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Supporting the Transition from Education to
Employment of Youth at Risk
IO1 - Task 1: Current situation investigation Report
STEER project ref. no. 2016-1-CY02-KA205-000749
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This presentation reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein
2
Project Information
Project acronym: STEER
Project title: Supporting the Transition from Education to Employment of youth at Risk
Agreement number: 2016-1-CY02-KA205-000749
Project Reference Number:
Sub-programme or KA: Key Action 2: Supporting the Transition from Education to Employment of youth at Risk
Authoring partner: Four Elements
Date of preparation: 16.11.2016
©STEER– Supporting the Transition from Education to Employment of youth at Risk 2016
With the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
Disclaimer:
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute
endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commis-
sion cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained
therein.
STEER project ref. no. 2016-1-CY02-KA205-000749
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This presentation reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein
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Table of Contents
Contents Contents ............................................................................................................................................................. 3
1.Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................... 7
2.Project Description: ...................................................................................................................................... 8
3.Introduction and general overview of results: ........................................................................................ 10
3.1Needs specification reports ................................................................................................................ 10
3.2Needs Specification Questionnaires ................................................................................................. 10
4.Current Situation Analysis and transfer of know-how & good practices in Bulgaria ........................ 11
4.1The problem of unemployment in your Bulgaria ............................................................................. 11
4.1.1. General characteristics .............................................................................................................. 11
4.1.2 Emphasis on youth unemployment and NEETs ..................................................................... 12
4.1.3 State’s role in tackling unemployment ...................................................................................... 14
4.1.4 Mention other state or EU funded employment schemes and how effect ........................ 14
4.2Basic characteristics of youth workers in Bulgaria ......................................................................... 15
4.2.1The socio-economic scope of youth work ................................................................................ 15
4.2.2Status of youth workers ............................................................................................................... 15
4.2.3 Needs of youth workers .............................................................................................................. 16
4.2.4 Reference to youth organisations (private or state) and/or projects which help unemployed. ........................................................................................................................................... 16
5.4.3 Recommendations & Best practices from your organisation and country in relation to the project .......................................................................................................................................................... 17
4.3.1Summary and Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 19
4.3.1 How could all these helps to implement the project?............................................................. 19
5.Current Situation Analysis and transfer of know-how & good practices in Greece ......................... 20
5.1The problem of unemployment in Greece........................................................................................ 20
5.1.1General characteristics ................................................................................................................ 20
5.1.2 Emphasis on youth unemployment and NEETs ..................................................................... 25
5.1.3State’s role in tackling unemployment ....................................................................................... 28
5.1.4Mention other state or EU funded employment schemes and how effect ........................... 29
5.2Basic characteristics of youth workers in Greece ........................................................................... 30
5.2.1The socio-economic scope of youth work ................................................................................ 30
5.2.2Status of youth workers ............................................................................................................... 31
5.2.3Needs of youth workers ............................................................................................................... 32
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5.2.4 Reference to youth organizations (private or state) and/or projects which help unemployed ............................................................................................................................................ 33
5.3Recommendations & best practices from your organisation and country in relation to the project .......................................................................................................................................................... 35
5.3.1Summary and Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 38
6.Current Situation Analysis and transfer of know-how & good practices in Italy ............................... 39
6.1The problem of unemployment in Italy ............................................................................................. 39
6.1.1General characteristics ................................................................................................................ 39
6.1.2Emphasis on youth unemployment and NEETs ...................................................................... 40
6.1.3State’s role in tackling unemployment ....................................................................................... 41
6.1.4 Mention other state or EU funded employment schemes and how effect .......................... 41
6.2Basic characteristics of youth workers in Italy ................................................................................. 42
6.2.1The socio-economic scope of youth work ................................................................................ 42
6.2.2Status of youth workers ............................................................................................................... 43
6.2.3Needs of youth workers ............................................................................................................... 44
6.2.4Reference to youth organizations (private or state) and/or projects which help unemployed ............................................................................................................................................ 45
6.3Recommendations & Best practices from your organisation and country in relation to the project .......................................................................................................................................................... 45
6.3.1Summary and conclusion ............................................................................................................ 46
5Current Situation Analysis and transfer of know-how & good practices in Portugal ......................... 48
5.3The problem of unemployment in Portugal ...................................................................................... 48
5.3.1General characteristics ................................................................................................................ 48
5.3.2Emphasis on youth unemployment and NEETs ...................................................................... 48
5.3.3State’s role in tackling unemployment ....................................................................................... 49
5.3.4Mention other state or EU funded employment schemes and how effect ........................... 50
7.2 Basic characteristics of youth workers in Portugal ........................................................................ 51
7.2.1The socio-economic scope of youth work ................................................................................ 51
7.2.2Status of youth workers ............................................................................................................... 51
7.2.3Needs of youth workers ............................................................................................................... 52
7.2.4Reference to youth organizations (private or state) and/or projects which help unemployed ............................................................................................................................................ 53
7.3Recommendations & Best practices from your organisation and country in relation to the project .......................................................................................................................................................... 53
7.3.1Summary and conclusion ............................................................................................................ 54
7.Current Situation Analysis and transfer of know-how & good practices in Cyprus .......................... 55
7.1The problem of unemployment in Cyprus ........................................................................................ 55
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7.1.1General characteristics ................................................................................................................ 55
7.1.2Emphasis on youth unemployment and NEETs ...................................................................... 58
7.1.3State’s role in tackling unemployment ....................................................................................... 59
7.1.4Mention other state or EU funded employment schemes and how effect ........................... 60
7.2Basic characteristics of youth workers in your country .................................................................. 60
7.2.1The socio-economic scope of youth work ................................................................................ 60
7.2.2Status of youth workers ............................................................................................................... 61
7.2.3Needs of youth workers ............................................................................................................... 62
7.2.3.1Reference to youth organizations (private or state) and/or projects which help unemployed ............................................................................................................................................ 63
7.3Recommendations & Best practices from your organisation and country in relation to the project .......................................................................................................................................................... 64
8.3.1 Summary and conclusion ........................................................................................................... 64
8.Current Situation Analysis and transfer of know-how & good practices in Slovenia ....................... 65
8.1The problem of unemployment in Slovenia ..................................................................................... 65
8.1.1 General characteristics ............................................................................................................... 65
8.1.2Emphasis on youth unemployment and NEETs ...................................................................... 67
8.1.3State’s role in tackling unemployment ....................................................................................... 72
8.1.4Mention other state or EU funded employment schemes and how effect ........................... 73
8.2Basic characteristics of youth workers in Slovenia ......................................................................... 74
8.2.1The socio-economic scope of youth work ................................................................................ 74
Source: Country sheet on youth policy in Slovenia .......................................................................... 74
8.2.2Status of youth workers ............................................................................................................... 75
8.2.3Needs of youth workers ............................................................................................................... 75
8.2.4Reference to youth organizations (private or state) and/or projects which help unemployed ............................................................................................................................................ 76
Source: Country sheet on youth policy in Slovenia .......................................................................... 77
8.3Recommendations & Best practices from your organisation and country in relation to the project .......................................................................................................................................................... 77
8.3.1Summary and conclusion ............................................................................................................ 78
9.Primary Research Analysis: ..................................................................................................................... 79
9.1Chart 1, Completed questionnaires per country ............................................................................. 79
9.2Chart 2, Completed questionnaires per gender .............................................................................. 80
9.3Chart 3, Age group of participants .................................................................................................... 81
9.4Chart 4, Participants per education level ......................................................................................... 82
9.5Chart 5, Duration of unemployment .................................................................................................. 82
9.6Chart 6, Percentage of participants registered in the public employment services ................... 83
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9.7Chart 7, What are the main reasons you are not in employment? ............................................... 84
9.8Chart 8, How would you rate the level of support provided to unemployed youth by the national public employment services of your country? ........................................................................ 85
9.9Chart 9, What are the main obstacles that you face when trying to find a job? ......................... 86
10.11 Chart 10, Have you ever been involved in youth work activities? ........................................ 87
10.12 Chart 11, Do you believe that youth work play an important role in finding work? .............. 88
10.13 Chart 12, Which of the following courses do you think that will help you in your reintegration into the labour market? ..................................................................................................... 90
10.14 Chart 13, A key activity of the STEER project is the delivery of youth mentoring sessions for unemployed youth with the aim of helping their transition to employment. Would you participate in such sessions? ................................................................................................................... 91
10.15 Chart 14, Which of the following Youthpass key competences would you consider to be the most important for a youth worker mentoring you during your labour market transition? ....... 92
10.Conclusions and Recommendations .................................................................................................... 93
11.Annexes .................................................................................................................................................... 97
11.1National Report Template ................................................................................................................ 97
11.2STEER Questionnaires ..................................................................................................................... 98
Basic information ......................................................................................................................................... 98
Exploring youth unemployment ................................................................................................................... 99
Youth work & employment ....................................................................................................................... 100
12.References per country report ............................................................................................................. 102
13.1 Bulgaria ............................................................................................................................................ 102
13.2 Greece .............................................................................................................................................. 102
13.3 Italy ................................................................................................................................................... 104
13.4 Portugal ............................................................................................................................................ 104
13.5 Cyprus .............................................................................................................................................. 105
15.6 Slovenia ........................................................................................................................................... 106
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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This presentation reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein
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1. Executive Summary
This report presents the findings of the needs assessment of the target groups carried out
in the countries participating in the project in order to develop, design and deliver a
comprehensive training programme for youth workers in transition planning. The main
purpose of the project is to train youth workers in supporting the transition from education to
employment for NEETs and young unemployed. The method used for data collection is
questionnaires that were provided to unemployed young people, NEETs who have
completed their education and students of different educational levels, in transition phase of
integrating in the labour market. The main issues covered by the questionnaires were
including:
Identification of the challenges related to youth unemployment
Transition from education to the labour market
Opportunities for career guidance through the national channels and levels of support
to unemployed youth
Needs assessment of personal skills and qualifications and/or experience
Description of measures for tackling youth unemployment according to the target
groups
Evaluating youth work activities in enhancing employment opportunities
Proposing of courses that could facilitate reintegration in the labour market
In the report, the first phase will cover the national needs and the issues related to
unemployment with a special focus on youth unemployment particularly of NEETs. This
analysis will cover each of the consortium country providing an insight to the problem of
integration in the labour market for young people. The information provided at this stage will
be based on desk research, national reports and official data that are available through
national statistics authorities and other European official documents. The second part of the
report will include analyses of the findings of the questionnaires in national level and the
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needs assessment of the target groups in those countries. The final part concludes by
providing a comprehensive comparative analysis of the needs and recommendations.
2. Project Description:
The financial crisis had a strong impact on youth unemployment, which in some EU countries
the rates are well above the EU average and particular groups such as NEETs have been
largely affected, making their reintegration to the labour market an even more difficult task.
Tackling youth unemployment and mainstream NEETs in socio-economic level is of top
priority for the Europe 2020 and of particular national economies that face economic
hardship. In those cases, youth work has a great potential in aiding the transition from
education to employment through different pathways including empowerment of young
people, development of life and social skills, increasing motivation for reintegration to the
labour market and active participation.
In this context, the STEER project aims to unlock the potential of youth work in facilitating
the transition from education to employment for NEETs and young unemployed that will be
achieved through the development of a full-cycle training programme for youth workers in
transition planning. More specifically STEER will involve:
• The design and development of an innovative youth workers’ training programme based
on needs assessment on each participant country
• Delivering seminars for trainers in each country and pilot action which aim in providing
transition support to NEETs and young unemployed.
• Professionalising youth workers and validating non-formal learning by awarding the
Youthpass certificate.
STEER aims to develop blended learning innovative content material based on open-
source, digital learning content that will ensure its sustainability and according to the Web
Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, so it can be accessible to both disable
learners and training professionals. Additionally, it will provide content for organisations in
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local, national and European level. Finally, STEER contributes to mainstreaming and
spreading the utilization of open and innovative education, training and youth pedagogies”
as well as “supporting synergies between education, research and innovation activities, the
digitisation of quality learning content and promoting the use of ICT as a driver for systemic
change to increase the quality and relevance of education, training and youth policies at all
levels.”
Thus, STEER is expected to:
a) Find innovative and more effective ways to facilitate and support the transition of
young unemployed and NEETS from education
b) Reduce unemployment levels in youth
c) Reduce the risks of social isolation and exclusion among young unemployed and
NEETs
d) Train and professionalise youth workers in assisting youth at risk by offering tailor
made transition planning and direction
3. Introduction and general overview of results:
The purpose of this report is to organise and present the findings of the needs specification
in 6 partners countries and transfer of know-how and good practices. STEER needs
assessment identified the needs of youth workers, NEETs and young unemployed. In
addition, an overall evaluation of the target groups was defined by using questionnaires
addressing most of the challenges faced during transition phase to employment and the
Youthpass certification framework. Finally, an assessment of the training needs and building
of innovative tools and training content.
3.1 Needs specification reports
All consortium countries participated in the synthesis of national reports and needs analysis
concerning the current situation of NEETs and young unemployed in the respective
countries, the obstacles and issues youth workers face when working with NEETs, as well
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as the state of employment initiatives like Youth Guarantees, in the participating countries.
The reports documented national policies and processed used in the consortium countries
to facilitated the transition of NEETs and young unemployed from education to employment.
The research material included in the production of national reports included primary and
secondary data, European official documents, national strategies, policy documents, actions
plans, official press releases, scientific articles and regional, national and EU statistics,
resources from Eurostat, Cedefop and national reports of international organisations such
as OECD.
3.2 Needs Specification Questionnaires
Eurotraining prepared the template that was addressed to NEETs and young unemployed
from the participant countries. The questionnaires were prepared in the five consortium
languages and transferred input to English as well. All participants actively promoted
maximum participation of target groups. The overall aim of the questionnaires was to reveal
the setbacks that hinder the transition of NEETs and young unemployed from education to
transition. The results which will be incorporate in this report and will be presented to policy-
makers and other stakeholders via the appropriate dissemination tools. Moreover, the
questionnaire will act as the basis for developing the training curriculum of youth workers
and the STEER platform and portal.
