Due to a variety of factors, today’s labour environment is becoming more complex, uncertain and competitive. Recent graduates and young people in general are the most affected social group: according to Eurostat, the youth unemployment rate in September 2021 was 15, 9 % for the EU and 16 % for the euro area.

One of the reasons behind youth unemployment is a skills mismatch between the skills requested by employers and the skills young applicants possess?

This situation requires urgent action to which the European Commission reacted, amongst other initiatives, by launching the Pact for Skills, a shared management model for skills development in Europe. Social and proximity economy is one of the industrial sectors the Pact will focus on.

During the last years, efforts have been made also to improve the capacity of the vocational education and training sector to take into account the specificities and potential of the social economy through alliances and partnerships with many organisations.

The project “Competences for effective labour market entry”, led by the Italian cooperative Demetra Formazione and financed by the Erasmus+ programme, focused mainly on the identification of needs and the acquisition, by young people, of competencies in terms of soft skills.

The initiative was also an opportunity to further test the potential of using gamified training approaches.

You will find the programme of the event here.

Should you wish to participate in the conference, please register following this link.