Given the scale of youth unemployment, Member States share a sense of urgency of developing effective interventions aimed at promoting youth employment and preventing the disengagement of NEETs from society. The EU youth unemployment percentage is more than double the overall unemployment rate (19% compared with 9% in Aug.2016) and masks big differences between countries: from DE, with 7% to ES, with 43%. It is EU policy that after finishing secondary school, young people should either obtain a job or enter further education or training: if not, they should receive appropriate support through active labour market or social measures. Young people who have fallen through the net need tailored support to get back on track. Disengaged young people often have complex problems that act as a barrier to getting back into learning or accessing and sustaining appropriate employment. This can rarely be addressed by one institution, but needs joined up ways involving cross-sectoral and interinstitutional cooperation to provide targeted and individualised solutions. Project target groups are, in this sense, young people who are NEET aged 18 to 29 years old but also all the professionals and institutions that form the ecosystem required for the social inclusion of NEETs. The project’s main aims are to develop an innovative methodology, drawing on existing best practices in partners’ countries, to pilot it in PT, IT and ES, and to analyse the outputs, outcomes and impacts of these pilots a local and regional level. There are several objectives underlying these overall aims. These include: (1)To IDENTIFY THE STATE OF THE ART AND GOOD PRACTICES OF SOCIAL INCLUSION (using work based learning strategies) targeted at young people in partners’ countries. (2)To DESIGN, CONCEIVE AND DEVELOP A MODEL OF INTERVENTION relevant to the countries of the partnership; (3)To conduct a PILOT APPLICATION of the methodology at local level in PT, ES and IT; (4)To promote AWARENESS MEETINGS in the context of the project to EXCHANGE EXPERIENCES and identify best practices already in place; (5)To validate the model through a LOCAL MULTI-STAKEHOLDER approach and to evaluate the impact of this experience/model; (6)To reinforce and match the role of different local/regional stakeholders to find the best means of optimization, and increase the NETWORKING CAPACITY, with a view to enhance NEETs social inclusion and employability; (7)To DISSEMINATE and EXPLORE, the project results among relevant beneficiaries and ensure their SUSTAINABILITY at a practice level through the training of professionals and at the institutional level, influencing policies and changing the culture of services provided. To achieve these aims and objectives, the project is organized in 5 intellectual outputs, multiplier events (1 focus group, 3 networking activities and 3 national seminars in PT, ES and IT), 6 transnational meetings, one combined with a European final Conference in PT, 2 learning activities, a sound dissemination strategy and a solid evaluation plan, and impacting directly around 330 target groups representatives. The partnership will work cooperatively to develop a model of intervention, test it and evaluate its impact. The intervention will combine innovative elements designed to address key local needs in target countries, with an evidence review of EU and national literature and existing good practices identified in partner countries. A particular focus will be on identifying ways of enhancing the “social capital” of young people most likely to become long-term NEET or unemployed by working with relevant network community stakeholders in PT, ES and IT. The project expects to achieve an impact at micro level (young people in a NEET situation); at a meso level (professionals working for and with young people in a NEET situation); and a macro level (the ecosystem of organisations that are part of the NEET issue, at local/regional and national level). At EU and international level, we expect to contribute to (1) increased inclusion and equity concerning NEETs interventions; (2) decreased levels of young people in poverty, (3) reduced skills shortages. The following long term benefits are expected: For young people in a NEET situation: increased motivation to continue in education or training or look for and sustain employment opportunities; increased employability skills and competences and social capital; increased inclusion and social integration. For professionals: increased level of preparation to guide and support young people in a NEET situation. At the system/policy level: an increased awareness that closer employer-community-VET provider-Youth networking is a valuable tool to foster the social integration of young people who are NEET; changes in integrative measures that better answer to the different needs of young people in a NEET situation at local, regional, or national level.