In total, 150 questionnaires were administered to NEETs and young unemployed people in
the six participant countries. The grant total surpassed the minimum objective of 120
questionnaires among all partners and 20 per country. This adds extra validity and credibility
to the sample and therefore to the conclusions extracted from it.
In general, all countries achieved their minimum objectives. The responses received from
Greece was almost double than the average number of questionnaires responded in the
other partner countries as shown in Chart 1. That might create an unbalanced needs
assessment result, therefore the differentiation it is not great among partners in order to
create a result favoring the needs of the target groups in Greece.
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4. Current Situation Analysis and transfer of know-how &
good practices in Bulgaria
4.1 The problem of unemployment in your Bulgaria
4.1.1. General characteristics
The 90s of the last century were marked by a number of radical changes in the political and
economic environment in all European countries. The rapid pace with which the international
economy was globalised and the pace of European integration have undoubtedly a serious
impact on the development of Bulgaria and living status of the population. During this period
of economic history, the country was marked by another characteristic of Central and
Eastern Europe problem - the transition of former socialist countries or from planned to
market economy. Term such as “unemployment”, which was unknown until 1990, turned
into a nightmare for a major part of the population. In fact, the sharp drop in employment is
the social price that people had to pay to break all ties with their socialist past and look to
market-oriented economy. Since 1990 the Bulgarian government had 26 years to adjust to
the new economic and social environment and implement effective policies which have to
balance the country. However, in terms the regulation of the labour market there cannot be
seen any major policy developments that would made the transition from plan economy to
market economy smoother and efficient. That is why unemployment in Bulgaria in the past
10 years has a prominent position, currently becoming a major problem for society,
especially for the young population, 21.6% of which are unemployed and without any job
opportunities at present (National Statistical Institute, 2015). The highest unemployment
rates among young people in the country were seen in those with the lowest educational
level. Overall youth unemployment levels in Bulgaria are higher than average in recent
years, the country ranks seventh among the 28 EU countries.
4.1.2 Emphasis on youth unemployment and NEETs
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A research by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) conducted in 2015 shows that
Bulgaria has the highest percentage of NEETs in the EU, and the national economy loses
around 2 billion BGN annually because of young people’s drop out from the labour market.
According to the study the share of NEETs among school-aged young people (aged 15-18)
is slightly under 11%, while among the older sub-group (aged 19-24) it reaches 28%. Re-
assessed against the general population of 15-24 year-olds, this means that in the country
there are a total of 167,670 young people who are not in employment, education or training.
Young NEETs have a clearly defined socio-demographic profile. The majority have
secondary or lower education and live predominantly in smaller settlements, while over 50%
belong to ethnic minority groups. The Roma and Turkish ethnic groups predominate in the
structure of the NEET group, while 46% are Bulgarians. Ethnicity can be identified as the
second most common risk factor for joining the NEET group.
Main NEETs sub-groups
Source: UNICEF, 2015
Causes to become a NEET
0.146 0.191 0.217 0.124 0.322
Unemployed with at least secondary education, with experience
Unemployed with at least secondary education, without experience
Unemployed with lower than secondary education
Inactive, social maternity beneficiaries
Inactive not searching for employment
55,4% - Unemployed 44,6% - Economically inactive
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Source: UNICEF, 2015
The lack of motivation is a major barrier to the career development of young people.
Institutional representatives believe that the reasons for the lack of motivation are different:
a conscious reaction to limited options for professional development, disparity between the
educational level and the requirements of the labour market, low payment and reluctance to
work or study.
Undoubtedly, at risk of joining the NEET group are young people with health problems, which
puts them at a disadvantaged position. The people with health problems have limited access
to the labour market and therefore are at risk of permanently joining the NEET group. In
some cases they experience discrimination on account of this circumstance.
According to a research of Alliance (2015), in general the main obstacles that the NEETs
face in Bulgaria are:
Administrative burdens;
Lack of adequate funding opportunities for young entrepreneurs;
Lack of experience and reputation;
Lack of mentors (mentorship programs);
Mismatch between their education and labour market needs.
4.1.3 State’s role in tackling unemployment
National Youth Strategy (2010-2020) Adopted on 16.10.2010 by Council of Ministers of the
Republic of Bulgaria. It is focused on creating and implementation of unified, coherent and
stable youth policy in Bulgaria based on multi-sectoral approach, intersectoral cooperation
1
• Family, social environment and lifestyle
2
• Education
3
• Qualifications and experience behaviour in the labour marker
4
• Motivation
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and joint management with young people at all levels.In addition, the Ministry of Labour and
Social Policy in Bulgaria (MLSP) has allocated 73 million BGN from the national budget for
policies on the labour market in 2016. There are also subsidised programs that encourage
employers to hire unemployed people with primary or lower education. In these cases, the
business receives funds (up to 50% of the related staff/mentoring costs, according to the Law
on Employment Promotion). The Bulgarian government is currently introducing dual-
education in partnerships with the business and local schools, as well as an extended
electronic exchange of information between the Employment Agency and the National
Agency for Vocational Education and Training.
4.1.4 Mention other state or EU funded employment schemes and how effect
One of the priority target groups are unemployed young people. In order to tackle the high
unemployment rates of young NEETs under 29, the state has planned to implement the
program "Activation of inactive persons" under the following schemes of ESF, OP Human
Resource Development: "Youth Employment", "Active", "Training and employment for young
people", "New Workplace". The programmes include trainings of key competences such as
digital competences, language knowledge and career counseling for the youngsters’ labour
market inclusion.
4.2 Basic characteristics of youth workers in Bulgaria
4.2.1 The socio-economic scope of youth work
According to the National Youth Strategy (Council of Ministries, 2013) the socio-economic
factors such as low income and education, lack of access to new technologies, low quality of
public services, lack of job opportunities, or an aging population contributes to high levels
unemployment in regions that are outside the Southwest region. Overall, the main
professional opportunities are concentrated in the capital while the other regions in Bulgaria
experience high unemployment rates among the young population. Youngsters who search
for job realisation choose to migrate to the capital rather than staying in their hometowns.
Sofia attracts young people with its 185 secondary schools and over 20 universities, with a
growing economy and openness to the world. According to the National Statistical Institute
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(2015) about 1/3 of the residents of Sofia are aged between 15 and 34 years. In recent years,
Sofia offers young people increasingly diverse opportunities for better education and career
development. However, still the unemployment rates in Sofia and for the whole country are
higher than the majority of the European countries.
4.2.2 Status of youth workers
According to recent study of the research agency Mediana (2012), in the last five years a
downward trend is observed in the proportion of young people without secondary education.
The reason for this are the measures to keep young people in school. In early 2011, the
percentage of young people dropped out of the system of secondary education is 13.9%
(Eurostat, 2011). At the end of 2011 continued the process of reducing dropouts from school,
dropped out before completing secondary education were 12.8% in the age group 18-24
years. The percentage of early school leavers, however, remains alarmingly high - particularly
in small towns (20.1%) and rural areas (23.4%).
In addition, the research has found out that youngsters in Bulgaria seems to be striving for
independence and self-realisation – striving for their own decisions and individual approach
to life. Research shows that while the psychological independence of the youngsters in the
country is steadily increasing, much more powerful is its social and economic dependence on
parent family. Over the last decade the activity of young people radically shifted - from public
and political life to the private economic sector. However, recent elections for deputies to the
European Parliament and the national parliament show activation of youth civic and electoral
participation, demonstrating the will for change and a clear concern for European
Development of Bulgaria.
4.2.3 Needs of youth workers
According to the academic Ms. Tsoneva (2010) in most cases, the work experience of youth
workers is minor, which increases their risk to remain unemployed in a situation of dismissal
and staff cuts. Meanwhile the attitude of parents "to care for their children for life" makes
young people indecisive, timid and not able to cope with the difficulties of everyday life
challenges. Often they receive a lower salary than usual. Many young people work in the
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"gray economy" without employment contracts, overtime working, etc. This unregulated
employment deprives young people of social securities and pension funds. Thousands of
young people losing their jobs are deprived of the possibility to receive unemployment
benefits.
Unemployment and underemployment among young generations leads always very serious
psychological, economic and social problems. Young people begin to lose their sense of
security, personal dignity, self-confidence and perspective. This is the collapse of hopes and
ambitions at the start of their employment. Influenced by the situation in Bulgaria over 9000
Bulgarians have left the country from June to December 2008. The largest scope of emigrant
stream is in the age group 20-29 years - 29%. Emigration is seen by young people as possible
to rescue from poverty, unemployment, low standard and social insecurity. With increased
globalisation and Bulgaria's membership in the EU it is practically impossible to stop this
desire for mobility.
4.2.4 Reference to youth organisations (private or state) and/or projects which
help unemployed.
National Youth Forum is the largest formal platform of youth organisations in Bulgaria, uniting
40 non-governmental youth organisations. The mission of the National Youth Forum is to
represent the interests of young people in Bulgaria and their needs, their development and
participation in social and socio-political processes and ensure effective structural dialogue
through cooperation with relevant stakeholders and institutions in the youth policy.
The National Youth Forum has a special focus also on Youth workers. National Youth Forum
believes that youth employment can be greatly stimulated by the development of
employability skills, providing forms of education that are flexible, informal and stimulating
creativity and entrepreneurship of young people.
The organisations has several specific tasks that it fights for:
Establishment of regulations related to the implementation of the hourly pay;
Creating conditions for career guidance and counseling in secondary education;
Increasing the effectiveness of career centres in higher education;
Implementation of measures to enhance the employability skills of young people;
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Assistance in the process of dialogue between educational institutions and
business organisations in order to change the learning process, programs and
content according to the needs of the economy in Bulgaria;
Initiate constructive dialogue with institutions responsible for creating conditions
for incentives and development programs for hiring young people without
experience;
Promoting entrepreneurship and initiative among young people;
Promoting cooperation between businesses and universities in the field of
retraining;
5. 4.3 Recommendations & Best practices from your organisation and
country in relation to the project
CATRO is a Bulgarian SME specialising in training, career counselling, coaching support and
identifying human potential. The CATRO HR consultants have broad repertoire of career
counselling tools for different target groups, including such with disadvantaged background,
have great expertise in the field of adult education and training, VET, and individual coaching
and counselling. They are complementing each other with their knowledge in effective training
and counselling methods, as well as expertise in effective labour market inclusion.In addition,
CATRO has been applying its said expertise in numerous ERASMUS+ projects in the last few
years. With those projects the company is aiming at transferring various good practices in the
field of education, training and career consulting from all over Europe and adapting them to
the needs and specifics of the different target groups in Bulgaria.
One of the projects that has been successfully implemented by the CATRO experts on a
national level with focus on NEETs, Disadvantaged youngsters, Career Counselling is Get
Ready 2 Work (www.getready2work.eu). Its main objective was to contribute to the integration
and active employment of disadvantaged youths by examining and transferring successful
models of soft skills trainings (presentations skills, goal setting, team work, customer
orientation, etc.), incl. language training and labour market insertion programs for this target
group from Austria and Germany.
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Another good practice that has been transferred from Austria with focus on Disadvantaged
youngsters, Career Counselling is the ERASMUS + project Create Your Future
(www.createyourfuture-eu.org). As a coordinator of this project, CATRO Bulgaria is
developing and testing a comprehensive career counselling programme for Childhood Cancer
Survivors. During the implementation of those projects the CATRO experts managed not only
to transfer good practices but to incorporate them in the Bulgarian environment due to their
local knowledge and expertise. Due to its business operations on the Bulgarian market, the
company managed to involve employers and stakeholders concerning the labour market in
Bulgaria.
In addition to the national policies and the CATRO experience in the improvement of the
youngsters’ labour market inclusion, the conducted research in 2015 (UNICEF) has provided
several areas of intervention that can be considered and implemented on national level:
Area 1: Family and environment
Organising "schools for parents" at local level to assist parents/guardians in working with
difficult young people and to support the prevention of early school leaving. This is particularly
important for to the Roma population.
Area 2: Education
The next major problem area is related to the curriculum, the poor practical orientation of
education and appropriate structure of the learning content. As a result, the learning process
does not catch the attention of youngster and the methods of teaching and knowledge
acquisition does not cover the business needs. It is necessary to apply modern technologies
for learning and to multiply the participation of young people in the process of acquiring
knowledge by stimulating creative and analytical thinking and formulating ideas and a vision
for their own future. The introduction of games and competitive elements at all educational
levels with the aim of eliminating barriers and inconveniences of communication, as well as
improving teamwork would be highly beneficial.
Area 3: Motivation
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Generally, three types of measures are needed:
Information measures – aimed at increasing the awareness of available opportunities
because often behind the lack of action lies unawareness and unwillingness (especially with
young people from the Bulgarian ethnic groups);
Motivation measures – should be directed to those most at risk to enter the group of NEETs,
i.e. inactive persons;
Measures aimed at the Roma ethnic group – here the efforts should target, on the one hand,
parents – for prevention of early marriages and reduction of early school leaving – and, on
the other hand, young people as a whole – to change their attitudes to education and new
prospects.
4.3 Summary and Conclusion
4.3.1 How could all these helps to implement the project?
Based on the statistics mentioned in this national report, the overall situation and background
of the youth unemployment in Bulgaria, it is visible that there is a problem with the high
percentage of youngsters who are not in employment, education or training. This problem is
recognised by the academic sector, business, the NGO sector and Bulgarian government and
currently those stakeholders are trying to tackle the issue. However, the interventions that are
applied are just small steps that do not have great impact on the levels of economically
inactive youngsters. One of the reasons which can be concluded from this research is specific
values, beliefs and motivation that youth cohort In Bulgaria possesses. As discussed before
youngsters are used to rely on their parents and they continue to be dependent on them; have
low levels of self-confidence and motivation; lack of ambition and willingness to develop their
competences. For that reason, the project consortium of STEER believes that with the
knowledge and skills that every partner has – we will complement the national policies by
providing training and career counselling assistance of unemployed youngsters.
