Supporting vulnerable NEETs (Not in Employment, Education or Training) from Sicily by facilitating their transition to employment through work-related learning experience in another EU country to integrate them into the society and to the labour market.
Context
According to statistics (Eurostat, 2022), the second highest NEET rates were recorded in Italy (19.40%), for both men and women, at 17.7% and 20.5 % respectively, which is the highest rate in Europe among men. Sicily has an even higher unemployment rate compared to other regions in Italy (37.5 percent of people aged 15 to 29), compared to an EU average of 11.7% (Eurostat, 2022), making it really difficult for NEETs to enter into the labour market.
Various measures have been taken at European and national level to reduce of NEETs like improving the educational system, creating job opportunities, providing social assistance, offering career guidance and counselling promoting entrepreneurship. Still, as evident from statistics, these incentives don’t provide them with the necessary training and development opportunities. NEETs in Italy, more specifically Sicily, which required more comprehensive approach to create sustainable employment opportunities including personalised support to overcome their unique challenges based on in-depth analysis of their specific characteristics and needs.
Objectives
- Support vulnerable NEET (women, NEETs with a migrant background, long-term unemployed) aged 18-29 in Sicily, by providing counselling and supervised work-related learning experiences in another EU country.
- Improve the skills, knowledge, and experience of NEETs to boost their self-confidence and support them to enter into the labour market.
- Strengthen transnational cooperation partnerships among local and regional stakeholders working with NEETs, including public and private employment services, universities, youth organisations, to intensify outreach and collaboration, fostering an inclusive approach in integrating Sicilian NEETs.
Activities
- Selection of 24 NEETs and prepare them for the internship activities abroad by specific trainings, language classes, intercultural activities ensuring their enthusiasm for successful mobility experiences in foreign countries.
- Involve 24 NEETs in six months work-related learning experience internship in Spain, Portugal and Greece (8 per country) for a comprehensive learning processes with regular follow-ups on participants’ progress, impacts, and development of skills.
- Organise three months of follow-up activities for those NEETs, combining individual coaching and career guidance with further reflection and their integration in the home country, aiming to assess participants’ learning progress and their potential to integrate into education, vocational training and employment.
- Organise final public events in each partner countries (Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal), in order to present the impacts of the project and raise public awareness on project results.
Resources
- Creation of AmuNEET Magazine, a dynamic publication designed for a younger audience presenting the benefits of engaging in ALMA-type projects. The online magazine will feature a compilation of testimonials, including short stories from NEETs immersed in the project and their enriching experiences and growth opportunities it brings.”
- Creation of four videos (one per country), inspiring youth and organisations to engage in ALMA-type initiatives. The videos will include the mobility experiences, lessons learned and recommendations from various project phases.
- A final report with the main results and lessons learned from the project, as well as the next steps for the possible extension of ALMA programme.
Impact
- Empower 24 NEETs by providing them with work-related learning experience opportunities for skill development, personal growth, and increased self-confidence.
- Improve the employability of 24 NEETs through the acquisition of professional and personal skills and competences that can influence their career paths and personal development after the end of the project.
- Build professional local and transnational networks among partner countries by interacting with peers, mentors, and representatives from host companies.
- Strengthens cooperation between third sectors and public companies at national and transnational level to provide appropriate measure to support the Sicilian NEETs to be integrated into the labour market and to the society.
- Engage younger audiences and broad range of stakeholders on the possibilities and benefits of the ALMA project, its aims, activities and results and stimulate further interests in the ALMA initiative.
Partners
- CESIE (Italy, Coordinator)
- Associació Alba (Spain)
- KEA – Centre of research and development of Syros (Greece)
- APROXIMAR, Cooperativa de Solidariedade Social, CRL (Portugal)
- UNIPA- Dipartimento di Scienze Psicologiche, Pedagogiche, dell’Esercizio Fisico e della Formazione (Italy)
- EURES Sicilia (Italy)
- EUROMADONIE (Italy)
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 European Social Fund Agency. Neither the European Union nor the European Social Fund Agency can be held responsible for them.