Human capital development is widely accepted as a fundamental requirement for a country’s sustainable economic growth, and a key aspect of youth livelihoods development, under the assumption that labour can be treated as a commodity to enhance both an individual’s and a country’s economic productivity. Improving the education of a country’s workforce is a long-term investment leading to economic returns for both the individual and the country and has been recognized for decades as a fundamental tool for a country’s economic development and growth. However, there is limited attention on the end of the educational process, and the beginning of a young person’s labour market participation otherwise referred to as the school-to-work-transition. This transition from school to employment is an important indicator of both the strength of the education system and the macroeconomic conditions of the countries labour market that absorbs them. The success of a young person’s labour market transition is dependent on both the resources they hold and the opportunity to convert those skills into a sustainable livelihood.

This project aims to explore the school-to-entrepreneurship transition process within the socio-political context of the post-conflict and post-socialist nexus, engaging the perspectives of different stakeholders within this process. It will explore the current socio-political landscape of both countries within the context of the labour market, highlighting young people’s aspirations and intentions for their own labour market transition and identify bar