Many policies and reports detailed the competences and attributes NEETs lacked, but they often missed that NEETs were digital natives, confident and competent in online environments. PODSQUAD aimed to support NEETs by recognizing their skills, addressing self-confidence and well-being concerns, and allowing them to express their views through podcasting. The project's core objective was to help NEETs recognize their skills and use podcasting to share their expertise from their hobbies. PODSQUAD partners saw podcasting as a future economic sector and aimed to prepare NEETs to exploit this growth. The innovative PODSQUAD model integrated NEETs into education, training, and potential self-employment through podcasting. Partners chose this model because NEETs might not realize their potential as professional podcasters. PODSQUAD's goal was to develop a replicable learning model for youth providers. Youth workers trained in the program would create podcasts on topics pertinent to NEETs. The project initially piloted in the region aimed to build a model transferable nationwide and throughout Europe taking advantage of the innate competences of NEET youth, enhanced with the skills acquired through the project results.
The project partners of PODSQUAD developed education and training interventions with the aim to successfully reintegrating young people into the labor market. During the initial needs analysis, in 2019, 12.6% of the EU population aged 15–29 were NEETs (Not in Employment, Education, or Training), the lowest rate in a decade. The COVID-19 pandemic increased this to 13.7% in 2020, and by March 2021, it rose to 17.6% EU-wide. Rates were particularly high in the PODSQUAD consortium countries: Greece (18.8%), Spain (18.5%), Cyprus (17.4%), Romania (16.6%), and Ireland (13.4%). PODSQUAD's training program supported front-line youth workers and project partners to help NEETs create their own podcasts, leveraging their existing skills and passions. This approach re-engaged NEETs in education, enhanced their digital skills, and encouraged participation in vocational training, acting as a stepping stone to the labor market, facilitating employment and further professional, social, and personal growth.