Manpower Inc. and the Ministry of Youth and Sport (Republic of Serbia) Announce Partnership to Provide Innovative Employment Programs for Young People

BELGRADE, Serbia, April 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Manpower Inc., a world leader in workforce solutions, announced today that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Youth and Sport, Republic of Serbia, in order to provide collaborative programs to promote economic opportunity and social inclusion for young people.

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"The specter of unemployment is the most critical problem facing youth in Serbia. Across the globe, young people are far more likely than adults to be out of work," said David Arkless, Manpower President of Corporate and Government Affairs. "Manpower has a wealth of experience in developing effective solutions in many markets to help them overcome cultural and skills barriers to employment."

The MOU, Signed today, is a significant milestone, marking Manpower's second year of operations in Serbia.  It demonstrates widening global recognition that Manpower can help national governments build more inclusive labor markets in emerging economies and expand training and employment opportunities for young people newly entering the labor force.

A key facilitator for the relationship has been USAID's Preparedness, Planning, and Economic Security (PPES) project team in Serbia.  In line with its overall strategy to help the youth of Serbia become more competitive, PPES will assist Manpower and the Ministry to establish two pilot centers in selected Youth Offices. These centers will help youth build necessary skills that will connect them with the labor market. PPES is already working with Youth Offices across Serbia to help youth develop entrepreneurial skills and this project will further advance PPES' assistance to youth.  PPES' experience in working with Youth Offices and the Ministry will strongly contribute to the success of this initiative and will bring a valuable service to Serbian youth.

"The Serbian government has one of the most sophisticated National Youth Strategies in Europe, and a commitment to systematic, organized and long-term support for the economic integration of young people and their positive participation in society," said Dalia Narkis, Managing Director of East Mediterranean Countries for Manpower. "We are dedicated to helping the Ministry connect the next generation with opportunities."

"My Ministry is guided by a vision of full social and economic inclusion for Serbia's young people," said Snezana Samardzic-Markovic, Minister of Youth and Sport.  "The productive engagement of youth as active contributors to economic and civic life is essential to Serbia's success in the 21st century.  Manpower's innovative and globally-proven models for youth workforce development will help the Ministry deliver world-class programs in support of this vision."

About Ministry of Youth and Sport

Based on Article 16 Law on Ministries (Official Gazette of RS, No. 65/08), the Ministry performs state administration relating to: system development and improvement of youth policy and implementation of national policy and national youth strategy and action plans and programs, encouraging young people to organize and join and participate in social life, protect the interests of young people and help young people to achieve those interests; advice to young people and teaching young people related to employment and volunteer work, encouraging non-formal education of youth, cooperation with youth organizations and associations in organizing international youth events and conferences in the Republic of Serbia, assistance and cooperation with youth organizations and associations in their work and the promotion of youth policy and youth organizations and associations; enable youth organizations and associations from the Republic of Serbia to participate in meetings and events for young people abroad, encouraging and realizing international cooperation related to youth, monitoring and evaluation of the place and role of youth in the Republic of Serbia, creating conditions for the establishment and operation of national and regional youth offices, encouraging the development of youth policy and youth at the local level as well as other matters determined by law.

About Manpower Inc.

Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN) is a world leader in workforce solutions; creating and delivering services that enable its clients to win in the changing world of work. With more than 60 years of experience, Manpower offers employers a range of solutions and services for the entire employment and business cycle including permanent, temporary and contract recruitment; employee assessment and selection; training; outplacement; outsourcing and consulting.  Manpower's worldwide network of nearly 4000 offices in 82 countries and territories enables the company to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, including small and medium size enterprises in all industry sectors, as well as the world's largest multinational corporations. The focus of Manpower's work is on raising productivity through improved quality, efficiency and cost-reduction across their total workforce, enabling clients to concentrate on their core business activities. Manpower Inc. operates under five brands:  Manpower, Manpower Professional, Elan, Jefferson Wells and Right Management.  More information on Manpower Inc. is available at www.manpower.com.

SOURCE Manpower Inc.