Against this background, SPECIAL objectives were to: 1. reignite NEETs’ sense on initiative 2. nurture NEETs’ perception of self-awareness 3. strengthen NEETs’ flexibility and adaptation to social and market labour dynamics 4. empower NEETs’ social and life skills 5. enhance NEETs’ employability opportunities and/or entrepreneurial spirits 6. increase NEETs’ proficiency in critical and creative thinking for self-employability/job hunting/development of business ideas More precisely, SPECIAL’s objectives were to generate positive outcomes for targets that translates into support in: 1) improving their sense of initiative and propensity in learning to learn: •brainstorm creative ideas •develop a long-term vision •valuing and assessing benefits, obstacles and opportunities of different career paths 2) strengthening their sense of self-efficacy •remain motivated, engaged, committed •increase resilience and adaptability •mobilise and inspire others 3) enhancing their sense of self-reliability •overcome challenges and set-backs •strategize and set clear priorities for their self-development •cope with risk and uncertainty SPECIAL wants to improve the reactiveness and readiness of the VET ecosystem to the dynamics of this phenomenon
EUROFOUND records that in 2019 there were more than 9.3 Million NEETs in Europe which translates in a loss for EU economies that is estimated to be around EUR 142 Billion in benefits (i.e. foregone earnings). As of March 2021 (period of the application), for the first time since the 2008’ financial crisis, the EU unemployment rate is on the rise once again. Unemployment is particularly severe among young people: compared with March 2020 data, youth unemployment increased by 319.000 (+40%). Needs addressed: 1. NEETs are struggling even more to find a place for themselves in post-COVID societies. A survey conducted by EUROFOUND (COVID-19 and NEETs: Is History Repeating Itself?) confirmed that NEETs’ resilience and sense of initiative are at their lowest rate since the 2008’ crisis 2. NEETs are much more likely to developed conditions of depression and mental illness: the isolation caused by COVID restrictions had severe impacts on their health and overall well-being 3. NEETs are very insecure about their financial future. In the aftermath of the pandemic. NEETs discloses great level of concerns for the stability of their future professional career and lack the motivation to counter the trend.