Albania Economia
On Albania’s path toward the European Union, the key question is not only institutional alignment, but the ability to build concrete models capable of preparing future generations for a more competitive economy. One of these models already exists. Developed by Junior Achievement of Albania and fully integrated into the national education system, it reaches hundreds of thousands of students every year through a simple principle: students do not study business—they build it. We spoke with Blerina Guga, CEO of Junior Achievement of Albania, to understand how this model was created and why it is now considered a global benchmark.
Junior Achievement Albania was founded in 2012, but the first attempts date back to the 1990s. Looking at this journey today, do you believe the model was ahead of its time?
Indeed, there were several attempts to introduce the experiential learning model of Junior Achievement on financial, entrepreneurial education and job readiness in Albania. Already in 1996, then in 2001 and 2008, but they did not meet nor create the conditions to become sustainable. In 2012, understanding that the need for such an approach to education was still persistent, the approach changed. The Albanian American Development Foundation carried out an in-depth analysis of the context, a due diligence based on a strong belief: that Albania had entered a more mature phase, with a more open environment for education models focused on skills and competencies needed in the world of work. We are also talking about a country with a very young population compared to the European average, which represents a significant human potential to be impacted. The strategic vision of the Albanian American Development Foundation, together with the cooperation of the Ministry of Education, made it possible to build a solid foundation, starting from piloting around 50 schools in 2013 to having full-scale integration of the Junior Achievement model in all schools of the pre-university education system in Albania as core and elective modules. From there, a structured growth process began, not a random one.
Today your model is considered a reference case. What is the principle that makes it so effective?
The key point is the shift from knowledge-based education to competence-based education. In this sense, a decisive step came with the pre-university curriculum reform in Albania, consolidated through amendments in 2018. This was the result of a process that began in 2014 with the aim of modernising the entire national education system and aligning it with European standards. This transformation made it possible to integrate educational programmes into schools in a systemic way, making the Junior Achievement approach permanently applicable within the entire pre-university education system, from elementary to high school, both public and private. This makes Albania a unique model and the only country amongst 126 Member Nations of Junior Achievement Worldwide to obtain such a result. But the real difference is the JA method. Students learn by doing. They start from the basics — understanding who they are, what their goals are, how to manage resources — and build a progressive path that leads them to more advanced entrepreneurial and financial skills and competencies.
At 16, students start creating real companies. How does this transition work and what principles does it rely on?
The most important moment of the journey is exactly this transition. From the age of 16, students enter the Student Company programme, an elective module implemented in high schools, and start building a real business. This is not a theoretical simulation, but a real organisation. Students divide roles as in a company: there is a CEO, a board of directors, marketing, sales and HR teams. They start from an idea, define a product or service, raise initial capital through share issuance, and develop the project until it reaches the market. The programme lasts several months and is fully practical. They have to make decisions, solve problems, work in teams and take real responsibility. But even before the operational structure, there is a fundamental element: the values behind the entire model.
Which ones?
In a context such as Albania, shaped by typical dynamics of emerging economies, fast-paced approaches, “fast earning” logics, and phenomena of corruption that can emerge in transitional phases within systems that are not yet fully structured, Junior Achievement introduces a completely different framework rooted in ethical business and cultivated values of the global markets. The focus is on entrepreneurship education, financial education, and ethical business, with the aim of building awareness in young people’s economic choices and professional behaviour. This is where the concept of “learning by doing” becomes the central method of the Junior Achievement model: an experiential learning approach that integrates entrepreneurship education, financial education, and career orientation. It is not about learning theory in a traditional way, but about living concrete experiences, making real decisions, working on projects, and developing skills through direct action.
Can you tell us about another concrete activity students take part in during the programme?
One of the most significant experiences is the Job Shadowing programme. It is a very powerful experience because it brings students directly into the real working world. The program meets the needs of a diverse group of high school students by providing engaging, academically enriching, and experiential learning sessions in work-readiness education and career perspectives. Following participation in the program, students are enabled to identify and demonstrate the work-readiness skills needed to research, get, and keep a job and develop innovative personal strategies to achieve lifelong learning pursuits and career opportunities. They are paired with managers, entrepreneurs and institutional leaders, spending a full working day alongside them. It is effectively a job shadowing experience: they enter professional environments, take part in daily activities, attend meetings and observe first-hand how decisions are made and responsibilities are managed. It is not a theoretical activity, but a direct immersion in the world of work and leadership. Over time, the programme has involved thousands of students across Albania, creating a concrete bridge between school and the world of work. For many, it is the first real contact with a professional environment, and a decisive moment in understanding which direction to take in their future career.
What scale has the JA Albania model reached today?
The growth has been very significant. We started from around 50 schools and today we are present in over 1,100 schools across the country, reaching approximately 350,000 students every year. A key element is teacher professional development and accredited training: more than 9,000 teachers teaching JA modules have been certified and update their skills every two years. From 2012 to 2026, the Albanian American Development Foundation invested around 9 million euros in the development of the JA programs in all their dimensions. This has allowed us to build a stable, scalable and coherent system over time.
After the educational journey, are there entrepreneurial experiences that continue over time?
During the pandemic we asked ourselves a very simple question: what happens to the companies created by students after the programme ends? From that moment, we decided to start following them over time. Today there are 16 companies active on the market, born directly from Junior Achievement startup support programme, JuniorUp. We continuously monitor their evolution, observing their ability to generate value, sustain themselves and grow over time. To support this transition, we also introduced acceleration programmes, such as bootcamps dedicated to the most promising projects, with seed funding of up to 10,000 euros for the top 3 companies. Over time, a real ecosystem has been built, with startups operating in different sectors — from fintech to services, and innovation-driven industries — and an increasingly strong network of entrepreneurs and professionals. But the most important result remains cultural.
Why do you consider this so important?
This type of pathway allows young people to develop awareness and autonomy, giving them concrete tools to navigate the world of work or create new opportunities. At the same time, it stimulates talents and individual abilities: it helps them understand what they are truly interested in, what motivates them, and what their natural inclinations are. Students begin much earlier to understand themselves, because during the journey they experiment, challenge themselves and face real decisions. Compared to previous generations, they build their path with greater clarity and direction already during their studies. This profoundly changes their relationship with the future.
In your work, a broader theme also emerges: education as a shared responsibility. How is this balance built?
Families play a fundamental role in supporting and guiding young people. Companies, on the other hand, cannot remain observers: they must bring skills, experience and direct exposure to reality into the education system. In Europe, this approach is already more structured, also thanks to higher levels of CSR investment. In contexts like Albania, this space is still evolving, but precisely for this reason it represents an opportunity: to increasingly align corporate contribution with a shared educational model capable of generating real impact and sustainable development. When these three elements work together — institutions, families and businesses — the system becomes much more effective and coherent. And in a historical moment marked by instability and conflict, education takes on an even deeper meaning: it is not only economic development, but the construction of awareness and, ultimately, social stability.