Youth unemployment is a long-term issue in Europe. Whilst significant progress has been made in the last years with policies such as the Youth Guarantee, there were still over 12% of YP aged 15-29 not in employment, education or training (NEET) in 2019. This does not only result in losses to EU economies in terms of social benefit payments or taxable income but has also longer-term consequences for YP people’s life chances. ComNetNEET partners analysed the quantitative situation regarding NEETs and 2 main lines of intervention were distinguished: intervention in education, training and (re-)insertion in education, training or work and intervention in social inclusion. Both are dependent on each other as education and training can be a means of social inclusion. The project’s main aims were to develop an innovative methodology, drawing on existing best practices in partners’ countries, to pilot it in PT, IT and ES, and to analyse the outputs, outcomes and impacts of these pilots. There were several objectives underlying these overall aims. These included: (1) To IDENTIFY THE STATE OF THE ART AND GOOD PRACTICES OF SOCIAL INCLUSION (using work based learning strategies) targeted at YP in partners’ countries; (3) To DESIGN, CONCEIVE AND DEVELOP A MODEL OF INTERVENTION relevant to the partners countries; (4) To conduct a PILOT APPLICATION of the methodology at local level in PT, ES and IT; (5) To promote AWARENESS MEETINGS in the context of the project to EXCHANGE EXPERIENCES and identify best practices already in place; (6) To validate the model through a LOCAL MULTI-STAKEHOLDER approach and to EVALUATE THE IMPACT of the model; (7) To reinforce and match the role of different local/regional stakeholders to find the best means of optimization, and increase the NETWORKING CAPACITY, with a view to enhance NEETs social inclusion and employability; (8) To DISSEMINATE and EXPLORE, the project results among relevant beneficiaries and ensure their SUSTAINABILITY, at a practice level, through the training of professionals and, at the institutional level, influencing policies and changing the culture of services provided. To achieve these aims and objectives, the project produced 4 IOs, organised 3 focus groups (30 part), several ME (networking activities (193 part) + 3 national seminars (127 part) in PT, ES and IT + 1 European final Conference (72 part)), 6 TMP (90 part), 2 LA (C1, with 13 and C2 with 37 part.), a dissemination strategy and a solid evaluation plan, and impacting directly 615 target groups representatives, more 171 than foreseen in the project application. The partnership worked cooperatively to develop a model of intervention, test it in 3 partner countries (PT, ES and IT) and evaluate its impact. The intervention combined innovative elements designed to address key local needs in target countries, with an evidence review of EU and national literature and existing good practices identified in partner countries (https://neetsinaction.eu/outputs/). The project achieved an impact in the 3 main target groups: at micro level (YP in a NEET situation); at meso level (professionals working for and with YP in a NEET situation); and at macro level (the ecosystem of organisations that are part of the NEET issue, at local/regional and national level). The project sought to an alternative solution to strategies and policies previously implemented, by strengthening and using community networks. Following a preparation phase which included a territory diagnostic, the selection of YP in a NEET situation as well as the identification of possible members for the local community of stakeholders’ networks, the main part of the piloting, conduced within IO2, involved supporting NEETs and building the networks. Across ES, IT and PT more than 50 YP in a NEET situation were engaged and took part in individual coaching-based sessions, group sessions and job-experiences, based on an individual action plan (IAP). The community networks were developed and will be maintained to create a shared ambition and understanding of ways to integrate NEETs as well as to give them a better opportunity to gain access to the world of work. Impact in YP in a NEET situation: significant improvement of their awareness of possible pathways, of their employability skills as well as of their social capital; mitigation of the danger of starting a vicious cycle of a perceived feeling of failure in life, increased potential of contributing to society and to combat a general feeling of “worthlessness”. Impact in professionals: availability of a methodology of intervention, practical tools and a better preparation to guide and support YP in a NEET situation. Impact at system/policy level: an increased awareness of the need for better coordination of local approaches for the integration of NEETs; an increased awareness that closer employer-community-VET provider-Youth networking is a valuable tool to foster the social integration of YP in a NEET situation.