The proposed project addresses real and common needs of young people from the participating countries, who face significant difficulties in the transition from education to the labour market and have limited access to career guidance tools. Although the overall economic situation in Europe stabilised in 2025, young people remain the age group most exposed to unemployment and precarious work conditions. The youth unemployment rate for those under 25 in the European Union remains high, at approximately 15% in 2025, indicating a persistent gap between young job seekers and the actual availability of opportunities. In Romania, this phenomenon is even more visible: the gap between the youth unemployment rate and the general unemployment rate is among the highest in the EU, while the lack of practical employability skills, career counselling, and information on labour rights and mobility contributes to the issue. Similar situations are found in Spain, where young people continue to face high unemployment, with a competitive and fluctuating labour market. In Poland and Slovakia, these challenges are mainly related to the need to align with the requirements of the digital economy and to connect young people with relevant long-term opportunities. In Türkiye, difficulties are amplified by the limited access to European mobility, insufficient career guidance structures, and socio-economic constraints that hinder young people’s professional orientation. Across all these contexts, young people living in rural areas and small towns face additional barriers, including reduced access to counselling services, training programmes, and information on European opportunities, which affects their motivation, self-confidence, and decision-making capacity. Consultations carried out with youth groups in partner communities highlighted several common needs: • the need for practical employability skills (CV, interview, communication, presentation); • the need for information on labour rights and decent working conditions; • the need for transversal competences (adaptability, critical thinking, collaboration, decision-making); • the need to explore entrepreneurship as an alternative pathway to employment; • the need to increase confidence and clarify personal professional direction. These needs have informed the project objectives, defined in a SMART manner to ensure relevance, coherence and measurability at result level: O1 — By the end of the project, at least 90% of participants (minimum 22 young people) will have improved their employability competences, including CV writing, interview preparation, communication and self-assessment, measured through pre/post questionnaires, individual portfolios and Youthpass feedback. O2 — By the end of the exchange, at least 70% of participants (minimum 17 young people) will design and present a feasible micro-project or mini-business concept, demonstrating understanding of the steps required to initiate an economic or social venture, measured through public presentations and peer assessment. O3 — By the end of the mobility, at least 85% of participants will acquire relevant knowledge regarding their labour rights, labour market mechanisms and European instruments for professional mobility, confirmed through thematic questionnaires and guided reflection activities. O4 — Throughout the eight-month project, partner organisations will strengthen their capacity to work with young people in the fields of career orientation and entrepreneurship, by developing a set of educational resources and a replicable activity programme for local communities, measured through implementation reports and follow-up activities.