A Step Forward for Youth in Less Dynamic Environments (NEKSTEP)

With the exception of the catering and tourism industries, the Coastal-Karst region offers few employment opportunities. The region is thus less dynamic and diverse as regards employment. In addition, the region offers few opportunities for young people to gain education and experience relevant to employment. There are fewer providers of services aimed at young people, and the local environment is poorly connected with young people. The project targets young people in less dynamic environments. Young people who finish schooling and want to get a job often lack the knowledge on how to approach the matter. Even those who have their own entrepreneurial idea are poorly equipped with appropriate skills. Although young people are good at using digital devices, they may have difficulty in finding reliable sources of information and making sound judgments about the content. Specific groups of young people have additional problems when entering the labour market, e.g. young immigrants who had a regulated residence status in Slovenia during their schooling as minors. The main goal of the project is to make the transition to employment easier for young people and to help them successfully complete this transition. Thanks to the project, young people get the chance to connect with the local environment, new and improved services are developed, and training for professionals working with young people is carried out. The project thus contributes to the improvement of education and a more encouraging social environment aimed at supporting disadvantaged groups.