innovation. We try to combine skills gained in a localized setting that lead to employment through participation in the local labor market; we have jump-started projects of self-employment.

The social economy, which is largely generated by NGOs, makes a huge contribution to job creation activities by targeting public investments to tackle and target social exclusion and supporting people in terms of employment. Adriapol combines the elements of the triple helix (university – industry – government) to benefit urban innovation. The Institute has always pursued creative ways to respond to the development and growth challenges in a country like Albania. Beefed up with a team of professionals trained abroad, it works to provide innovative solutions that simultaneously respond to both urban and employment growth needs of the urbanite. The multitude of projects and cooperation activities that have already taken place made the Institute more programmatic. Thus, the Institute works with projects that address the city or the urban center as a whole while providing policy guidance and practical solutions to the issues that accompany growth and development.

One of the major challenges facing the Albanian economy is how to provide better training for its workforce. The VET system isn’t sufficiently geared to the labor market. Thus it fails to meet its needs. The technical secondary schools, (part of the VET system), focus on the graduation requirement and neglect the area of practical training. Adriapol strongly believes that adequate education is vital in a globally competitive labor market. Through our international forums we have pitched forward the concept that the most effective way to address the employment needs is the equipment of the labor force with technical skills effective in a multi-cultural and multi-language setting. This new understanding of the role of post-secondary education will assure Albania of its human development and effective democratic functioning. However, the situation is still far from being ideal and we see ourselves in the forefront of training Albanians with the professional skills required for future.

Urban and regional development strategies are important aspects to systems, structures, and the physical and functional aspects of every city development within a regional development context. Considering its importance, At Adriapol Institute, the Regional Growth Strategy that is developed explores asset-based economic development, focusing on how regions can build on their natural and working landscapes, existing infrastructure, historic and cultural resources, industry clusters, and human capital. It engages into drawing the views of all interested stakeholders for providing a comprehensive base for partnership and actions regarding the implementation of different programs.

Being “SMART”, in the context of urban growth, is a process of guiding businesses and industries into those areas where success for the enterprise and growth for the region are interconnected. Through its activities, Adriapol Institute has provided to the business and donor community a platform for the exchange of ideas. Job creation often takes place as industries are convinced to expand their activities in a regional setting that is imbued with start-up initiatives and an existing local drive towards employment. This environment is ripe for innovation. Innovation based on import substitution and the processing of materials and ores found in the region can lead to the development of new/renovated products and services. Innovation is also required in developing flexible training, education, and employment services for those wishing to re-enter the labor market, those needing on-the-job trainings, and those coming from vulnerable populations.

As a response to a growing interest in the communities to engage in startup activities and the ecosystems efforts to strengthen and promote startups in Albania, Adriapol Institute is engaging in different startup activities. Despite existing new initiatives, there is an absence in Albania of appropriate structures and capacities to facilitate the knowledge flow between policy makers and MSMEs, and there is also a lack of integrated data about demographics, income, and infrastructure for young entrepreneurships that want to engage in a new startup or further develop their existing enterprises. Adriapol Institute seeks to promote emerging and existing entrepreneurs and connect them with the innovation needs of the Albanian enterprises, build national and international business relationships, and facilitate startups fundraising activities through organizing and hosting specific events such as trainings, workshops, pitching, networking, startup academy, etc.