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5. Current Situation Analysis and transfer of know-how &
good practices in Greece
5.1 The problem of unemployment in Greece
5.1.1 General characteristics
Unemployment in Greece has always been a structural problem but the situation has largely
deteriorated since the outbreak of the economic crisis. The economic decline has mainly
affected the labour market and employment opportunities in Greece, which has the largest
unemployment rates of all EU28 countries. According to the latest data by the Hellenic
Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), the unemployment rate in July 2016 slightly decreased to
23,2% compared to 24,8% in July 2015 and 23,4% in June 2016. That percentage
corresponds far above the 8.6% of EU28 unemployment rates in July 2016.
Table 1: Unemployment rates of ages between 15-74, Monthly results (January 2004-
July 2015) in %
Months 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
January 7,9 9,1 11,1 15,1 21,5 26,7 27,1 25,8 24,3
February 8,1 9,1 11,4 15,4 22,1 26,7 27,1 25,8 23,9
March 8,2 9,1 11,6 16 22,6 27,1 26,9 25,7 23,8
April 7,9 9,2 11,9 16,4 23,5 27,6 27,1 25,3 23,5
May 7,3 9,2 12,2 17 24,1 27,8 27,1 25,1 23,6
June 7,4 9,4 12,5 17,3 24,9 27,8 26,7 24,9 23,4
July 7,5 9,6 12,7 17,8 25,3 27,9 26,4 24,8 23,2
August 7,6 9,7 12,9 18,7 25,7 27,7 26,2 24,6
September 7,6 9,9 13,4 19,1 26,1 27,9 26,1 24,7
October 7,6 10,1 13,9 20,2 26,1 27,7 26,1 24,5
November 7,9 10,5 14,3 20,6 26,4 27,7 25,9 24,5
December 8,6 10,7 14,7 21,3 26,4 27,5 25,9 24,2
Unemployment Rates of ages between 15 - 74 years. Monthly Results in Percentages (January 2004 - July 2016)
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Source: Hellenic Statistics Authority
Table 2: Unemployment rates in EU 28, Yearly results (2010-2015) in %
Source: Eurostat
The total number of employed amounted to 3,793,828 persons while the number of
unemployed is more than a million persons 1,120,843 counting for about 1/10 of the total
population.
Table 3: Employed, unemployed, economically non-active and unemployment rate in
%
Country List 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
European Union (28 countries 9.6 9.7 10.5 10.9 10.2 9.4
European Union (27 countries 9.6 9.6 10.4 10.8 10.2 9.4
Belgium 8.3 7.2 7.6 8.4 3.5 8.5
Bulgaria 10.3 11.3 12.3 13.0 11.4 9.2
Czech Republic 7.3 6.7 7.0 7.0 6.1 5.1
Denmark 7.5 7.6 7.5 7.0 6.6 6.2
Germany (until 1990 former t 7.0 5.8 5.4 5.2 5.0 4.6
Estonia 16.7 12.3 10.0 8.6 7.4 6.2
Ireland 13.9 14.7 14.7 13.1 11.3 9.4
Greece 12.7 17.9 24.5 27.5 26.5 24.9
Spain 19.9 21.4 24.8 26.1 24.5 22.1
France 9.3 9.2 9.8 10.3 10.3 10.4
Croatia 11.7 13.7 16.0 17.3 17.3 16.3
Italy 8.4 8.4 10.7 12.1 12.7 11.9
Cyprus 6.3 7.9 11.9 15.9 16.1 15.0
Latvia 19.5 16.2 15.0 11.9 10.8 9.9
Lithuania 17.8 15.4 13.4 11.8 10.7 9.1
Luxembourg 4.6 4.8 5.1 5.9 6.0 6.4
Hungary 11.2 11.0 11.0 10.2 7.7 6.8
Malta 6.9 6.4 6.3 6.4 5.8 5.4
Netherlands 5.0 5.0 5.8 7.3 7.4 6.9
Austria 4.8 4.6 4.9 5.4 5.6 5.7
Poland 9.7 9.7 10.1 10.3 9.0 7.5
Portugal 12.0 12.9 15.8 16.4 14.1 12.6
Romania 7.0 7.2 6.8 7.1 6.8 6.3
Slovenia 7.3 8.2 8.9 10.1 9.7 9.0
Slovakia 14.5 13.7 14.0 14.2 13.2 11.5
Finland 8.4 7.8 7.7 8.2 8.7 9.4
Sweden 8.6 7.8 8.0 8.0 7.9 7.4
United Kingdom 7.8 8.1 7.9 7.6 6.1 5.3
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Employed 4,036,772 3,654,638 3,496,428 3,556,748 3,623,165 3,703,828
Unemployed 874,596 1,236,474 1,353,849 1,272,771 1,197,569 1,120,843
Inactive 3,393,414 3,352,431 3,331,427 3,303,068 3,263,699 3,220,780
Unemployment Rate 17.8 25.3 27.9 26.4 24.8 23.2
Employed, unemployed, economically non-active and unemployment rate:
July
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Source: OAED
The number of employed persons increased by 2.2% compared to July 2015. Similarly, the
number of unemployed persons decreased by 6.4% compared to July 2015. Inactive
persons decreased by 1,3 % compared to July 2015 and 0,4 compared to June.
The unemployment levels have been decreased the last years and there is great
discrepancy in employment levels among men and women. The employment levels of men
decreased from 74,4% in 2008 to 58% in 2014. For women, the percentages were slightly
different, from 48.6% to 41,1% due to the fact that unemployment largely impacted on jobs
that were “traditionally” occupied by men.
Graph 4: Number of employed people 15-64 years old, according to gender in Greece
(in thousands)
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Source: Graph created based on Eurostat data
Table 5: Percentage of employed people between 15-64 years old, according to
gender in Greece
Source: Graph created based on Eurostat data
Although unemployment rates for women have been decreased since 2012, at 27,9% in
2016, still remain higher than the equivalent men unemployment rates of 19,4%.
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Table 6: Unemployment rate by gender: July 2011-2011 in %
Source: ELSTAT
The impact of economic crisis in unemployment levels can be seen by the augmentation of
the unemployment levels from 7,8% in 2008 to 26,5% in 2014 and 23,2% in 2016. The same
period in the EU, the unemployment levels increased from 7% to 10,2 and 8,6% respectively.
That also indicates the increased gap between Greece and the EU average.
5.1.2 Emphasis on youth unemployment and NEETs
The increased numbers of jobless youth can have serious long-term impact consequences
both for the labour markets and the young people themselves often characterised as the
“lost generation”. European and Greek labour markets largely depend on the active labour
force including young people’s participation. In addition, Greece along with other EU
countries face problems due to the ageing population and that can have consequences on
the country’s productivity especially when large numbers of young people remain
unemployed for long periods, creating scaring effects and a loss of human capital.
Greece had always to face the challenge of high youth unemployment rates. Since the
beginning of the economic crisis the unemployment levels skyrocketed even more,
increasing even further the gap with the EU average. The current youth unemployment
levels according to the latest available statistics was 42,7% in July 2016 for the age group
15-24 years, and 29.5% for the age group 25-34 years. A slight improvement can be
identified from the previous years of the crisis when the levels reached 55.3% in 2012 and
59% during the second half of 2012, double than the EU average youth unemployment rate
22,8% of EU-27.
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Males 15.1 22.4 25.0 23.4 21.7 19.4
Females 21.4 29.0 31.6 30.1 28.8 27.9
Total 17.8 25.3 27.9 26.4 24.8 23.2
JulyGender
Unemployment rate by gender: July 2011-2016
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Table 7: Unemployment rates by age groups: July 2011-2016
Source: ELSTAT
The most affected group is young unemployed people between the age group 15-241. This
age group consist of persons with different characteristics that will be divided into:
Youths aged 15-19: they should be part of the education system. These adolescents
have low qualifications/specialisations and thus face particular difficulties in entering
the labour market. Based on Hellenic Statistical Authority data for the 4th quarter of
2013, youths aged 15-19 account for approximately 6% of the total population of
Greece and 2.2% of the total number of unemployed persons.
Youths aged 20 –24: they are individuals who have usually completed secondary
education and are in the process of pursuing tertiary education or having completed
their university studies. According to Hellenic Statistical Authority data of the 2nd
quarter of 2013, this age group accounts for approximately 5.5% of the total
population of Greece and 11% (approximately 150,000 young people) of the total
number of unemployed persons
Among them 52% of unemployed youths (15-24) have completed secondary education,
while 20% holding a degree from a high technical-professional school. An approximate
number of 10% of unemployed persons, did not attend school and are in risk of poverty and
social exclusion.
1 see European Commission, 2011a:5
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
15-24 years old 43.8 56.3 58.7 49.4 48.6 42.7
25-34 » 24.5 32.1 36.5 35.0 31.6 29.5
35-44 » 14.3 21.5 24.4 22.7 22.1 20.1
45-54 » 12.1 18.6 21.1 20.4 19.9 19.1
55-64 » 8.4 14.0 15.3 16.6 17.0 18.6
65-74 » 3.0 4.0 9.1 10.5 13.2 12.0
Total 17.8 25.3 27.9 26.4 24.8 23.2
Unemployment rate by age groups: July 2011-2016
JulyAge Group
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Table 8: Unemployed youth 15-24 per age group and per education level, 2nd Q2013
in %
Source: ELSTAT
The situation for NEETs (youth not in education, training or employment) is particularly
worrying counting for 17,4% for the age group 15-24 according to Eurofound data (2012). In
addition, Eurostat data present an increase of 54,7% of Greek NEETs rate from 2008 to
2011 for the age group 15-29. According to OECD, in 2011, Greece had 22% of NEETs in
the age groups of 15-29 years against 16% in OECD countries and 30% of 25-29 years, the
second highest of all OECD countries. In 2015, Eurostat was presenting Greece to have
the largest percentage of NEETs in Europe at 24.1%, showing a small differentiation from
the previous years.
Table 9: NEETs rates in European Union, in %
In Thousands
15 -19% on age
group20- 24
% on age
group
Total 178,50 29,8 148,8
Postgraduate degrees 0,6 0,3% 0,0 0,0% 0,6 0,4%
University graduates 18,7 10,5% 0,0 0,0% 18,7 12,6%
Tertiary Education graduates 35,0 19,6% 1,1 3,7% 33,9 22,8%
Secondary School graduates 92,4 51,8% 18,9 S3,4% 73,5 49,4%
Have finished secondary schooling 15,0 8,4% 3,8 12,8% 11,2 7,5%
Basic Education graduates 14,9 8,3% 5,2 17,4% 9,7 6,5%
Haven't finished basic education 1,0 0,S% 0,2 0,7% 0,8 0,5%
No schooling 0,9 0,5% 0,6 2,0% 0,3 0,2%
Unemployed youth 15-24 per age group and per education level, 2nd Q2013
Unemployment per age group and
educational levelTotal
Age Groups
Percentage %
List of Countries 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
EU28 - European Union (28) 14.7 15.2 15.4 15.8 15.9 15.4 14.8
EU27 • European Union (27) 14.7 15.2 15.4 15.8 15.8 15.3 14.8
BE - Belgium 12.8 13.0 13.8 14.4 14.9 14.1 14.4
BG - Bulgaria 20.8 23.5 24.7 24.7 25.7 24.0 22.2
CZ - Czech Republic 12.7 12.9 12.1 12.9 12.81 12.1 11.8
OK - Denmark 6.5 7.3 7.6 8.2 7.5 7.3 7.7
DE - Germany (until 1990 foi 11.4 10.8 9.7 9.3 8.7 8.7 8.5
EE - Estonia 18,3 18.1 14.7 15.1 14.3 13.8 12.5
IE - Ireland 20.3 21.5 22.0 21.3 18.6 18.1 16.8
EL - Greece 15,9 18.6 23.0 26.8 28.5 26.7 24.1
ES - Spain 19.9 20.0 20.6 22.2 22.5 20.7 19.4
FR - France 14.7 14.8 14.7 15.1 13.8 14.2 14.7
HR - Croatia 14.9 17.6 19.1 19.7 22.3 21.8 20.1
IT - Italy 20.5 22.0 22.5 23.8 26.0 26.2 25.7
CY - Cyprus 11.5 12.9 14.8 17.3 20.4 19.5 18.5
LV - Latvia 20.8 20.7 19.1 17.2 15.6 15.2 13.8
LT - Lithuania 15.0 17.0 14.7 13.9 13.7 12.9 11.8
LU - Luxembourg 7.5 6.1 6.6 7.6 7.2 6.5 7.6
HU - Hungary 17.9 17.7 17.6 18.7 18.4 16.4 15.l
MT • Malta 12.6 12.2 12.1 11.7 11.3 11.7 11.4
NL - Netherlands 5.3 5.7 5.9 6.5 7.5 7.6 6.7
AT - Austria 9.6 9.1 8.5 8.2 8.6 9.3 8.7
PL - Poland 14.0 14.8 15.2 15.7 16.2 15.5 14.6
PT - Portugal 12.5 13.6 13.9 15.6 16.4 14.6 13.2
RO • Romania 15.7 18.9 19.5 19.3 19.6 19.9 20.9
SI - Slovenia 9.3 9.4 9.4 11.8 12.9 12.9 12.3
SK - Slovakia 17.3 19.0 18.7 18.8 19.0 18.2 17.2
FI - Finland 11.3 10.5 10.0 10.4 10.9 11.8 12.4
SE - Sweden 9.9 6.3 7.9 8.4 7.9 7.8 7.4
UK • United Kingdom 14.4 14.6 15.4 15.3 14.6 13.4 12.7
NEETs in European Union
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Source: Eurostat
The integration of young people into the labour market consists a great challenge for Greece
due to large numbers of unemployed youth who have limited opportunities, especially
concerning NEETs. It is estimated that NEETs have less confidence in democratic
institutions and great tendency to abstain from civil life resulting in social exclusion.
