Triple Helix method for the solution of the brain drain phenomenon

In North Macedonia, COSV is working with its Project “ENTEG - Entrepreneurship for Tertiary Graduates” to find solutions against the brain drain phenomenon, where young tertiary graduates leave their homeland searching for a better life in other countries.

To face this problem, we are currently applying the Triple Helix methodology (which refers to a set of interactions between the university, industry and government) to our ENTEG project, to promote networking events between the University UCLO of Bitola and the Economic faculty of Prilep with the Regional Chamber of Commerce and Municipality of Prilep.

During the last of these meetings, each institution shared its experiences, views and perspectives in terms of motivating our youth to stay in the country.

According to the last World Bank report called: “Migration and Brain drain in Europe and Central Asia,” published in 2019, one-quarter of the population of the Republic of North Macedonia (nearly 500,000 citizens) left the country during the last few years. And according to the World Report for Migration, since 2020, North Macedonia has been one of the first 20 countries in the world with considerable emigration abroad.

These circumstances, in addition to the loss of professional and non-professional personnel, are alarming. The consequences of the brain drain are multifaceted and affect all the society.

Moreover, it can disrupt the functioning of society. Without human capital, there can be any development or progress in the community. Therefore, immediate measures are necessary to be taken to stop this process.

Holding these debates and meetings is crucial as the cooperation of the institutions can succeed by identifying the challenges, and conclusions and proposing solutions to improve the current situation.

Here are the solutions we propose!

- First of all, the Chamber of Commerce conducts surveys and produces analysis on an annual level for the needs of in-demand occupations, for the Government, the Ministry of Education and Science, and the Ministry for Labor and Social policy to create the policies accordingly: it is crucial, when creating the operational plan for employment, that the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy include the local employment centres. Moreover, secondary school enrolment should be following the labour market demand.

- Second, the elaboration of occupations and qualifications standards, following the employers’ needs, is required. Furthermore, while considering new trends and digitalization processes, the Universities and Faculties must work on technological modernization of the programs to make them more attractive.

- We also found out that the analysis conducted by the Chamber of Commerce shows that 70% of the companies in Prilep face a shortage of professional staff of different profiles and, although the companies make plans for human resources development and invest in their improvement, they still prefer to employ trained staff which can go straight into the work process. This situation could explain why the trained staff is transferred constantly among companies, which is a considerable issue.

- Another proposed solution is offering career counselling services in secondary schools, to guide students in searching for the right job based on their capacities and labour market needs. Furthermore, there is a need for Hubs and youth support centres that allow the exchange of ideas, socialization, and support.

- Finally, it is crucial to strengthen the awareness among young people about the deficit profiles to enable them to make decisions based on solid information when choosing their education.

The meeting was concluded by Danja Dimovska Mikarovska, our project manager, who made a compelling and heartfelt analysis of the current situation in North Macedonia:

“How many more parents must send their children abroad? How many more grandparents have not had the chance to see their grandchildren grow? How many more elderly have to be left alone when in need? How many more houses have to be abandoned?It is enough! Each of us has to be blamed! It is crucial to be good and successful, but the most important thing is being aware of our responsibility towards our country and our offspring!”