New pathways of youth to labour market through lifestyle self – employment (SELF-E) Erasmus Project

Project Title

New pathways of youth to labour market through
lifestyle self – employment (SELF-E)

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment

Project Summary

Project contributes for promoting quality youth work in Europe in order to foster inclusion and employability for young people with fewer opportunities (including NEETs). In Europe, we have unemployment rate of 9 percent in general, but among youth this rate is much higher – 23.0%, e. g. Bulgaria – 28.1%, Cyprus – 27.8%, Lithuania – 28.4%, Poland – 26.5%. Self-employment rates among young people remain low in the EU, in year 2013 on average just over 4 percent: in Cyprus 4.9%, in Lithuania 6.6%, in Poland 5.3%, in Bulgaria 4.5%. In addition to this, percentage of NEETs among young people is high: in Bulgaria in age group of 20-24 years: 24.0%; in age group of 25-29 years: 24.5%; in Cyprus: 22.2% and 22.9%; in Lithuania: 14.4% and 17.2%; in Poland: 17.6% and 20.5% (2015). The project seeks to decrease unemployment rate among young people with fewer opportunities (including NEETs) and increase their participation in the labour market by developing the innovative non-formal training course on lifestyle self-employment (SELF-E). Thus, the project will contribute to meeting the Europe 2020 benchmarks: to increase employment rate by 75% and to raise the participation of adults in lifelong learning by 15%.
The ET 2020 framework acknowledges the importance of individual skills in the era of the knowledge-based economy. According to data of OECD (2013), 36% of young (18-30 years) people stated that lack of entrepreneurship skills is a barrier to business creation for them. Thus, the project focuses on development of competence “Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship”. The increased level of this competence affects an individual’s economic and social well-being. The project selected the Life-Style Entrepreneurship idea as an innovative way to motivate and support youth with fewer opportunities on self-employment around their lifestyle, abilities, and talents.
European countries are in process of developing strategies of validation of non-formal learning, including validation of key LLL Competences. This project contributes to development of these strategies by producing an assessment tool for competence “Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship”.
Thus, the main aim of the project is to promote quality youth work in order to foster self-employment of young people with fewer opportunities, including NEETs.
Objectives are:
1. Strengthening capacity of youth workers to organise innovative non-formal learning on youth lifestyle self-employment.
2. To support youth workers in applying new methods for motivating young people with fewer opportunities, including NEETs to learn and become self-employed (with emphasis on lifestyle Entrepreneurship).
3. To foster the transition of young people from youth to adulthood through integration in the labour market by lifestyle self-employment.
4. To develop youth competences “Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship”.
5. To create opportunities to validate obtained competences “Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship”.
The objectives have been met by developing 3 main IOs openly accessible within e-learning platform https://self-e.lpf.lt/: 1) Toolkit for youth workers „Social mentoring as innovative training pathway to lifestyle self-employment – SELF-E”; 2) Set of practical exercises-OERs Pathway to lifestyle self- employment“; 3) Assessment tool for validation of competence “Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship”.
The general methodology to all 3 IOs is based on OERs in order to promote the open access to developed educational tools. However, each outcome is based on the specific to this outcome methodology. SELF-E training course is based on mentoring methodology. The set of developed practical exercises-OERs allows using innovative reversed training methodology in delivering the non-formal SELF-E training course, which combines self-learning, when mentor appoints tasks for learners’ self-study of OERs on self-employment, and face-to-face mentoring sessions for further discussion on the material learnt. The assessment of competence is based on online testing methodology with number of programmed closed questions.
Target groups:
• Youth workers who work with young people with fewer opportunities – 22 was trained within the learning activity, 25 youth workers were involved in piloting of the SELF-E training course and 81 were involved to the multiplying events;
• Young people with fewer opportunities, including NEETs – 61 were involved in piloting as learners.
The main impact on 61 low-skilled youth learners, participating in the piloting of SELF-E training course, was on upgrading their level of knowledge and skills related with the competence “Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship” around 40.5%.
The impact on youth workers was on strengthening their capacities to offer high quality SELF-E training course based on social mentoring and tailored for learners (young people with fewer opportunities) (89% stated their satisfaction of the usefulness of the training course).

Project Website

http://self-e.lpf.lt

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 171752 Eur

Project Coordinator

SOCIALINIU INOVACIJU FONDAS & Country: LT

Project Partners

• SDRUDZENIE ZNAM I MOGA
• Negalia turinciu asmenu centras KORYS
• CENTRE FOR ADVANCEMENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY LTD-CARDET
• Verslo iniciatyva
• STOWARZYSZENIE CENTRUM WSPIERANIA EDUKACJI I PRZEDSIEBIORCZOSCI