5.1.3 State’s role in tackling unemployment
At the present moment, there is not a specific National Youth Strategy or Action Plan but
several sub-actions have been adopted in line with EU Youth Strategy which are mainly
focus on active employment strategies aiming to address contemporary needs of young
people in employment and education. The main employment services and support are
provided by the Greek Manpower Employment Organisation (OAED), a public body
responsible for the provision of mentoring services to unemployed people in order to
facilitate their integration and re-integration in the labour market. OAED it also provides
career guidance, job seeking counselling and counselling on entrepreneurial initiatives, as
well as guidance and promotion of EURES Network for those seeking employment in other
European countries. In addition, OAED actively involves in the designing and
implementation of active national employment strategies concerning new jobs creation,
social security, vocational training, apprenticeships as well as passive labour market policies
mainly related to unemployment benefits.
Further support to young people mainly school leavers is provided in the form of
mentoring/guidance, through the Career Guidance and Counselling Centres (KESYPs)
of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, which operate regionally and focus on
career planning advices through specialized councellors (SEP).
The Career and Employment Structure (DASTA) of Universities and Technological
Educational Institutes (TEI) are addressed to university graduates and provide information
regarding employment prospects, educational opportunities in the tertiary education,
organize informational seminars and educational fairs in collaboration with other institutions
as well as carry out research and studies that support innovation and entrepreneurship.
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Further opportunities for re-integration into the labour markets are given by the Career
Guidance Offices in Second Change Schools which provide support for the development
of personal skills and professional growth to people aged 18 and above and have dropped
out compulsory education but wished to continue further education.
The Ministry of Education has actually implemented a study that aims to create a road map
which will create a mechanism of identifying needs of the labour market by using the existing
framework and knowledge-base to inform businesses and unemployed persons. The
mechanism will match labour market gaps with available qualifications by officially
unemployed people. This will also facilitate the designing of active labour programmes
aiming to prevent mismatches among the demand and the supply of occupations and skills.
5.1.4 Mention other state or EU funded employment schemes and how effect
The first cohesive effort to tackle youth unemployment was made on January 2013 with the
"Action Plan of Targeted Interventions to Strengthen Youth Employment and
Entrepreneurship within the Operational Programme of NSRF". The Youth Action Plan
(YAP) was the product of a horizontal cooperation of the jointly responsible bodies
(Ministries of Labour, Development, Culture etc.), while at the same time being the first
action plan for youth employment in Greece raised before the highest governing body on
employment (National Employment Committee) with the participation of the social partners.
The YAP incorporates all NSRF actions and programmes for the youth, which are financed
by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
It identifies common points and develops common actions between the competent
education, employment and entrepreneurship policy design and implementation bodies. The
initiatives taken include strengthening vocational training and apprenticeship; enhancing
mentoring and career guidance and establish school-to work programmes.
Information provided by: Greek Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan
In 2014, the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Welfare in support by the Greek
Manpower Employment Organisation (OAED), attempted for first time to establish a “Youth
Guarantee” Action Plan in Greece, having as a purpose to create a strong basis for young
people aged up to 24 years old to receive employment, vocational training, an
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apprenticeship or traineeship within a period of four months of completing formal education
or becoming unemployed. The action plan will be implemented in lines with other services
already provided and in collaboration with organisations already active in this field.
Active labour market policies are designed and implemented by the Greek Manpower
Employment Organisation (OAED), with the co-funding of the EU. The latest active labour
market policies that have identified are two programmes that are in the process of
implementation “Employment experience for 3,000 unemployed young people among the
age of 25-29 in private businesses and social enterprises” and “Employment experience of
10,000 young unemployed of age group of 18-24 in private business and social enterprises.”
Both programmes have set similar objectives which is to integrate young people who lack
employment experience into the labour market.
5.2 Basic characteristics of youth workers in Greece
5.2.1 The socio-economic scope of youth work
About 2,5 million young people, aged between 15-29 years, reside in Greece are confronted
with new challenges mainly related to employment and education. That urges for new
national policies that will provide Greek youth with the necessary skills and potentials to
overcome those economic obstacles and develop their capabilities. An increase need for
the provision of social services is far more prominent due to large number of young
unemployed which touch over 50%, and is are in danger of social and economic exclusion
due to labour market fragmentation. In this context, more cuts were demanded in the
framework of Memorandums that Greece has signed, that set aside some youth
organisations. Due to the downsizing of the public sector, the National Youth Foundation
and the Institute for Youth, together with with the Institute of Continuing Adult Education
have been dissolved and merged into a single body, the Youth and Lifelong Learning
Foundation, which has changed its orientation in policies and budget.
At the present, the responsible authority for adopting and implementing youth policies is the
General Secretariat for Youth of the Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious
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Affairs and its main competences focus on responsibility for planning, developing and
implementing youth policy strategies, and advocates for the mainstreaming of youth policies
on other governmental policies that connect to the interests of Greek youth. Its areas of
activity include employment and development, culture and leisure, education and social
participation, international co-operation and information, connecting the national policies
with the European and International developments. More organisations operate under the
supervision of the General General Secretariat for Youth and in the framework of the
implementation of youth policies in Greece, to support and implement youth policies.
Usually, the GSY annually prepares the National Report on Youth Policy in Greece and
submits it to the European Knowledge Centre for Youth Policy, which has been established
by the Council of Europe in cooperation with the European Union to address youth issues.
At the same time, they have to be in close relation to the main fields of action of the EU
Council Resolution on the Renewed Framework of Cooperation in the Youth Field (2010-
2018) and the EU Youth Strategy as well as to the priorities of the Council of Europe as
being highlighted in AGENDA 2020. Although a National Strategy for Youth has not been
adopted yet, several programmes are carried out to support young people either by state or
individual actors.
The legal conditions for youth in addition to the constitution and the Presidential Degree No.
274 on the General Secretariat for Youth, are designed in the national legislation for issues
related to youth employment; sports; education; family; military service; deviant behaviour;
media regulation; youth participation. In addition to Constitutional laws (Art. 16, Art. 21)
other laws complement the existing legal framework such as Law 2413/1996 on intercultural
education, and Law 3443/2006 in instituting the Local Youth Councils. Furthermore,
Greece’s legislation present certain shortcomings and institutional gaps that need to
coordinated and aligned together with EU legislation.
5.2.2 Status of youth workers
Although youth work exists as a social practice in Greece since the 19th century, Greece
lacks an official or comprehensive framework that would provide details of the characteristics
of youth workers in the country. Therefore, a youth workers in Greece deal with social issues,
constitute an integral part of educational and welfare endeavours and play a significant role
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in supporting young people’s safe and healthy transition to adult life. The main activities of
a youth worker in Greece includes health, social support, counselling, education and
training, personal development, information, career services and other related actions. Often
their work is related with leisure time activities such as cultural and educational programmes,
recreation programmes and sports that can offer personal development and youthful
experimentation.
In Greece, youth workers actively engage with young people aged between 15-25 or 30
according to the type of services and organisations. Youth work is often related to young
people from disadvantaged backgrounds but is also open to youth of different statues. Since
there is not a formal qualification or training that leads to youth work, the only official
educational path is through higher education degrees in social work, social sciences or
educational sciences and pedagogy or training in youth-related subjects including social
care/pedagogy, counselling and special education etc. which offered by vocational training
institutes. Another pathway includes volunteering work in organisations that deal with youth
in different ways. Due to the fact that youth work involves some sense of social responsibility,
usually youth workers are people concerned with social issues and real problems and their
values often go beyond their duty.
5.2.3 Needs of youth workers
Due to recent economic challenges in Greece, the value of youth work is even more
important. Youth workers may need to substitute or to complement welfare states practices
that have been downsized due to current economic difficulties and to respond to increased
needs in the provision of social services such as housing or employment to large numbers
of disadvantaged youth. In addition, salary reductions which amount 34% especially for
young people can further increase their labour market marginalisation. That requires a new
strategy for youth in Greece, that will focus on real problems such as youth unemployment,
social inclusion, human rights and intercultural understanding together with the designing
and provision of targeted welfare services.
Furthermore, Greece lacks a new comprehensive institutional framework for youth workers
that will facilitate their work; shift their priorities; help them to coordinate with public
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33
authorities and organisations and provide them with the necessary skills and qualifications.
Considering the fact that Greece can be characterised as a “state of emergency”, the
adoption of new strategies that will tackle some of the problems that youth face in the current
state is of high priority. In this sense youth workers in Greece often have to face dismantled
social services and social welfare cuts which create burdens in their work.
5.2.4 Reference to youth organizations (private or state) and/or projects which
help unemployed
The General Secretariat for Youth was set up in 1982 as a governmental institution with
the primary task of shaping, monitoring and coordinating the government policy for youth
and its connection with society and social entities. In this way, Greece was harmonised with
the European and international practice of high-level, self-sustained and integral
government services aiming to public youth policies. The General Secretariat for Youth
develops a set of activities and programmes aiming at the core of youth policies such as
participation, information, leisure, entrepreneurship. In addition, it cooperates with other
youth associations and local authorities that take actions in the field of youth and children,
in order to alleviate and resolve existing problems.
The Hellenic National Youth Council, was founded in 1998 and is an independent, non-
government, non-profit federation of youth organisations. About 59 youth organisations are
members of H.N.Y.C. The organisation associates with the Greek government concerning
domestic matters by participating in the Interministerial Committee for Youth, the Organizing
Committee of the Youth Parliament, the National Committee on Volunteering, etc. and is
also the official representative of Greek youth abroad. The H.N.Y.C. functions in order to
formulate new policies for Youth in Greek society. It continues implements workshops,
conferences, cultural and other programs, seminars and activities that directly target young
people.
The Youth and Lifelong Learning Foundation (INEDIVIM) is a legal independent entity of
the wider public sector, governed by private law. It is a non-profit, public serving institution,
supervised by the Minister of Education, Research and Religious Affairs. INEDIVIM
implements actions for Lifelong Learning (counselling, training, etc.), as well as mobility,
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34
innovation and entrepreneurship programs for the Youth, caters for the maintenance and
operation of Pupil and Student Residences, and supports initiatives that encounter urgent
social needs. The Foundation responds to the needs of working and unemployed people,
as well as vulnerable social groups, through a variety of programs at national level which in
the years 2014-2015 alone benefited more than 300.000 people.
Local Youth Councils, are public local assemblies open to young people between 15-28
years, interested in actively participate and initiate actions in issues concerning them. The
members of Local Youth Councils need to be officially registered in their local community or
municipality. The first Local Youth Councils designated after elections held with Ministerial
Decision according to the Law No. 3443/06.
AEGEE (European Students’ Forum) is a pan-European youth organisation which operates
in Greece and promotes cooperation, communication and social integration of youth people
in Europe. AEGEE’s expanded network is ideal for young volunteers who want to participate
in different European actions, including seminars, cultural exchanges, summer schools and
working group meetings.
Υouthnet Hellas, is a Non-governmental organisation that aims to activate youth
participation in local, national, European and global level. Its general scope is to create
networking possibilities for young people and to monitor Global and European Policies for
Greek youth. Youth Hellas provides information for job openings and traineeships in Greece
and abroad, news, and participates in Youth on the Move actions.
ARSIS- (Association for the Social Support of Youth) is a Non-governmental
organisation which aims at prevention of youth marginalization, the elaboration of policies
which defend youth rights and the active and social support towards disadvantaged young
people. The organisation develops new methods and tools for youth support, or organizes
and participates in networks for social solidarity, cooperates with public and private services
and promotes improved methods for the social policy of youths. It offers psycho-social
support, preparation for employment, legal support, educational support, temporary housing
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35
and food services, social and recreational mobilization to young individuals in difficult
conditions.
5.3 Recommendations & best practices from your organisation and
country in relation to the project
Since its establishment Four Elements has undertaken numerous projects and programmes,
many in collaboration with large well-established organizations both in Greece and abroad,
targeting different marginalised societal groups including youth at risk of social inclusion,
long-term unemployed and those with low professional qualifications, children at risk of
trafficking and exploitation, immigrants and refugees etc.
The social and humanitarian values that underpin the organization and form the foundation
of its overall mission and strategy are incorporated into the work carried out in each area of
activity. Four Elements values (equality and diversity, community involvement, fairness,
respect for others) are reflected across activities in all its areas of expertise, namely:
Social integration of vulnerable groups (including women and children)
Education and capacity building
Research and development
Equal opportunities
Employability
Four Elements is actively involved in the field of social inclusion of vulnerable groups. In this
year Four Elements participates projects, aiming at a variety of targets groups. These pro-
jects are either regional within Greece or European.
SERCo Project:
The SERCo project aims to address the problem of social and economic inclusion of
Roma communities in the partner countries by applying the concept of social econ-
omy as an innovative solution to reducing the risk of poverty and to enhancing entre-
preneurship.
Athinairs Project:
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36
“Local actions for inclusion of vulnerable groups”, Intervention Class: “Preventing and
tackling social exclusion of vulnerable groups”. Actions aimed at preparing 80 bene-
ficiaries, who belong to vulnerable population groups to enter the labor market, either
through business or through dependent employment either through the creation of
social enterprises
ERGASIA Project:
The subject of this action is the activation and mobilization of local actors in order to
ensure job creation for unemployed vulnerable social groups, regarding specific local
needs diagnosis, and enhancement of development opportunities in the areas of in-
tervention.
