Many young people in Albania embark on their educational and career paths without a clear map. The lack of career counseling, family pressure, and fragmented information all contribute to decisions that often feel more like going with the flow than conscious choices.
This gap was personally experienced by Besnik Ligaçi, when his daughter began asking her first questions about her future. That’s when the idea for Avenirs was born — a platform that offers not just guidance, but a smart roadmap that builds bridges between a young person’s internal potential and real-world opportunities.
Conceived by Besnik and co-founder Xhafer Rakipllari, Avenirs creates a unique profile for each user and proposes concrete paths for education, career, scholarships, or entrepreneurship by using technology, data, and professional counseling.
In this exclusive interview, we learn how Avenirs emerges as a solution aimed at transforming the way Albanian youth think about their future.
What was the pivotal moment that inspired you to create Avenirs? Why is this issue so important, especially in Albania?
The pivotal moment came during a conversation with my 15-year-old daughter, Aleksa. We started discussing some of the big questions about her future — like education or career choices. I realized that even in an era with so much information available, personalized guidance is still missing. Many parents like me invest in their children’s education, but often without a clear, well-thought-out plan.
In Albania, this gap is even more pronounced due to the lack of access to quality counseling services, especially outside Tirana. But my daughter’s story is the story of thousands of young people in the country. Albania is currently facing high youth unemployment and lacks a standardized professional counseling system. This directly contributes to youth emigration and the loss of their potential locally.
What real problem were you trying to solve when you started this project?
Together with my co-founder, we aimed to solve the insecurity and uncertainty that young people feel when making decisions about their education or career. Too many decisions are made randomly — under family or societal pressure — rather than based on deep self-awareness and real market information. Avenirs aims to fill this gap.
For those who don’t know Avenirs, how would you describe it in a few words?
Avenirs is a “smart guide” platform for youth that combines technology with psychology, counseling, and real market data to help them make informed decisions about their future — while easing the financial burden on their families.
Our mission is to help young people understand themselves, discover the opportunities ahead, and build a path that belongs to them. Even the name “Avenirs” reflects the clear purpose of this initiative.
Who are the main users of the platform?
The main users are students aged 15–18, but also parents who want to support their children, career counselors looking for better tools to assist students, and educational institutions that want to offer quality counseling services.
We are also open to collaborating with edtech companies and organizations that want to invest in young talent and build lasting connections with the educational community.
How does Avenirs help young people navigate their future?
Avenirs collects data on young people’s interests, skills, and preferences and combines them with real trends in the job market and education sector. This creates a unique profile for each user and generates personalized recommendations for the most suitable paths — whether in education or careers — including resources, schools, scholarships, internships, or entrepreneurship ideas.
For example, if a student is unsure about what university major to choose, our profiling tool can help them discover their aptitudes and guide them toward a study program that fits their interests and leads to a successful career.
Was there a personal story that inspired the creation of the platform?
Yes, the story with my daughter was the main catalyst. But I also recall my own adolescence, where future decisions were made by parents, and I had very little say. That made me realize how important it is for kids to have their own compass.
Avenirs is an effort to change that reality for today’s and tomorrow’s generations.
What do you think is missing in how students and youth are currently guided in their careers?
Starting with the most obvious: career counselors are missing. Ideally, there should be one counselor per 250 students. We’re far from that ratio. Often, guidance falls to teachers from other subjects who, despite doing their best, are not trained for such a vital process.
There’s also a lack of personalized systems based on real data. The few services that exist are often general, not dynamic, and fail to reflect changes in the global labor market. What’s also missing is a process that turns young people into co-creators of their own path — not just passive listeners.
This issue goes beyond Albania — similar problems are seen in the Western Balkans and even across European countries. Moreover, the lack of knowledge about future skills and labor market evolution makes today’s guidance not only impersonal but also ill-equipped to prepare youth for real-world challenges.
What have been some of the biggest challenges so far?
Avenirs is still in its early stages. After the initial enthusiasm, reality kicks in, and you realize the challenges are many and varied.
The biggest challenge has been building something so new in a market that is still in the early stages of digitization, education, and career guidance.
Challenges include building the right team, finding financial support, educating the market, and raising awareness among young people, parents, and schools about the importance of such a service. But we’re aware that every challenge is also an opportunity to learn and build a better product tailored to real needs.
What have you learned on this journey as entrepreneurs?
We’ve learned that true transformation happens when you combine technology with a clear human purpose.
Also, there are no shortcuts to building trust — especially when working with youth and parents. Trust is built with transparency, active listening, and solutions that speak for themselves and provide added value. Anything else is meaningless, and the market won’t accept it.
How do you see the future of Avenirs? Will it expand beyond Albania?
Yes, absolutely. Avenirs was designed and built from the start to work anywhere.
We’re starting in Albania because that’s where the need is most urgent, and we know the context best. But our goal is to expand further. The need for personalized career guidance is universal, and technology allows us to cross physical borders.
What do you want Avenirs to achieve in the next five years?
We want Avenirs to be the first name that comes to mind when young people or parents think about future planning.
We aim to improve the way decisions are made regarding education and careers, reach thousands of users, and build partnerships with schools, professionals, institutions, and businesses that share our vision.
What advice would you give to young people who feel uncertain about their future?
Don’t be afraid of uncertainty — it’s a normal part of growing up. But don’t remain passive either.
Start by knowing yourself — what inspires you? Experiment, seek internships or volunteer opportunities to help you learn and understand what you like and what you’re good at. Then, seek guidance, stay informed, and take action with an open mind — look beyond what the traditional system offers.
And for parents — how can they be supportive without applying pressure?
By listening more and judging less.
Of course, as parents, we always want the best. But in trying to ensure that, we often don’t have the right information to make the best decisions — and unintentionally pressure our children.
Our role should be that of mentors, not decision-makers. True support means giving your child the confidence to make their own choices, not making the choice for them.
Open communication, where the parent listens and asks without judgment, builds trust and self-confidence — empowering the child to follow their own path.
If you’re a young person looking for guidance, a parent seeking to support your child, or an educational institution wanting to bring more value to students — visit www.avenirs.co. Register for FREE and become part of the generation that will make smart decisions with the help of technology, passion, and a vision for the future. The platform is easy to use and will help you discover yourself, explore opportunities, and build a future that truly belongs to you.
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Meet the Co-Founders of Avenirs.co
Besnik Ligaçi is the founder of Avenirs and currently leads the Economic Inclusion department at UNHCR Romania. He is an active participant in Albania’s startup ecosystem and has consistently contributed to the development of local projects and initiatives supporting entrepreneurship and innovation — especially by assisting marginalized groups. With over a decade of experience managing projects in youth employment and economic development both nationally and internationally, Besnik has worked with well-known organizations like FAO, UNHCR, and Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation. His focus has always been on linking development policies with tangible community impact — through inclusive and sustainable approaches.
Xhafer Rakipllari is the co-founder of Avenirs and currently serves as Executive Director of the Albanian Career Development Association (ACDA). With extensive experience in career counseling across American and European institutions, he holds prestigious certifications in career advising and executive leadership from Harvard University, Gallup Inc., and the Center for Credentialing and Education (CCE) in the U.S. Xhafer also serves as Albania’s national expert in career counseling at CEDEFOP and has been recognized as a “Future Skills Expert” by the European Training Foundation (ETF). Through programs, training, and individual coaching, he helps students and youth identify their potential, build key skills, and prepare for the changing demands of the labor market.
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