Swedish Institute Academy for Young Professionals (SAYP) Western Balkans

The Swedish Institute Academy for Young Professionals (SAYP) is a training programme developed to build awareness, capacity and resilience in the practice of governance. Are you a young professional in Western Balkans and want to deepen your knowledge about modern sustainble governance? This is the programme for you.
Open for applications until 22 March.

Overview

The Swedish Institute Academy for Young Professionals (SAYP) is a training programme developed to build new networks, knowledge and practices for increased transparency, efficiency and resilience in public administration. The programme also aims to strengthen your individual capabilities to meet the requirements of a modern governance structure. As a SAYP participant, you will be able to expand your own contact networks and share ideas, experiences and challenges with other like-minded professionals.  

SAYP is a collaboration between the Swedish Institute (SI) and Swedish universities, responsible for developing and organising training modules. The modules rely on a mix of modern teaching methods with emphasis on interactivity, collaboration and problem-based learning. The training programme may include webinars, interactive lectures, small-group discussions, study visits and other learning activities allowing to deepen and practice your knowledge. This year, it is possible to apply for the following thematic modules within SAYP: 

• Collaborative Governance in a Digital Era, Halmstad University
• Innovation Ecosystems & Entrepreneurship, Lund University 
• Migration and Integration in the Western Balkans: International Perspectives on Policy and Administrative Challenges for the Development of Inclusive Societies, Gothenburg University & Georgian Institute of Public Affairs  
• Sustainable e-Government for Resilient and Innovative Democratic Public Administration, Linköping University  
• Sustainable Public Management, Malmö University 

The programme runs between April and November 2021 and corresponds to approximately two weeks of intensive training. To learn more about the timelines and structure of specific modules, please visit the website  of the respective host universities via the links under ‘How to apply’.   

SAYP will give you:

• Opportunity to develop your professional skills
• Tools to apply in your own organisations and local contexts
• Knowledge within sustainable modern governance
• Experience of cross-sectorial work environment
• Personal and professional network
• Lifelong membership in the SI Alumni Network
• Exclusive access to Peer Shadowing and other tools for continued learning

Can I apply? 

You can apply to SAYP if you:

• Are a citizen of and currently working in one of the following countries Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia
• Have good command of English language
• Have a relevant higher education (at least three years)
• 35 years or younger (born 1986)
• Employed in one of the following groups:
  1. Policymakers (politicians, government officials, employees of political parties)
  2. Public servants (non-political civil servants working at public organisations)
  3. Civil society workers (CSO/NGO employees)

More information and how to apply on the source webpage.