Indicative projects implemented in the past:
no Operational Programme Project title Financing Source
1 Local actions targeting
the social integration of
vulnerable groups
“Target Work” Ministry of
Labour and
Social Secu-
rity
European
Social Fund
2 Local actions targeting
the social integration of
vulnerable groups
“Integration of vulnerable groups
in the Municipality of Athens”
Ministry of
Labour and
Social Secu-
rity
European
Social Fund
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3 Local actions targeting
the social integration of
vulnerable groups
“Development of the Social Econ-
omy and support of the integration
of vulnerable groups in Attica”
Ministry of
Labour and
Social Secu-
rity
European
Social Fund
no Operational Programme Project title Financing Source
1 Local actions for
employment
“Development of the Social
Economy and support of the
integration of vulnerable groups in
Attica”
Ministry of
Labour and
Social Secu-
rity
European
Social Fund
4 Local actions for
employment
“Promotion of the local interest in
employment through sports”
Ministry of
Labour and
Social Secu-
rity
European
Social Fund
5 Local actions for
employment
“Novel forms of employment in
Attica”
Ministry of
Labour and
Social Secu-
rity
European
Social Fund
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38
6 Local actions for
employment
“The environment as a way to
increase employment and social
inclusion”
Ministry of
Labour and
Social Secu-
rity
European
Social Fund
5.3.1 Summary and Conclusion
How could all these helps to implement the project
The output of this research will help in facilitate the process of building a mechanism for
including youth work as measure for social inclusion and integration into the labour market.
Innovative methods will be build based on the needs and the institutional framework in
Greece considering the welfare state gaps and the inexistent institutionalisation of youth
work that is much needed due to the current challenges that the country faces.
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39
6. Current Situation Analysis and transfer of know-how &
good practices in Italy
Current Situation Analysis and transfer of know-how & good
6.1 The problem of unemployment in Italy
6.1.1 General characteristics
At the beginning of the nineties, Italy’s employment rate as well as labour productivity figures
lagged behind the ones of EU partners. In fact, the difference between EU15 at that time
and Italy’s employment rate has been of ten percentage points over the entire period (in
1996 the employment rate in the EU was 60.1% and 50.1% in Italy while in 2013 it was
respectively 65% and 55.5%). Also, Italian labour productivity growth stayed below the EU
average (the EU rate in 1996-2013 has been of 1.4%, while the Italian one was of 0.3%).
Furthermore, from the nineties onwards the Italian labour market resulted to be affected by
a number of structural weaknesses among which it’s possible to identify three main elements
(Saltari and Travaglini (2008). First, Italian women participation into the labour market has
been systematically lower in comparison with men figures. Second, young people
employment remained strongly below the EU average over the entire period of labour market
reforms implementation. Third, Italy has always been characterized by a deep geographical
dualism: the North growing in terms of production, employment and productivity; the South
lagging behind showing weak performances, particularly regarding young people and
women participation in the labour market. The systematic difference between female and
male employment rates emerges from the data. In 1992, men participation into the labour
market overcomes the one of women of 30 percentage points in the South and of 10
percentage points in the North. At the beginning of 2015 such difference in gender
participation remains strong even if reduced by a small amount for the effect of the 2008
economic crisis. Nowadays the unemployment rate for men is 9.9% and for women is at
11,9%. Worse then what has been shown regarding the male-female divide, Italian young
workers have experienced an employment rates that has reached in July 2016, the shocking
number of 41,1%. In fact, the difference between EU and Italy’s young people employment
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40
rates has been around 20 percentage points in 2015 and this distance seems difficult to fill
because of the severity of the structural weakness described above.
Despite the attempt of the last reform period, started in 2014 with the introduction of the so-
called Job Act, these weaknesses remained persistent in terms of dynamics and intensity.
Regarding this issue, the decision to implement a process of labour market liberalization
emerged from the strong debate concerning the proper policy strategy to face such structural
challenges. Specifically, introducing temporary contracts, facilitating firings and giving
incentives to decentralized wage bargaining was seen, specially by mainstream economists,
as the main course of action to restart productivity and employment growth. With respect to
the latter, temporary contracts were identified as an effective tool to facilitate young people
to entry into the labour market. In Italy, already in 2007 there was a gap between the youth
unemployment rate and the total, but it is clear that it has increased considerably during the
crisis. From this point of view, the Jobs Act has contributed to create a dual labour market
where fixed-term contract - which until 2014 were characterized by a high level of protection
against layoffs - started to co-exist with temporary employment - characterized, in turn, by
low level of protection. More in detail, the share of temporary employment covered by short-
term contracts between 1 and 6 months has substantially increased over time representing
almost 40% of total temporary employment in 2015.
6.1.2 Emphasis on youth unemployment and NEETs
The most recent data provided by ISTAT speak of 41.9% of youth unemployment in the first
quarter of 2016 compared to 13.0% of total unemployment, so that the youth unemployment
rate is three times higher than the total. The trend of youth unemployment is not only
deteriorating the social and economic conditions of the population but it is, above all, greatly
exacerbating gender differences and regional inequalities. Therefore, it’s possible to
understand the phenomenon of NEET (not in employment neither in education) and why it
is growing, since it concerns precisely that segment of the youth population that decided not
to look for a job or to follow formative courses because they are strongly discouraged. The
number of NEET has grown considerably throughout Europe and now, in 2012, concerns
13 million young Europeans and more than 2 million young Italians. If we ignore them, we
run the risk of underestimating the actual number of unemployed. A first explanation of the
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41
rising number of inactive among young people aged 15-24 could be detected in a possible
increase in university enrolments. In other words, young people are not seeking work
because they have decided to follow higher education courses. Unfortunately, this is not true
since in the last ten years, the number of enrolments fell from 338,482 (2003-2004) to
280,144 (2013-2014), with a decrease of 58,000 students (-17 %). It is as if in a decade an
entire university had disappeared. This drop has different reasons: increasing fees;
reduction of scholarships, deterioration of the economic situation of families that are not able
to afford this cost, worsening trend of the labour market. In Italy, in 2010 the rate of NEETs
(22%) was higher than the average value of 15 % in Europe. The economic cost estimated
by Eurostat in 2015 is approximately 153 billion for Europe and 32 billion for Italy. Beyond
the mere economic data, we need to consider the social effects of this phenomenon in terms
of disengagement from the labour market and society, feelings of isolation, health risks,
political marginalisation and social exclusion. Many of the young NEET in Italy still live with
their families and appear to be completely separated from the rest of society; they do not
get informed, do not read newspapers, do not take part in activities or policies.
6.1.3 State’s role in tackling unemployment
Bringing at completion a reform process begun in the 1990s, the Jobs Act has introduced a
new contract type, “contratto a tutele crescenti” implying a substantial downsize of obligation
for workers’ reinstatement in case of firms invalidly firing them. The new permanent contract
is therefore deprived of the substantial requirements of an open-ended contract. The Law
has also weakened the legal constraints for firms intending to monitor workers through
electronic devices and introduced new incentives for firms using temporary contracts. An
action aimed at re-boosting the economy and, in particular, at reducing unemployment and
precariousness. Analogously to most of the other European economies, Italy has chosen
labour market liberalization as one of the key policies to foster employment, productivity and
competitiveness. Such policy strategy is largely based on mainstream theories identifying
labour market ’rigidities’ - namely, strong trade unions, generous social benefits, high
minimum wages, powerful insiders, or firing restrictions as the main causes behind
persistent unemployment, inefficient factors allocation, mismatching between labour
demand and supply and, in more general terms, weak competitiveness performance.
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42
6.1.4 Mention other state or EU funded employment schemes and how effect
Finally, in order to understand the preliminary results of the new law, we need to highlight
that under the Budgetary Law 2015, the Government introduced a substantial monetary
incentive for firms hiring workers with the new type of open-ended contract. Each firm, hiring
- between the 1st of January and the end of 2015 - a worker under a permanent contract
(including all transformations from a temporary to a permanent job), is exempted to pay
contributions to social security up to 8,060 euros per year for three years. Thus, such
incentive is expected to stimulate the diffusion of open-ended contracts. It is worth to
mention, however, that these new open-ended contracts are such only nominally permanent
since they introduce the allow extremely cheap (for firms) layoffs and deprive workers of the
reinstatement right. Moreover, we can introduce “The European Youth Guarantee” (EYG)
that is a new EU approach to tackling youth unemployment which ensures that all young
people under 25 – whether registered with employment services or not – get a good-quality,
concrete offer within 4 months of them leaving formal education or becoming unemployed.
In Italy, the EYG is perceived as very far away and hard to implement because Italy does
not have the labor market institutions necessary to make the EYG work properly and also
because it is a foreign body in the country’s welfare state tradition. According to the data
provided in the last weekly monitoring report of the Ministry of Labor (2016), as late as in
mid-February 2016, about 1 year from the beginning of the program, slightly more than
400,000 young people (aged 15–29) have joined the project out of almost 2 million young
Italians not in employment education and training (NEETs henceforth).
6.2 Basic characteristics of youth workers in Italy
6.2.1 The socio-economic scope of youth work
According to the national statistic provided by ISTAT in 2014, the importance of youth work
had been growing at institutional level up to 2006 when the Ministry of Youth and Sport was
created but youth work is currently less of a government priority, the emphasis being more
on employment and education for young people. The main reason is that the government
priority is to tackle the emergencies currently faced by young people in the labour market
and the problems related to the formal education sector.
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Regarding the areas of work that have grown in importance, non-formal education seems to
have grown considerably. Given the steady reduction of budgets in the formal education
sector, several associations have pointed out that non-formal education paths tend to play
a more and more important role for both the education and the support of youth. At national
level the body that used to be responsible for youth policies was the Ministry for Youth
Policies and Sport. In 2008, after the political election the Ministry of Youth Policies and
Sports became Department of Youth meanwhile a new Office for Sports was set up. Since
2008 the Department of Youth within the Presidency of the Council of Ministries is the body
that coordinates and defines youth policy in Italy. However, since youth policies are a
transversal issue, several other ministries have responsibilities in the youth field, such as
the Ministry for labour and Social Policies, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and EU
Affairs Ministry. Overall, during the past few years, the Ministry of Youth and Sport has
increased the coordination and the number of initiatives for young people through the
implementation of several programmes. In this respect the national fund introduced in 2007
has supported national activities for young people. Nonetheless the increased interest on
youth issues, a national strategy for youth work does not exist. The most relevant initiative
at national level is the Voluntary Civil Service which has been implemented in Italy with the
National law 64/2001. This initiative is managed by the Department of Youth and Civil
Service and aims at increasing social cohesion. Thanks to some European Programme,
directed to youth workers, the opportunities of young Europeans are increasing in terms of
education and skills acquired: in fact, more than 200 projects each year have been approved
under the Erasmus+ framework, KA1 Youth.
6.2.2 Status of youth workers
Overall, youth workers in Italy tend to have considerably different backgrounds (e.g. social
work, psychology, sociology, sport instruction). Furthermore, it has to be noted that the vast
majority of persons involved as youth workers are voluntary and therefore many of them do
not have any formal educational background in youth work activities. Regarding the
availability of formal qualifications for youth workers, several tertiary education programmes
provide such qualifications across the country. In particular, university courses in
Educational Sciences provide qualifications for youth workers. The University courses
usually last three years for the bachelor degree and 2 years to specialise. Furthermore, there
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is a broad range of short and longer training courses organised by voluntary organisations.
In some cases, these can be considered as further training for those starting to work as
professionals in local youth policies without having appropriate qualifications. According to
some interviews provided by ISTAT in 2014, the quality of these courses varies considerably
and therefore they do not always contribute to the professionalisation of youth workers
(many of them do not provide a recognised certificate).
6.2.3 Needs of youth workers
According with the national statistic provided by ISTAT in 2014, there are two main obstacles
related to the needs of youth workers in Italy: lack of recognition of youth work and the lack
of coordination of youth work initiatives. The first has a negative impact on the level and
development of competences on the sector, such as the ability of support and empower
young people in being active in the society they live in and in engaging with it. As a result,
the career path is not clear and there is a lack of professionalisation of youth workers. Hence
the recommendation to the national authorities would be to introduce rules aiming at
recognising the skills and the professional profile of youth workers and to develop minimum
standards of qualification. Overall, it is important that the introduction of basic qualification
does not result in a crowding- out effect on the considerable number of volunteers
participating in the sector. The lack of national coordination has led to a considerable
number of youth work activities carried out at local level. However, this has been in contrast
with the definition of a comprehensive strategy at national level. In 2004 the Italian National
Youth Forum has been set up (i.e. the first national network among associations and NGOs
across the country dealing with young people). This network should be further developed
and connected with the local and territorial associations. In this respect the recommendation
to national authorities would be to present clear guidelines to develop the youth work sector
and to support coordination activities using a bottom- up approach. In order to recognise
the true value and contribution of youth work in addressing challenges NEETs are facing, it
is required to adopt and embrace the holistic youth work approach to working with young
people. Young people, particularly the most disadvantaged, not only need to be provided
with skills for the labour market but more importantly with life skills and supports. These are
essential to enable them to deal with the many challenges they will encounter and to
embrace the opportunities that will arise.
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6.2.4 Reference to youth organizations (private or state) and/or projects which
help unemployed
Regarding youth entrepreneurship, Giovane Impresa is a portal that provides an information
path to accompany the young people at key stages of the business life, from birth to
subsequent development of the enterprise. The initiative has been promoted by the Youth
Department of the Italian government. Another example is one of the most relevant bottom-
up approaches identified at national level: the ItaliaCamp initiative, which aims at promoting
social innovation. The relevance of youth work in terms of promoting the participation of
young people is increasing during the current crisis. The main reason is that young people
are one of the groups most affected by the crisis. In this context, the most relevant initiative
to increase young people’s participation to community and political life in Italy is the Italian
National Youth Forum. It is a national platform recognised by the Law of 30 December 2004,
n. 311 by the Italian Parliament, which aims to increase the importance of young people in
the social and political debate.
A key driver of youth work in Italy in the past decade has been the EU policy priorities and,
in particular, the associated funding programmes that encourage mobility and exchanges
through the participation of youth in European Programme carried out also at local level in
several sectors. Another important driver has been the creation of a Ministry of Youth and
Sport in 2006, for the first time in Italy. In 2006 through the enforcement of the law n. 248 of
4 August 2006, entitled “Urgent measures for economic recovery” was instituted the National
Fund for Youth Policies. The fund aimed at supporting among others culture, vocational
training and social integration. Regarding the fight against poverty and unemployment, the
government has sought to strengthen social policies to achieve greater equity in Italian
society: the SIA (Sostegno per l’Inclusione Attiva), the universal tool for the fight against
poverty proposed in 2015, and will be implemented in early Septmber 2016.
