Direction Employment is an innovative training program for vulnerable young people, which enhances their employability in competitive, high-technology industries and the IT sector. The project aims to unleash the potential of NEET young people from vulnerable groups, and increase their employability by providing a market-specific IT training program in Bulgaria, Lithuania, Italy, Slovenia and Portugal.
It targets young people between the ages of 17 and 29, who may be from different vulnerable groups - Roma, refugees, LGBTI people, young people growing up in extreme poverty and those who have dropped out of school. The project partners are NGOs, social cooperative and nonprofit educational institutions with track records in working with these target groups. An expert partner from Ireland provides the quality assurance for the project.
The Problem
The initiative is in response to Eurostat's startling 2018 statistics, which indicated that 15 million young people between the ages of 20 and 34 from the 28 EU Member States are unemployed or out of school or training. In Italy and Greece, the countries with the highest levels of youth unemployment, more than a quarter of young people are outside the labour market.
The Solution
The Direction Employment project provides a comprehensive training program that underpins modern and interactive IT training and an individualised approach, tailored to the needs of learners. Specially selected trainers and employers will play a key role in the training program design and delivery process.
The Result
As a result, the program is expected to contribute to reducing youth unemployment, as well as integrating young people from vulnerable groups into the labour market, making a career in one of the most competitive and fast-growing sectors, namely the IT industry.
