Youth unemployment, together with NEET issues remain serious Europe-wide concern: in recent years youth unemployment and NEET rates were among the highest in Greece, Italy, Croatia, Cyprus, Portugal, Bulgaria and Romania. These challenges, together with the problems, associated with protracted temporary positions, involuntary part-time work and underemployment of young people in the tourism industry are in the focus of the project.
Thus, our aim is to support on a large-scale transnational basis, through innovative and exploratory activities, the sustainability of youth integration in the tourism labour market in the above mentioned countries, by creating conditions for NEETs’ employment and entrepreneurship in various forms of tourism, incl. alternative tourism.
As a result of our activities, lowered youth unemployment is achieved through increased understanding of and innovatively addressed NEETs’ tourism-related and social skills deficiencies and improved employability and entrepreneurial skills of the target groups. Youth participation in the tourism industry is being strengthened through a e-Support platform, job-placement mobilities spread all over the target countries, and increased opportunities for successful start-ups in the (alternative) tourism sector.
As of end of May 2021, more than 500 NEETs aged 25-29 have been included in the project skills’ upgrading activities implemented so far. In addition, over 110,000 relevant project stakeholders (local and regional authorities, public employment services, employers, HR recruitment organisations, social partners, funding institutions, social enterprises, networks, etc.) were made aware of our activities and achieved results.