Funded by Leonardo da Vinci Mobility PLM (People available in Labour Market), the Training Course of the project Employskills (The Development and Enhancement of Employability Skills for Young University Graduates ff Cyprus), involved 20 Cypriot youths in a 2 week training programme (Palermo, 15th – 28th June 2014).
Employskills project aims at fighting against the increasing rates of unemployment, especially for youth, by enhancing participants’ employability skills and giving them the opportunity to understand better how to apply these competencies in real working environment.
This 2 weeks programme was based on innovative methodologies, such as Reciprocal Maiutic Approach, Creative thinking and Learning by doing. During the first week, students focused on Project Cycle Management, analysing and working on its different phases and aspects. Whilst in the second one, participants were mainly trained on European Framework of Competences and in particular on developing Key Competence 7 (Entrepreneurship, sense of Initiative, Communication), moreover they attended dynamic sessions on the enhancement of leadership skills, evaluation of personal employability level, self evaluation, development of business plans and time management techniques.
During all the training sessions, participants were encouraged to work in groups and to participate actively, in order to acquire team work and soft skills, important to increase their chances of employability.
Besides fostering their personal and professional competencies, as mentioned above, participants had also the chance to gain a better understanding of the European labour market, by meeting local young entrepreneurs who presented their interesting experiences and working contexts. Thanks to this project the coordinator/sending organization GrantXpert aims at tackling youth unemployment and related issues which affect Cyprus nowadays, by bridging the gap between university studies and the labour market.
For further information youth@cesie.org
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
