V+O Group | SEC Newgate
In 2017 and 2018, Serbia’s youth unemployment rate stood at 43% — with young people waiting an average of two years to secure their first job. The picture was compounded by an education gap: while 64% of young people valued informal learning, more than a third felt there were simply not enough opportunities, or had never heard of those that existed. These were not uniquely Serbian challenges — they reflected a regional pattern. In response, Coca-Cola HBC conceived the global youth development initiative Coca-Cola Youth Support, a structured program of training sessions, workshops, lectures, and an online platform for education and peer networking, with Serbia and Montenegro selected as key implementation markets.
V+O took on the full architecture of the program’s local implementation. This began with identifying and securing project partners across three sectors — governmental (ministries and public institutions), civil society (associations and NGOs), and private (HR partners) — and selecting the right cities: smaller urban centers with sufficient youth populations and genuine employment prospects, from new investments to established industries. Workshop modules and materials were adapted from Coca-Cola HBC’s Talent program in close collaboration with HR partners, and a model for tracking and measuring outcomes was developed from the outset. Over two years, V+O organized 130 three-day workshops across Serbia and Montenegro, managing every logistical dimension — venue sourcing, space branding, catering, materials production, technical support, and participant communication — as well as the opening and closing conferences in both countries.
The results placed Serbia at the top of the Coca-Cola HBC Group’s global rankings across all 28 countries — with the Serbian program presented as an internal benchmark case study within the corporation.
In Serbia, the program established formal partnerships with the National Youth Office, National Employment Service, Ministry of Labor, NALED, and 32 cities and municipalities. Across 110 workshops, 2,737 certificates were awarded. Of those participants, 515 found employment (19%), 220 began internships (8%), and 856 went on to pursue further education (31%).
In Montenegro, collaboration was established with the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, the Employment Agency, and 7 cities. Twenty workshops delivered 484 certificates, with 116 participants finding employment (23%), 55 starting internships (11%), and 148 continuing into further education (29%).
Together, the two programs demonstrated that with the right partnerships, the right design, and genuine commitment to execution, corporate social investment can create measurable, lasting change in young people’s lives.
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