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6.3 Recommendations & Best practices from your organisation and
country in relation to the project
CSC Danilo Dolci had a broad experience on the field of entrepreneurship and promotion of
youth initiatives, thus developing and identifying specific recommendations and good
practices during the last years. The following projects managed by CSC are directed toward
youth unemployed in order to tackle the unemployment rate and improve the conditions of
NEETs in Italy:
1) The “EPIC” project aims at supporting SMEs to improve their international
competitiveness.
2) “Can&Do” aimed at providing youth workers with ready-to-use methods on how to assist
youngsters with the competences needed to become integrated and empowered for a
knowledge-based society.
3)“SEMCO” aimed at encouraging the social entrepreneurship at Euro-Mediterranean level
by promoting skills and tools that can help youngsters to turn ideas into concrete actions.
4) “Stepping Stone” helped young migrants to find a job in the field of cultural mediation
through the use of non-formal education approach and tools.
5) IDEANNOVASHIP tackles youth unemployment helping young people overcome their
fears and motivate them to be protagonists of their working lives, allowing to be prepared
for the work challenges of their future carrier.
Moreover, CSC is strictly collaborating with CESIE which is a European centre of studies
and initiatives strongly related with education, social activities, cooperation within cultures,
fields and sectors. Especially in fields of education, CESIE is working hard on solutions
and projects able to create a positive social change on youth worker and NEETs. One of
the main targets is contributing to the active participation of people, civil societies and
institutions towards a collective educational growth - in the respect of ethics and human
development. There are other initiatives focused on NEETs, carried out by CESIE with the
participation of several international partners: the first one is SecondChanceEducation.eu,
(from the project DISCO), a online platform to learn what has been done to support
teachers/trainers and its practitioners in developing. The second one is the project Lion
(Learning, lIving, wOrking for NEET-group), which deepened the work already achieved to
support social operators working with NEET groups.
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6.3.1 Summary and conclusion
How could all these help to implement the project?
Based on the statistics mentioned in this research about the overall situation and
background of the youth unemployment in Italy, it is clear that there is a problem with the
high percentage of youngsters who are not in employment, education or training. Moreover,
more than 40 % of young people looking for a job are unemployed and an increasing number
of them have decided not to even look for it. On the other hand, the condition of young
people in employment is not so much better: the majority of the employed youth is in a
situation of precarious jobs. Actually, this is the general trend of the overall Italian economy.
In fact, over the last three years the number of full-time employees with permanent contracts
has been significantly reduced whereas the number of atypical workers has grown
considerably. The only new-permanent employees are part-time workers - who have chosen
involuntarily part-time instead of full time - to meet the needs of their companies. This
situation involves the entire workforce, but is particularly serious for young new occupied.
Moreover, precarious work, (when present), far from being a springboard to better
employment, as many supporters of flexibility theorise, rather represents a real trap.
Longitudinal data in fact confirm that the probability of an atypical worker to find permanent
employment in the following year has slightly increased, but it remains far from pre-crisis
levels (which were still very low). Today, the majority of young active people moves from
temporary jobs to an undetermined period of unemployment. The STEER project is an
opportunity to sum up all the previous projects with their methodologies and training, and
CSC can surely provide its expertise in empowering youth workers and young people in
general thanks to non-formal education.
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4 Current Situation Analysis and transfer of know-how &
good practices in Portugal
4.3 The problem of unemployment in Portugal
4.3.1 General characteristics
According to a report by Caritas Europa 2014, Portugal has serious social problems’,
highlighting the unemployment as the main problem, with youth unemployment a major
concern. Youth unemployment (indicator that takes into account the population aged
between 15 and 24 years) in Portugal, in 2015, reached 32% of young people (Source:
PORDATA). In addition to the reality of youth unemployment, we must also consider the
young people who come in this statistic, being inactive, ie, the NEET (not employees, not
students and who are not in training), representing about 20% of young people between 20
and 24 years (Eurostat).
“In most OECD countries, poorly educated young people were hit hardest by the crisis. This
is particularly true in Portugal where most of the employment losses for the 15 to 29 year-
olds has been observed among the low educated. Work experience facilitates the transition
from school to work. However, access to internships is low in Portugal, only 5% of young
people in Portugal benefit from this type of experience in comparison to about 27% across
the OECD. Also, a low share of youth – only 4% - combine work and study, compared with
12% in the OECD.”
“Despite significant improvement since the peak of the crisis (minus 5 percentage points)
unemployment is still high in Portugal at 12%. For the labour market entrants it even reaches
50%. Incidence of long-term unemployment (12 months and over) for older people (55+) is
particularly high (3 in 4 older unemployed). This is only less than one in two on average in
the OECD. “(Latest report of OECD, October 2016)
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4.3.2 Emphasis on youth unemployment and NEETs
The latest report of OECD (5th October 2016) reveals that the number of young people
not in employment, education or training ( NEETs) in Portugal remains elevate ( 15%):
“The proportion of young people who are not in employment, education or training (the NEET)
rose in Portugal during the Great Recession. Up until 2007 the NEET rate in Portugal was
slightly below the OECD average at around 14%. Between 2008 and 2013 it rose to 19%. By
2015 the NEET rate had receded to 15%, however it is still above the levels seen before
the crisis. Breaking the NEET groups down into those looking for work (unemployed) and
those not looking for work (inactive) shows that this sharp rise was entirely driven by youth
unemployment. Most of the NEET live with their parents in Portugal (70%), this pattern is
also observed in other southern European countries (such as Greece and Italy), while it is
only the case for 1 in 2 NEETs in the OECD area.
Portugal shows a relatively small gap in NEET rates between native and foreign-born
youth since young people born abroad are 1.2 times more likely to be NEET than their native
born counterparts whereas the ratio is on average 1.5 in the OECD area.”
“Work experience facilitates the transition from school to work. However, access to
internships is low in Portugal, only 5% of young people in Portugal benefit from this type of
experience in comparison to about 27% across the OECD. Also, a low share of youth – only
4% - combine work and study, compared with 12% in the OECD.”
4.3.3 State’s role in tackling unemployment
In Portugal, employment policy is a subsidiary of the employment policy of the EU, currently
standing out the following instruments:
1. The Common Strategic Framework (CSF) for the period 2014-2020, whose funds are
expected to contribute to growth and jobs in line with the guidelines set out in the Europe
2020 strategy, in accordance with the Resolution of the Council of Ministers no. 98/2012 of
26 November. In this sense, a partnership agreement with the European Commission was
negotiated under set out in Resolution of Council of Ministers No. 33/2013, of 20 May, which
provided that the promotional measures of employment co-financed by EU funds in the period
2014-2020 pursues goals of:
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i) Strengthening vocational training to provide adequate levels of employability for young
people and new skills to adults (particularly the unemployed);
ii) Improving the adjustment of the labor market, acting towards the unemployed with more
reintegration difficulties (such as long-term unemployed) and companies;
iii) Improving effectiveness, suitability, adequacy and implementation of active employment
policies, including proximity, together with local authorities and institutions, as well as
encouraging more active participation of the public employment service in this area.
2. The Industrial Development Strategy for Growth and Jobs 2014-2020, approved by
Resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 91/2013, of 23 December, that among the proposed
measures indicates the strengthening of initiatives aimed at employability and promotion of
active employment policies.
3. The National Plan of Implementation of a Youth Guarantee approved by Resolution of the
Council of Ministers No. 104/2013 of 31 December, which corresponds to the adoption by
Portugal of the Community Initiative Youth Guarantee.
4.3.4 Mention other state or EU funded employment schemes and how effect
In Portugal, the professional integration of young people is focused on a massive effort to
support first job and overcoming of school deficits and professionals of who do not complete
secondary education.
The answer led to young people with more qualifications derives from the idea of the
difficulties of contacts of young people with the companies, so focuses on professional stages.
Portugal “has adopted a comprehensive plan for the implementation of the Youth Guarantee
scheme. This scheme contains several specific measures, namely: the “Active Youth
Employment” aims at allowing the acquisition, by young people with no compulsory education,
of social, relational or transversal skills, with the support of a young unemployed graduate,
through the performance of a set of tasks in a host entity, for a period of 6 months, in order to
give them practical experience and to plan pathways for their entry into the labour market.
The “Young Investment Programme” aims to encourage entrepreneurship and to promote job
creation and economic growth, providing financial support to investment, through loans, as
well as support to selfemployment of the promoters, through non-refundable subsidies and
technical support to strengthen the entrepreneurship skills and for structuring the project, as
well as for their consolidation. The “Resume” Programme aims at supporting young people to
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return to a higher education course, after leaving the university without graduating”(
Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion The Youth Guarantee country by country – Portugal).
7.2 Basic characteristics of youth workers in Portugal
7.2.1 The socio-economic scope of youth work
In Portugal, youth work represents a broad range of activities offered at local level. Local
youth work is designed and provided not only by state institutions, but in particular by a variety
of NGOs. Extracurricular youth education constitutes a central field of activity of youth work.
Youth work therefore includes an extensive range of structured institutional offers involving
non-formal educational activities.
Because of the many committed volunteers involved in youth work, we can claim on the one
hand that youth work offers a broad range of opportunities for non-formal educational
processes; but on the other hand, the high proportion of volunteers also shows that youth
work is a field of activity that attracts and binds large numbers of committed persons.
7.2.2 Status of youth workers
The concept of ‘youth work’ was for many years difficult to translate as there was no such
concept in Portuguese although the practice of youth work exists. The Portuguese conception
of youth work seems to strongly refer to the work taking place within youth organisations
which are aiming to engage the hard-to-reach/young people at risk and empowering young
people.
In terms of quantity, the number of youth organisations has increased considerably over the
last 13 years, mainly due to the EU funding opportunities – e.g. Youth in Action, Erasmus+.
Since January 2016, there is a professional recognition of youth work in Portugal, which
represents a significant milestone in the development of youth policies in our country.
The Youth Worker is a professional set by 'Intervening in the design, organization,
development and evaluation of projects, programs and activities with and for young people
by domain methodologies of non-formal education, facilitating and promoting citizenship,
participation, autonomy, inclusion and personal, social and cultural development. "
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There are no minimum qualification standards for youth workers in Portugal. Youth work in
Portugal is not associated with a specific kind of educational route. Youth workers come from
a range of extremely diverse educational backgrounds and can come from all type of
educational routes: biology, psychology, teaching, architecture, engineering, social work,
international relations, high-school degree, etc. Youth workers are bound by their common
will to work for the community and to empower young people. At the national level, there are
some formal and non-formal training opportunities available to youth workers even though
there is a lack of formal qualifications on youth work. Training courses in Portugal are offered
by the IPDJ, by Erasmus + and by youth organisations themselves. The great majority of
training opportunities is abroad and supported via EU funded programmes and promoted by
the Council of Europe.
7.2.3 Needs of youth workers
The economic crisis has had a number of significant impacts on youth work in Portugal:
Cuts to public funds to youth work due to the economic crisis (at national and municipality
level);
There is a growing use and reliance on EU level support and financing for the youth work
sector as other sources of funding at national level are reduced;
The priorities for public funding of youth work have changed. There is greater emphasis on
youth work targeted at giving young people better opportunities on the labour market and in
education. Focus is increasingly on funding support to those who are socially excluded.
Organisations providing universal youth work increasingly struggle to get public funding.
Young workers need to have a system that takes Neets by the hand and leads them through
it.
The major difficulty is engaging young people and the necessity to differentiate NEET in
subgroups. In a sense, policy related to young people has diverted attention away from
worrying about how support them in making sense of their lives and in finding meaningful
trajectories – that includes transition to work.
Young people have generally high aspirations. There is a real issue about whether a lack of
motivation is a cause or an effect of the experience of exclusion. Much of Neet policy
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predicated on low motivation misses this point. Key point is how to how to engage young
people to help them to overcome the barriers that are blocking their progress; their aspirations
are very normal.
7.2.4 Reference to youth organizations (private or state) and/or projects
which help unemployed
The national ‘Escolhas Programme’ (developed by the ACIDI - High Commission for
Immigration and Intercultural Dialogue) is one of the most visible player in the area of reducing
social exclusion among young people in Portugal. Indeed, as previously mentioned, the
Programme annually funds various youth organisations and other civil society organisation to
implement, at the local level, projects mainly targeting the most disadvantaged young people
with an ethnic background.
Fundação da Juventude develops 3 main projects to support the transition from universities
to the labour market: Pejene- Internship Program for Young Students of Higher Education in
Companies; PE MAAT- Internship Program Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology;
Santander Jovem - Internship Program in SMEs. FJ also develop vocational training for youth
at risk and project to promote personal development and social integration of young people
through supporting training and offering them a first job experience.
7.3 Recommendations & Best practices from your organisation and
country in relation to the project
In terms of effects, it is important to retain that unemployment entails numerous
consequences.
In individual terms, young people who spends a long idle period is most likely to suffer from
low self-esteem, social exclusion. In the long run, this will lead to a passive attitude and lack
of social participation, which will ultimately have negative implications for society.
The socio-professional integration of young people is focused on a massive effort to support
the transition from education to the labour market.
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Fundação da Juventude had a broad experience on Training, Entrepreneurship and Youth
Employment support. The STEER will enhance the transfer of knowledge and develop an
important tool to improve the unemployment-employment transition of vulnerable Youth.
7.3.1 Summary and conclusion
How could all this help to implement the project?
There is a lot of work to do to reduce the proportion of vulnerable young people who are
NEET, and to decrease youth unemployment.
The STEER reflects the young person’s individual and youth workers needs. It will be an
opportunity for Fundação da Juventude to acquire tools/ new methods that will be useful in
the work with Neets and young unemployed people, particularly in support of the transition
between education and the labor market. It will also contribute, to expand the concept and
usability of transition planning within the framework of youth work, in our country.
