Programme: Erasmus+
Key Action: Learning Mobility of individuals
Project Title: “Training of trainers for youth employment and entrepreneurship”
Project Identifier: 2014-2-HR01-KA105-007126
Topics: Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education
Results Platform Project Card: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/2014-2-HR01-KA105-007126
Coordinating organisation and country: Udruga “Ostvarenje” / Association “Realization”, HR
Participating Countries: HR, EE, TR, LV, MK, BG, PL, SI, RO, HU
Funded by: Agencija za mobilnost i programme Europske Unije (AMPEU), the Croatian National Agency for the Erasmus+ programme
Project duration: 01/08/2014 – 01/02/2015
Project Summary:
Employment, adequate social conditions and well-being are among the greatest concerns for young people. Youth all over Europe is at high risk of social exclusion and poverty, especially during the transition from education to employment. The non-formal education (NFE), vocational training and guidance can be very important in smoothening the transition between education and employment for youth, as well as the key importance of employers recognising the competences that young people acquire through NFE and volunteering in youth organisations. The entrepreneurship NFE can have great relevance in fostering the employability of young people.
Partners in this project are dealing with NFE and empowering youngsters. During our cooperation, we’ve noticed a lack of qualified youth trainers of activities for better entrepreneurship / employability skills of youth. Focus of the training course (TC) was to empower youth trainers to be able to develop and lead quality NFE programmes on youth employment and entrepreneurship in order to combat youth unemployment and exclusion. This project allowed focusing the efforts of organisation on the urgency of providing necessary competences to young people who were never employed and becoming a space where those who recently lost employment can maintain their competences and use them in the civic life.
The core activity of the project was – 9 days long training course. It was organised in the youth hostel in Split, from 2nd till 11th December. Project gathered 30 participants, trainers and staff from 13 organisations and 10 countries (Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, FYR Macedonia and Turkey).
Objectives were:
- To reflect and exchange opinions about the youth unemployment and entrepreneurship in different European countries (tendencies and influencing factors, specifications of the target group, focuses etc.) and existing youth work programmes dealing with it;
- To discuss how non-formal education can positively influence better youth employability and employment and to share examples of good practices combating youth unemployment;
- To empower participants for active promotion of youth employment and entrepreneurship and for work on raising youth employability skills;
- To empower youth workers to become quality youth trainers of non-formal education activities for the (unemployed) youth in our communities;
- To encourage the development of different education programmes for empowerment of unemployed youth in local communities, with special accent being put on developing their self-directed learning skills, entrepreneurship skills and business plan development;
- To present the Erasmus+ programme and to encourage the creation of future projects with unemployed youngsters.
The training course was based on the pedagogical understanding of the Council of Europe and the European Commission Partnership Programme and our own experience and expertise in youth NFE work for entrepreneurship, employability skills and inclusion. As the training materials, we used SALTO booklets, T-kits, Compass, etc. The training course followed the non-formal education approach, principles and methods and was based on participants’ experience and exchange.
All partners were involved in preparation, implementation and evaluation and follow-up phase and activities during the training course, while the preparation team of trainers, facilitators and staff was comprised of experienced youth trainers from applicant (Realization) and from partner organisation from FYR Macedonia (CID or Kreaktiv).
Project had biggest impact on direct beneficiaries-participants who further developed their skills in defining, planning, preparing and leading quality NFE activities / training courses for youth employment and entrepreneurship within their local centres and activities and European level projects. Also, there was important impact on participating / partner organisations who received trained people to improve own work with NFE and are more capable and better equipped for developing of new local and European projects and partnerships for inclusion and youth employability and entrepreneurship. As a potential longer term benefit, we expect increase in number of young people that will get closer to getting a job and will increase their employability skills, through increased quality of non-formal education activities in communities, as long-term perspective of multiplying and sustainable impact.
*Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.