A 20× return on a single
World Bank investment.
In 2021, The World Bank invested $150,000 to train 500 young Albanian women in digital skills with Learnio. Three years later, those women had generated $3.2 million in income — a measurable return that turns charitable spending into economic infrastructure.
Albania entered the 2020s with one of Europe's highest youth unemployment rates — and a sharp gender gap inside it. Young women who had completed university were leaving the workforce, leaving the country, or taking work far below their qualifications. The global digital economy was hiring, but the bridge between Albanian talent and international clients didn't exist.
The Digital Jobs Albania (DJA) pilot was designed to build that bridge. Commissioned by The World Bank Group and delivered in consortium by Learnio and EuroPartners Development, the program had a single, measurable goal: train young Albanian women in marketable digital skills, then help them earn real income through online freelance work.
The pilot ran on a randomized treatment-and-control design — the gold standard for measuring real impact. Eligible candidates were split evenly: half received the program, half did not. Three years later, the difference between those two groups speaks for itself.
The DJA Pilot is not just about imparting skills. It's about changing lives — and contributing to gender equality and economic development in Albania. DJA Final Report · July 2023 · WBG #1273851
Behind every number,
a life that changed.
Statistics are the headline. The graduates are the story. Press play and hear directly from the Albanian women whose careers were rewritten by the program — in their own words.
We didn't just fund a training program.
We funded an economic engine.
Project · Digital Jobs AlbaniaA plug-and-play model,
adapted to local reality.
Twelve weeks of intensive training across one of three selected digital tracks, delivered through the Learnio Academy platform with live mentorship and hands-on projects. Additional training on freelance and job-readiness skills prepared graduates to win and deliver real client work — locally and globally.
Inception
Aligning Learnio, EuroPartners Development, and the World Bank around shared objectives and target demographic.
Marketing
A multi-channel awareness campaign across Facebook, Instagram, webinars, and direct outreach to young women.
Selection
5,268 applications. Rigorous assessment, then randomized treatment/control allocation among 1,032 qualified candidates.
Training
12 weeks of Digital Marketing, Graphic Design, or Web Development with live mentorship, support, and project work.
Earning
Graduates supported onto Upwork, Fiverr, and PeoplePerHour to win, deliver, and grow real client relationships.
Every target met.
Most exceeded by double digits.
The Terms of Reference set conservative targets. The DJA team delivered well above them across applications, enrollment, graduation, and reported earnings.
What the graduates said.
A follow-up telephone study reached 412 of the women who passed selection, asking what the training left behind once the cohort ended and the mentors stepped back.
Read the public record
from The World Bank.
The program was launched, monitored, and reported on publicly by The World Bank. The links below take you directly to their press release and analytical commentary on the initiative.