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7. Current Situation Analysis and transfer of know-how &
good practices in Cyprus
7.1 The problem of unemployment in Cyprus
7.1.1 General characteristics
Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean,
off the coasts of Syria and Turkey. Cyprus is the third largest and third most populous island
in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located south of Turkey, west of Syria and Lebanon,
northwest of Israel and Palestine, north of Egypt and southeast of Greece with population
1.141 million people. Cyprus promotes its geographical location as a "bridge" between East
and West, along with its educated English-speaking population, moderate local costs, good
airline connections, and telecommunications. The 2012–13 Cypriot financial crisis, part of
the wider European debt crisis, has dominated the country's economic affairs in recent times
(Trading Economics, 2016).
In Cyprus, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job
as a percentage of the labour force. As you can clearly see from the diagram below the
unemployment rate in Cyprus is decreasing from Jan 2015. Also, unemployment Rate in
Cyprus decreased to 11.70 percent in June from 11.90 percent in May of 2016 (Trading
Economics,2016).
Graph: (Trading Economics, 2016)
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Despite the pleasant decrease of unemployment, Cyprus faced a huge problem the past 5
years. Actually, unemployment Rate in Cyprus averaged 7.47 percent from 2000 until 2016,
reaching an all time high of 16.70 percent in October of 2013 and a record low of 3.40
percent in March of 2002. Unemployment Rate in Cyprus is reported by the Eurostat
(Trading Economics, 2016).
Graph: (Trading Economics, 2016)
So by looking the current situation in Cyprus, the unemployed persons, registered at the
District Labour Offices on the last day of June 2016, reached 35.265 persons. Based on the
seasonally adjusted data that shows the trend of unemployment, the number of registered
unemployed for June 2016 decreased to 37.734 persons in comparison to 37.973 in the
previous month. In comparison with June 2015, a decrease of 5.611 persons or 13,7% was
recorded which was mainly observed in the sectors of construction (a decrease of 1.262
unemployed persons), trade (a decrease of 848), accommodation and food service activities
(a decrease of 786), manufacturing (a decrease of 725), public administration (a decrease
of 527) and transportation (a decrease of 496) (Statistical Service of Republic of Cyprus,
2016).
Unemployment is a critical economic factor for a country. Youth unemployment is also
crucial and is often examined separately because it tends to be higher than unemployment
in older age groups. It includes the unemployment numbers of a country’s labor force aged
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15 to 24 years old (i.e. the earliest point at which mandatory school education ends).
Stereotypically, teenagers and those in their twenties who are fresh out of education do not
find jobs right away, especially if the country’s economy is experiencing problems, as can
be seen above. Moreover, it also has a habit of being higher in emerging markets than in
industrialized nations. It worth mentioning that global, youth unemployment figures have not
changed significantly over the last ten years and they are not expected to get improved in
the next few years.
We can clearly see that in the European Union and the euro area, unemployment generally
has been rising since 2008 and this is due to the economic crisis which caused bankruptcy
and financial suffering for many employers, and thus led to significant job loss, less job
offerings, and consequently, to a rise of the unemployment rate. Added to all these, older
workers are struggling to find new jobs despite their experience, and young graduates are
struggling to find new jobs, because they have none. In general, the number of unemployed
persons worldwide is expected to rise, this is not only due to the economic crisis alone, but
also the industrial automation of processes previously performed by workers, as well as
rising population statistics. By seeing the table below you can clearly notice the big
difference in unemployment between the different education levels in Cyprus with the
educated people struggling to transit from education to employment (Statista, 2016).
(Statistical Service, 2016)
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7.1.2 Emphasis on youth unemployment and NEETs
Youth Unemployment Rate in Cyprus stayed stable at 24 percent in June from 24 percent
in May of 2016. Youth Unemployment Rate in Cyprus averaged 17.52 percent from 2000
until 2016, reaching an all time high of 40.10 percent in April of 2013 and a record low of
7.70 percent in January of 2002. Youth Unemployment Rate in Cyprus is also reported by
the Eurostat.
Graph: (Trading Economics, 2016)
7.1.3 State’s role in tackling unemployment
Regarding the national level, the efforts promoted by the Ministry of Labour and Social
Insurance to reduce the impact of the economic recession and the high unemployment rates
in Cyprus, were policy measures on job creation, the prevention or restriction of
redundancies and layoffs and the facilitation of the unemployed integration in the labour
market giving particular importance on the most vulnerable groups including youth. More
precisely the actions taken to reduce youth unemployment in Cyprus were the following:
1. Job placement and training of young unemployed tertiary education graduates: An
existed scheme being implemented on an ongoing basis, which has been modified
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to respond to the current situation in the labour market and has been identified as a
best practise. The scheme facilitated the placement in 2011 of 544 young graduates
with a total expenditure of 4.6 million euros.
2. Accelerated initial training of newcomers and other unemployed people, targeting
mainly the young. During 2011, 392 persons had participated in the scheme with a
total expenditure of 1.1 million euros.
3. New modern Apprenticeship scheme with a total budget of 16.4 million euros to be
co - funded by ESF. The preparatory work has been concluded and the 1st year of
the core Apprenticeship will be launched in September/ October 2012.
4. Subsidy scheme for the promotion of employment and in company training of
Apprenticeship System Students with a total budget of 4.5 million euros of which
85%will be co-funded by ESF. The scheme was launched in July 2010 and
subsequent calls for application are foreseen every year.
5. Scheme for the enhancement of Youth Entrepreneurship with a total budget of 6.0
million euros, allocated already to 153 new enterprises which are all at the stage of
implementation. The scheme is co-funded by ESF (85%).
6. New subsidized employment scheme, targeting the young and the long term
unemployed launched in May 2012 with a total budget of 8.0 million euros.
7. Attract people in the labour market through the promotion of flexible forms of
employment. The total budget of 3.0 million euros allocated to the scheme has been
allocated to projects funded under the scheme facilitating the employment of 270
people.
8. New Scheme for the Enhancement of Entrepreneurial Innovation with a total budget
of 4 million co-financed by European Regional Development Fund (80%) which will
be allocated to 40-50 enterprises. The aim of the scheme is to introduce to the market
and/or to the public sector innovative products and services. These SMEs can be
developed either by themselves or by cooperating with other SMEs (especially
innovative R&D SMEs) or Applied Research Centers.
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9. Post-secondary institutes for occupational education and training. A new two years
education system with the aim to provide high level training an education to young
people will not continue tertiary education.
7.1.4 Mention other state or EU funded employment schemes and how effect
The EU through various initiatives and policies give guide lines to the member states in the
key area of employment. Two flagship initiatives are the Youth on the Move which tackles
specific problems related to the education, training as well as employment and the New
Skills and Jobs which helps EU countries to reform labour markets, upgrade skills and match
them with market demand to boost employability.
Furthermore, programs to help young people are in place such as the EURES (Your first
Eures job abroad) to bridge the gap between training and jobs, the European Vacancy
Monitor, with information on recent developments in the European job market; and financial
support under the European Progress Microfinance Facility, to help young entrepreneurs
set up or develop their businesses (Ministry of Labour welfare and Social insurance Cyprus,
2016).
7.2 Basic characteristics of youth workers in your country
7.2.1 The socio-economic scope of youth work
Youth Work Act (2001), defines youth work as “a planned programme of education designed
for the purpose of aiding and enhancing the personal and social development of young
people through their voluntary involvement, and which is complementary to their formal,
academic or vocational education and training and provided primarily by voluntary youth
work organisations” (NYCI, 2016).
EU Youth report (2012) suggests that Youth work covers a large scope of social, cultural,
educational or political activities by, with and for young people. It is about ‘out-of-school’
education and leisure time activities managed by professional or voluntary youth workers
and youth leaders. It is based on non-formal learning and voluntary participation (EU Youth
Report, 2012).
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7.2.2 Status of youth workers
Youth work is crucial for youth because it adds value to the lives of all young people, helping
them develop lasting skills and attributes, and can particularly affect the lives of young
people who are vulnerable or disadvantaged, or are most challenged by school. It can also
build confidence, provide role models, open up new experiences and give young people a
sense of belonging. Also, Youth work tackles real social issues, it combats disadvantage, it
enhances democratic life and it’s huge value for money.
Moreover NYCI (2016) clearly points out that youth work helps young people to build self-
esteem and self-confidence, helps in developing their ability to manage personal and social
relationships, its offering worthwhile and challenging new experiences, it provides learning
opportunities to enable young people to gain knowledge and develop new skills, it builds
young people’s capacity to consider risks and consequences and make informed decisions
and take responsibility, it helps young people to develop social awareness and a sense of
social solidarity, it gives young people a voice in decision-making which affect their lives, it
enhances young people’s role as active citizens and finally it helps listening to and hearing
what young people have to say (NYCI, 2016).
According to Manoudi, A.(2014), formal/professional/statutory youth work does not exist
currently in Cyprus. The closest occupation to a youth worker would be a social worker. On
the other hand, non-formal / non-professional / third sector led youth work is provided by:
1. Individuals who elect or decide to organise activities with young people outside a
youth structure.
2. Volunteers within youth NGOs who work or are involved with young people.
3. A pool of volunteers of the Cyprus Youth Council, however this pool of volunteers
does not exist explicitly or exclusively for youth work.
A policy paper produced by the Cyprus Youth Council from 2007 mentions ‘enhanced
cooperation amongst youth organisations in Cyprus, around the pillars of non-formal
education and experiential learning as key ways in facing the challenges young people
are facing today’. The policy paper however, does not go on to propose specific activities
in terms of promoting non-formal and experiential learning.
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Added to all these, Manoudi,A.(2014) suggests that Youth work is not regulated by law
in Cyprus. The key reasons for this are the lack of a tradition of youth work and the lack
of recognition for the value of youth work and the potential it offers for supporting young
people. There are no known plans currently to develop legislation related to youth work
in Cyprus.
As for the educational background of the youth workers in Cyprus, Manoudi, A. (2014)
criticises that there are no formally defined minimum qualification standards for youth
workers and there is no relevant course being offered in academic institutions. However,
there are some tacitly agreed standards for youth workers that are used in practice in the
context of the Youth in Action programme by the youth organisation community in
Cyprus. These standards suggest that youth workers should have knowledge of basic
English, have NGO experience and be aged up to 35-38 years (above that age,
individuals change role and they become youth coaches, coordinators etc). Most of those
delivering youth work activities do so in their leisure time as volunteers and have been
trained via other professional routes. The most common route is teaching, since primary
school teachers are the dominant profile for volunteer youth workers in Cyprus.
7.2.3 Needs of youth workers
Bearing in mind the present situation in Cyprus the key challenges facing youth workers
can be summarized as the lack of recognition or validation of youth work experience that
many individuals have. More generally the lack of training opportunities for youth workers
in Cyprus itself and finally the insufficient funding specifically for developing youth work,
with the exception of EU funded programs.
7.2.3.1 Reference to youth organizations (private or state) and/or projects
which help unemployed
Youth NGOs are firstly concerned with promoting participation, voting, and raising
awareness. Having this in mind, youth in Cyprus are relatively politicized and many youth
NGOs do have clear political affiliations. There are also several participation structures
available to young people, including the municipal youth councils and youth clubs. There
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are 15 Municipal Youth Councils today, out of 33 Municipalities. The Municipal Youth
Councils are advisory bodies for their Municipalities on youth affairs. Representatives of
all the local youth NGO’s are able to participate in each of the Municipal (or Communal)
Youth Council. The Cyprus National Report from the first cooperation cycle of the EU
Youth Strategy 2010-2012 also mentions the following ways in which participation of
young people is encouraged: National consultations of Structured Dialogue take place in
various geographical areas of Cyprus in order to cover a wider spectrum of young people,
while youth participation is also achieved through the General advisory Body of the Youth
Board of Cyprus. Social media and social networking tools, such as Facebook, emails,
publications and Eurodesk (mostly developed after 2010) (Eurodesk is a service
supported by the European Commission), are also widely used for the further
encouragement of the participation of young people in youth related events and through
the website of the YBC. The operation of the YICs provides young people with effective
use of information by: educating them on how to search for info in the internet, providing
them with free internet access at accessible hours (afternoons, Saturdays), being
present at social networks that young people use every day provides them again with
relevant basic info, disseminating info through emails, mobile phones, websites
(Manoudi, 2014).
7.3 Recommendations & Best practices from your organisation
and country in relation to the project
To start with, youth work is an occupation that is certainly not widespread in Cyprus,
there is great potential for youth work to develop, and for the youth worker profession to
develop alongside existing youth work activities. The potential for careers in youth work
should not be overlooked either in the context of rising youth unemployment and
graduate unemployment. Moreover, we can clearly notice the lack of professionalization
of youth workers in Cyprus, and even more significantly, the lack of professional
opportunities that youth workers have within Cyprus.
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8.3.1 Summary and conclusion
To conclude with, INNOVADE would highly recommend the advertisement, promotion
and dissemination of the benefits of youth work in order to raise the profile of youth work
and attract more young people to this line of work. Also, INNOVADE suggests that youth
NGOs should provide training for their youth workers, in order that youth workers
themselves realize the value of their own role but also to help them develop their role
further in delivering more effective provision for young people. To conclude with, the
project group of STEER believe that with the knowledge and skills which each partner
has, will complement the national policies by providing training and career counselling
assistance of unemployed youth
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8. Current Situation Analysis and transfer of know-how &
good practices in Slovenia
8.1 The problem of unemployment in Slovenia
8.1.1 General characteristics
There were 997,000 active persons in Slovenia in the 2nd quarter of 2016, which was 1.6%
(or 16,000) more than in the previous quarter. Among them the number of unemployed
persons decreased by 9,000 (or 10.7%) and the number of employed persons increased by
25,000 (or 2.8%) compared to the 1st quarter of the year. The number of inactive persons
was 2.1% (or 16,000) lower than in the 1st quarter.
In the 2nd quarter of 2016 the LFS unemployment rate reached the lowest level in the last
five years. The employment rate was 1.4 percentage points higher than in the previous
quarter, while the activity rate was higher by 0.9 of a percentage point.
