EcoNEETs@work was conceived with the goal of strengthening young NEETs’ employability in a changing world that demands digital readiness and cries for greener practices and more inclusive workforces. Its concrete objectives include: -Motivating disengaged young people to re-enter the labour market and keep up with its digital transformation; -Supporting young rural NEETs in the acquisition of ecopreneurial skills and mindset; -Providing a skills-retention service for sustainable development; -Establishing a community of NEETs for peer support; -Facilitating the connection between young job seekers and employers. EcoNEETs@work tackles modern socio-economic challenges that render life especially difficult for disadvantaged and rural populations. The project has thus focused on supporting young NEETs especially from rural areas and those who are digitally excluded to tackle unemployment by increasing the skills that the labor market demands. In particular, aligned with the European Competences for Entrepreneurial, Digital and Green Competences, the project promotes an inclusive and yet sustainable solution reaping the benefits of experiential learning particularly through the implementation of environmentally conscious activities.
The EU has sharpened its focus on the Green Deal for sustainable industries and on youth unemployment, activating several initiatives as part of Europe 2020 Strategy to respond to the NEET problem (European Commission, Youth on the Move, 2019). Even so, 12.6% of the European population are NEETs -that being the lowest point for over a decade (Eurofound, 2021). Therefore, the need to re-activate young people to enter the labour market combined with the urgency to establish greener attitudes in the workplace have become increasingly vital. The EcoNEETs@work idea was conceived with a view to increase the soft and entrepreneurial skills and the digital competences of young NEETs through experiential environmental activities that are delivered through an innovative and yet engaging online learning environment. To achieve this goal, it focused on the 21st century skills that are in high demand in the labour market; financial skills (financial literacy, budgeting, financial management & planning), digital skills (productivity software, social media, digital research, privacy & security) & ecopreneurial skills (environmental awareness, sustainable businesses, entrepreneurial, energy efficiency, green financing).