Youth unemployment is one of the strongest challenges faced by European youth nowadays and combatting this issue remains as a top priority for securing a positive future for young people. By consulting various official reports regarding this problem and its possible solutions, it has been confirmed that in order to foster youth employability the number of apprenticeships schemes in Europe shall be increased, so as to ensure that WBL mobilities represent real learning opportunities for young people. As committed bodies within the field of education and youth, the consortium members have decided to provide their quality contribution for bringing some relevant answers to the above stated situation. Therefore, the Pan-European partnership seeks to provoke a long term impact for fostering youth employability in the EU, through the provision of a rich offer of international WBL opportunities for young people, thanks to the present project. “Work Based learning – the entrance to the professional future” aims at facilitating the creation of empowering environment, for enabling young people to undergo international WBL mobility pathways. In addition, by bridging non-formal, formal education and labor market sectors, it promotes a holistic approach, contributing to the establishment of a long term multi-level cross-sectorial networking and cooperation, in view of strengthening WBL processes and fostering youth employability around Europe. In view of bringing positive solutions to the described situation, the following objectives have been defined: • To provide youth organizations with guidance for bridging sectors in view of creation of empowering setting for youth employability through WBL • To build up competences of youth workers for becoming main actors of such schemes creation • To create strategies that promote WBL paths as complementary educational patterns for boosting employability of young people • To allow exchange of expertise, best practices and relevant know how between youth work and other fields, in view of capacity development of all partner entities • To create an international collaborative network working for increasing the application of apprenticeship schemes and alternative learning pathways in Europe • To reinforce synergies between formal, non formal education and labour market sectors, and set up an open space for cross-sectorial cooperation supporting youth employability through WBL The project addresses youth NGOs and educational institutions from 8 EU countries. According to the needs analysis done in prior, and the structured action plan for achieving the desired results, project will consist of 2 short-term training events, involving youth workers from partner organizations, allowing them to build up competences in terms of enabling the implementation of quality WBL schemes in their areas and internationally. The training activities will be supported by a consistent work on local level, including several local meetings with relevant stakeholders and fellow partners, as well meetings with youth, in order to increase the awareness regarding the implementation of WBL schemes and the benefits of such educational paths.The idea is that partners fully benefit of exchanging best practices in this field with the aim of supporting youth employability. In the same time, the project targets young people, those facing social and educational difficulties, as well NEETs, living in some of the most concerned by the youth unemployment issue EU countries. The project will indirectly work for building up employability skills of youth, through provision of WBL opportunities, in order to allow target groups to easily gain positions in the labor market and make smooth transition from education to work. Visibility and dissemination activities will be as well held in order to promote the project achievements to a large audience and to strengthen its impact. The final outcome of this strategic cooperation consists of the establishment of cooperative network that will support the quality implementation of WBL schemes and will facilitate the creation of empowering environment for such in Europe. The network of stakeholders, interested to work further for fostering youth employability through WBL, represents a positive long-term impact to be achieved through this project. The fact that various stakeholders and institutions will cooperate together is of significant importance for the future of policy-making procedures regarding WBL and youth employability on national and EU level. The project is a step towards a cooperation which on a long term basis shall impact the EU society on a larger scale and shall become a way to deal efficiently with the youth unemployment, the economic crisis, the educational difficulties, as well with other relevant EU issues such as social exclusion or school dropout.
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