Advancing a person's education and navigating the job market can be a daunting task…
Especially if you are a young person who is already struggling to find a job in Avrupa’, has poor access to educational programs or drops out of school without any qualifications.
If you find yourself ticking these boxes and you are between the ages of 16 and 29, you may have entered the category of unemployed youth (a young person who is not in employment, education or training) officially known as NEET’s in Europe’.
This phenomenon is not only limited to Europe, it is a global phenomenon. The International Labour Organization reports that in 2023, one-fifth of people between the ages of 15 and 24 worldwide were classified as NEET.
According to EU data, factors such as having a low family income, having a disadvantaged family history, or disability can increase a person's risk of becoming NEET.
But can a work experience abroad help people get out of this precarious situation?
Both Hatice Fahel and Jasmin Nsimba Kanza think so; They both joined AB’. the ALMA initiativeIt is a program that offers disadvantaged NEET’s under the age of 30 professional and personal experience abroad.
An opportunity at Bel Paese’
Hatice, a 20-year-old German girl, spent two months after high school in Vercelli, Italy, focusing on her future prospects.
Euronews’e said: “I made a lot of new Italian friends and learned a new language. I loved working in a hotel there and learned a lot in my job. I feel freer and safer now. So it opened my eyes and my perspective on other things. - ”
Thanks to professional and culturally intensive experience, Hatice has now prepared a career plan with the support of her mentors.
“, my dream career is to be a doctor someday. Go study medicine. Wherever you need, for example, exams, so yes, I still need to figure this out. And he said ” to start my career.
A total of almost €11 billion has been invested in this EU plan, and Germany is one of the 15 participating countries.
Andrea Moraru, project manager of NGO RE-INIT’in, which coordinates the program in Recklinghausen, Germany, explained how the program participants will manage their own money and learn how to become more independent.
Speaking to Euronews’e, Moraru said: "We are trying to strengthen them to motivate them to achieve things they didn't even know they could achieve. It's the first time they've been able to stand on their own two feet, ” said.
ALMA participants are mentored for four months when they return, and the results are clear, Moraru’ explains: More than 50 percent of “ in the last group found work or were admitted to an education or training program’ explained Moraru.
Advancing a person's education can reduce a teenager's likelihood of falling into the NEET category. For example, in 2022’de EuropeOnly eight percent of highly educated young people in ’ fall into this category, while the proportion of low-educated young people was 13.6 percent.
First experiences in the Land of the Gods
Jasmin, who went to ’, Greece two years ago, said she had been thinking about going abroad with such a program for a long time because familial conditions prevented her from receiving higher education.
“I've learned a lot and it's been a lot of first experiences for me. For example, I went to the beach and the sea, met new people and experienced an entirely new culture, ” explained.
Jasmin found work in the restaurant of a hotel in ’, Greece, and came to the conclusion that she felt very supported throughout the venture.
“Now that I'm more open to change and have more courage, I'm ready to change. After this experience, I applied for a media and communication-oriented design course at a vocational school and was accepted. I'm starting in the fall. - ”
Germany has one of the lowest NEET levels in the European Union’, and it's clear that both Jasmin and Hatice’ benefited from the ALMA project, but they wouldn't be where they are today without their proactive and positive mindset.
Due to the various social and economic challenges that exist throughout the EU, it may be easier for some to find the motivation and opportunities needed to advance their careers than others.
NEETS: ‘More likely to live a life of social exclusion’
Mark Levels, a quantitative sociologist and professor at Maastricht University ’, explained in an interview with Real Economy why it is much easier for some NEET’s to find a way out of this apparent uniformity, and why social integration remains a major challenge.
Fanny Gauret, euronews:What are the consequences of being classified as NEET for the individual and society?
Professor Mark Levels, University of Maastricht:The state of NEET’in is related to a number of social problems. So NEET’s are much more likely to be poor, much more likely to live a life of social exclusion, and much less likely to move on to the labor market later. For society, the total cost in terms of missing labor productivity, the cost of social programs, as well as the cost of trying to regulate crime, etc., is huge. That's about 142 billion euros a year.
Fanny Gauret, euronews:Can having the experience of living and working abroad lead to permanent change?
Professor Mark Levels, University of Maastricht:Such experiences can signal that you can accomplish a lot of things that can be in a lot of demand. I mean, they can work, but they don't work for the most vulnerable, the underqualified here. And that requires a completely different approach.
Fanny Gauret, euronews:Are there countries or policies that can model your research?
Professor Mark Levels, University of Maastricht:Germany’ has a very well-functioning vocational education system. Here we see that the transition from school to work actually works and works very well. The problem is that you can't take an education system from one country and apply it in another. You have completely different cultural environments, which makes exporting a bit difficult.
Fanny Gauret, euronews:What steps should governments and educational institutions take to help young people and NEET’s transition from education to work?
Professor Mark Levels, University of Maastricht:If there's one thing we know that can predict a situation as vulnerable as NEET, it's leaving school early. So invest in your education system. Invest in keeping people on board. Invest in programs that teach children skills that are in demand in the job market. You then reduce the likelihood that they are NEET, and secondly, you focus on the most vulnerable children and put them front and center.
Click on the video in the media player above to watch the full Fanny Gauret’in report.
