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Social Entrepreneurial Skills for Advancing Employability

2022-3-IE01-KA152-YOU-0000981392022Mobility of young peopleongoing
Countries: IE|UA|TR|MD|GE|DE · Grant: €36,307.08
Community developmentDigital content, technologies and practicesCultural heritage

Objectives

The project "Social Entrepreneurial Skills for Advancing Employability" was initiated in response to the critical need to bolster entrepreneurial skills among European youth. This need came from the observation that Europe's competitive edge is being blunted by a lack of such skills. A significant concern is the high unemployment rate among young people across many European nations. As economies evolve, it becomes imperative to equip the youth with entrepreneurial skills, vital for maintaining the competitiveness of each country's economy. The changing economic landscape presents a challenge in ensuring that younger generations have the appropriate skills for an increasingly competitive and shrinking job market. There is a notable gap between the entrepreneurial skills taught in most schools and universities and those required in the real world. This discrepancy underscores the importance of involving youth in informal education processes. Eurostat data from 2020 highlighted a youth unemployment rate of 17.1%. However, employers are more inclined to hire youth with strong entrepreneurial skills, recognizing that such individuals are often more qualified than their peers. Entrepreneurial courses have been shown to increase employability, with students finding jobs faster and adapting more readily to job market changes. While many students enroll in business administration courses at universities, true entrepreneurial skills are developed through practice and practical activities offered in informal education settings. With over two million young individuals self-employed in the EU, the decline in self-employment poses a significant challenge for future economic growth. The European Commission identified entrepreneurship and self-employment as key drivers for achieving smart, sustainable, and inclusive growth. Entrepreneurship and self-employment contribute to job creation, human capital development, and provide opportunities for unemployed and vulnerable individuals to participate fully in society and the economy. The project was implemented by partner organizations recognizing the essential need to enhance entrepreneurship skills among European youth. The participating young people, driven by the desire to implement entrepreneurship projects and initiatives in their communities, aim to address unemployment issues and improve career prospects for themselves and others. The primary goals of the project was to improve entrepreneurship skills and increase the willingness to develop, organize, and manage business ventures among young people. Other key objectives include raising awareness about entrepreneurship, promoting social responsibility and specific entrepreneurial disciplines, researching the needs of young people in local communities regarding entrepreneurial education, and building intercultural dialogue among participants from different countries. Specific objectives were: - To raise awareness about entrepreneurship in young people and share good entrepreneurship practices between participants and organizations; - To promote awareness of social responsibility and appreciation of specific entrepreneurial disciplines among young people; - To research the needs of young people in local communities regarding entrepreneurial education; - To build intercultural dialogue between the participants from different countries.

Project partners (6)