The objectives we have set are: to raise young people's awareness of the importance of soft skills, which are key to their personal and professional development, and to improve their employability. The soft skills mentioned in the surveys have been complemented and the following 10 skills have been identified as objectives to be developed and as a core element of the programmes: - Emotional intelligence - Self-awareness - Communication styles - Non-verbal communication patterns - Time management - Stress management - Empathy - Conflict management - Environmental, financial and social sustainability - Digital skills To develop these skills, we organised workshops, a one-week youth mobility programme with young participants and 9 podcasts on issues they considered important and topical to the project theme. Our aim is to develop and engage international young participants to create podcasts that will help their peers to navigate the labour market and raise awareness of the importance of interpersonal and social skills, and to develop these skills themselves through the project programmes.
Surveys show that young workers do not learn about soft and social skills and development opportunities through institutional education. Employers value candidates who can communicate clearly, resolve conflicts and build positive relationships with colleagues and customers. Research shows that employers often prioritise these qualities because technical skills can be developed on the job, but the ability to work well with others and to solve challenges calmly is much harder to teach. In a competitive labour market, young professionals who demonstrate strong soft skills are more likely to stand out and succeed in job search and career development. In working with young people and in a survey with partners and companies, the following skills gaps were identified: - effective time management - knowledge of communication styles - ability to cope with stress - lack of motivation and commitment Our motivation was to fill this gap and to provide the young people involved with development and learning opportunities that would support their active participation in the workplace and improve the quality of their work.