STEER project ref. no. 2016-1-CY02-KA205-000749
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66
In the 2nd quarter of 2016 there were 40,000 unemployed women and 38,000 unemployed
men. There were more employed men (493,000) than women (426,000). Therefore, the
activity and employment rates were higher and the unemployment rate was lower among
men.
The LFS unemployment rate at 7.8% in the 2nd quarter of 2016. In the 2nd quarter of 2016
the number of unemployed persons was 10.7% lower than in the 1st quarter of 2016. The
number of employed persons was 2.8% higher.
The share of employees with permanent employment among all employees was in 2016 the
highest in the age group of 50 or more years (93.9% or 186,000 permanently employed). In
the age group 15-29 years more
persons were temporarily (75,000)
than permanently
(67,000)employed.
STEER project ref. no. 2016-1-CY02-KA205-000749
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67
In the 1st quarter of 2016 the LFS unemployment rate in Slovenia was below the EU
average.
8.1.2 Emphasis on youth unemployment and NEETs
Slovenia has 2,062,874 inhabitants, there were 335.499 young people (15-29 years) in
Slovenia on 1. 1. 2015, which represents 16,3 % of all population. Most of them are in age
group 25‒29 years (132.790), followed by group of 20‒24 years (107.718). The youngest
group is 15‒19 years (94.991).
The indications says that between 2010 and 2020 the number of young people in Slovenia
(15–29 years) will fall by over 20 percent, that in 2020 there will be almost a third fewer
STEER project ref. no. 2016-1-CY02-KA205-000749
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68
young people in Slovenia than in 1990, and that the proportion of youth in the overall
population will decline in that period from 23 to 15 percent. The research shows that young
people have a solid set of values, that they are optimistic and that they want to assume
responsibility for their own fate, and that they want independence and to be part of society.
As with their European peers, among young people in Slovenia there has been a noted trend
of individualisation and competitiveness, but sadly also a trend of growing rejection of the
established forms of functioning in society, political participation, a disaff ection with public
(especially political) elites, a lack of faith in the system and society and a lack of interest in
“major social issues”. Young people are increasingly sensing a gulf between them and
society.
Table: Active, employed, unemployed, not active, in education, NEET in Slovenia
(2015)
SLOVEN
IA
2015
Gender - Total
Inhabitan
ts 15+ -
Total
Activ
e -
total
Employ
ed
Unemploy
ed
Unemploy
ed - total
Stude
nts
NEE
T
15-19
years 94991 3854 1828 2026 91137 88131 3006
20-24
years 107718 33906 24742 9164 73812 64256 9556
25-29
years 132790
10311
4 84245 18869 29676 13106
1657
0
30-34
years 149276
13404
1 118442 15599 15235 785
1445
0
In the project STEER we want to focus on The Heart of Slovenia area. The Heart of
Slovenia has 7 municipalities and all together they have 82,338 inhabitants with 20,394
young people (10718 men in 9676 women) – age of 15-34. Litija, Kamnik and Mengeš, which
are the most active in local youth policies and would be appropriate for a pilot have 52,125
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69
inhabitants with 12,560 young people. The majority (11,843) of young people belong to the
age group 25-34 (January 2015).
Table: Young people in the age 15-34 living in the Heart of Slovenia municipalities in
January 2015
15-19 Age 20-24 Age 25-34 Age TOTAL
SLOVENIA 94.991 107.718 282.066 484.775 Ivančna Gorica 896 936 2.393 4.225
Kamnik 1.375 1.495 4.198 7.068
Litija 783 749 2.205 3.737
Lukovica 346 352 783 1.481
Mengeš 344 381 1.030 1.755
Šentrupert 136 125 492 753
Šmartno pri Litiji 324 309 742 1.375
Heart of Slovenia area TOTAL 4.204 4.347 11.843 20.394
Source: Statistical office of the Republic of Slovenia
Table: Population by gender, age group and activity status in the municipalities of
Litija, Mengeš and Kamnik (Slovenia), on January 1, 2015.
Age
Status
of
activit
y -
TOTAL
Working population Notactive
Active
-
TOTA
L
Employe
d
Unemploye
d
Notactiv
e -
TOTAL
Pupils,
student
s
Others
notactive -
NEET
Total 12560 7344 6295 1049 5216 4201 1015 15-19 2502 66 33 33 2436 2372 64
20-24 2625 881 680 201 1744 1526 218
25-34 7433 6397 5582 815 1036 303 733
Men 6536 4039 3565 474 2497 2024 473 15-19 1341 45 24 21 1296 1257 39
20-24 1352 587 475 112 765 665 100
25-34 3843 3407 3066 341 436 102 334
Wome
n
6024 3305 2730 575 2719 2177 542 15-19 1161 21 9 12 1140 1115 25
20-24 1273 294 205 89 979 861 118
25-34 3590 2990 2516 474 600 201 399
Source: Statistical office of the Republic of Slovenia
STEER project ref. no. 2016-1-CY02-KA205-000749
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70
The Heart of Slovenia area has 11,770 (58%) active young people (15-34 years old),
10,219 are employed and 1,551 are unemployed (13.3 % rate of unemployment). There
are 8,624 non-active young people (mostly in the 15-19 age group), among these there are
6,955 pupils and students. Among non-active young people (1.669) is where we can also
find NEET – not included in education and not employed.
The municipalities of Litija, Kamnik and Mengeš have a total of 7,344 active young people
(58%), 6,295 are employed and 1,049 unemployed (14.3% unemployment rate). Among
non-active young people are 4,201 pupils or students and 1,015 other non-active people
(including NEET).
Table: Population by gender, selected age groups and household status,
municipalities of Litija, Mengeš and Kamnik, Slovenia, January 1, 2015
Gender
/ age
TOTAL
Sp
ou
se
, c
oh
ab
itin
g
pa
rtn
er
or
sa
me
-
se
x p
art
ner
wit
ho
ut
ch
ild
ren
Sp
ou
se
, c
oh
ab
itin
g
pa
rtn
er
or
sa
me
-
se
x
pa
rtn
er
wit
h
ch
ild
ren
Mo
the
r o
r fa
ther
wit
h c
hild
ren
Ch
ild
ren
liv
ing
wit
h
pa
ren
ts
Ch
ild
ren
in
s
ing
le
pa
ren
t fa
mil
ies
No
m
em
be
r o
f th
e
fam
ily
, li
vin
g a
lon
e
No
m
em
be
r o
f th
e
fam
ily
, li
vin
g
in
a
fam
ily
/
no
t fa
mil
y
ho
use
ho
ld
Me
mb
er
of
gro
up
/
pri
va
te h
ou
se
ho
lds
TOTAL 12.560 519 2.463 550 5.971 1.977 684 353 43 15-19 2.502 2 0 3 1.914 534 7 39 3
20-24 2.625 55 92 31 1.742 531 92 78 4
25-34 7.433 462 2.371 516 2.315 912 585 236 36
Men 6.536 233 1.000 116 3.367 1.151 442 201 26 15-19 1.341 0 0 0 1.019 292 5 24 1
20-24 1.352 13 20 4 929 292 49 41 4
25-34 3.843 220 980 112 1.419 567 388 136 21
Women 6.024 286 1.463 434 2.604 826 242 152 17 15-19 1.161 2 0 3 895 242 2 15 2
20-24 1.273 42 72 27 813 239 43 37 0
25-34 3.590 242 1.391 404 896 345 197 100 15
Source: Statistical office of the Republic of Slovenia
Considering correlations between household status and young people in the municipalities
of Litija, Kamnik and Mengeš, a majority of children live at a parent’s house (5,971 or 48%).
20% of young people live with a partner and children (2,463) and 16% of them live with
children in single parent families (1,977).
STEER project ref. no. 2016-1-CY02-KA205-000749
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71
The unemployment rate among young people rose from 2011 to 2014 in all three
municipalities but is not above the Slovenian average. The highest unemployment rate was
31% in the municipality of Litija in 2014 in the 15-24 age group.
Table: Registered unemployment rate by municipalities, year and selected age
groups.
2011 2012 2013 2014
15-
24
25-
29
30-
34
15-
24
25-
29
30-
34
15-
24
25-
29
30-
34
15-
24
25-
29
30-
34
SLOVENIA 23,5 14,7 9,5 24,2 15 9,9 29,6 17,9 11,6 31 19,4 12 Kamnik 14,7 9,3 6,7 17,2 10,3 7 21,5 13,8 8,8 24,5 16,1 8,7
Litija 21,9 13 9,9 22,9 14,9 10,1 29,4 17,3 11 30,9 19,2 11,1
Mengeš 13,9 12,8 5,9 16,6 11 6 24,3 15,6 7,6 29,7 18,3 9
Source: Statistical office of the Republic of Slovenia
Table: Inhabitants in selected age groups from the Heart of Slovenia region and their
education level, 2015.
Ele
me
nta
ry
or
les
s
TO
TA
L
No
ed
uc
ati
on
Un
fin
ish
ed
ele
men
tary
sc
ho
ol
Ele
me
nta
ry
Up
pe
r s
ec
on
da
ry
TO
TA
L
Lo
we
r v
oc
ati
on
al
Se
co
nd
ary
vo
ca
tio
na
l
Te
ch
nic
al,
ge
ne
ral
se
co
nd
ary
T
ert
iary
ed
uc
ati
on
TO
TA
L
Po
st-
se
co
nd
ary
ge
ne
ral
Po
st-
se
co
nd
ary
vo
ca
tio
na
l
Po
stg
rad
ua
te
(UN
I)
Ma
ste
r
PH
D
15-19 7991
1
88 677 7914
6
1508
0
233 1755 1309
2
0 0 0 0 0 0
20-24 1258
2
118 966 1149
8
8096
4
932 9315 7071
7
14172 1288 1227
2
612 0 0
25-29 1043
7
182 699 9556 7708
2
1209 1757
4
5829
9
45271 5718 1958
6
1934
7
287 333
30-34 1183
2
330 482 1102
0
8242
3
1534 2707
7
5381
2
55021 7339 1404
0
3030
2
1901 143
9 35-39 1497
7
345 697 1393
5
8777
6
1921 3442
3
5143
2
54220 7329 1326
8
2811
7
3748 175
8 40-44 2043
1
294 1125 1901
2
8279
9
2205 3427
1
4632
3
44436 9628 8124 2162
7
3579 147
8 45-49 2662
4
352 1447 2482
5
8978
5
2717 3814
1
4892
7
36904 1062
9
6350 1596
5
2651 130
9 50-54 2957
8
280 2493 2680
5
9131
5
1740 4373
4
4584
1
32459 1118
7
4341 1337
1
2350 121
0 55-59 4058
3
299 5250 3503
4
8362
3
1979 4288
9
3875
5
26349 9518 2605 1180
5
1644 777
60-64 4695
0
349 5975 4062
6
7381
5
1808 3851
4
3349
3
21779 8895 845 1022
8
1159 652
65 + 1632
83
2029 3821
6
1230
38
1617
73
9534 8186
8
7037
1
44330 2054
0
171 1981
2
1941 186
6 TOTA
L
4571
88
4666 5802
7
3944
95
9264
35
2581
2
3695
61
5310
62
374941 9207
1
8160
2
1711
86
1926
0
108
22
Source: Statistical office of the Republic of Slovenia
STEER project ref. no. 2016-1-CY02-KA205-000749
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72
A majority of inhabitants from the selected municipalities located in the Heart of Slovenia
aged 20-52 have secondary vocational, secondary technical or secondary general
education. Among people aged 45 or more there is an obvious increase in the number of
those with only an elementary education, the majority of them in the 65+ age group (123,038
inhabitants). In comparison with those who have an elementary or upper secondary
education (all together 1,383,623 inhabitants) there is almost 4 times less inhabitants with a
tertiary education (374,941 inhabitants).
8.1.3 State’s role in tackling unemployment
The Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted two national strategies that also cover
the field of social policy and social services for young people. In 2006, the Programme for
Children and Youth 2006-2016 was adopted and it aims to provide, particularly in the field
of social policy, more effective implementation of children's rights and better efficiency in
supporting and helping children and their families; to ensure a quality life to children and
youth within the framework of the primary social network; to reduce poverty and the social
exclusion of children and families; to ensure sufficient welfare benefits to the most vulnerable
groups of children and youth; to ensure measures to reduce the drop-out in secondary
schools and to increase the number of available positions in all education programmes and
to improve the inclusiveness of the unemployed youth in vocational and education program,
which are also basic guidelines for ensuring social inclusion of children and their families.
Source: Country Sheet on Youth Policy in Slovenia
Employment Service of Slovenia (Zavod Republike Slovenije za zaposlovanje) is one of the
key Slovenian labour market institutions. It is an independent legal entity with public institute
status operating uniformly across the entire country.
Main ESS activities are employment advice and jobbroking, life-long career guidance,
unemployment benefit and unemployment insurance, implementation of active employment
policy (AEP) measures and programmes, issuing of work and employment permits for
foreign workers, preparation of analytical, development and other professional materials
related to ESS activities and labour market (LM) and ESS information of a public nature.
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73
Users of ESS services are unemployed persons, employers, jobseekers, pupils and
students who need professional help in the fields of employment and career guidance,
professional institutions, providers of active employment policy programmes, social partners
and general public.
Source: Zavod Republike Slovenije za zaposlovanje
8.1.4 Mention other state or EU funded employment schemes and how effect
In May 2016 the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the 2016–2020 Youth
Guarantee Implementation Plan. The Government thus followed the appeal of the European
Commission to Member States to ensure that, within four months after leaving formal
education programmes or becoming unemployed, young people under 25 should have a
good-quality employment offer or possibility of either further education or an apprenticeship
or a traineeship.
One of the distinct features of this programme in Slovenia is that it expands the target group.
Since young people in Slovenia enter the labour market very late, the Youth Guarantee
target group was expanded to include those up to 30 years of age. By adopting the Youth
Guarantee programme, Slovenia guarantees that, within four months after being registered
as unemployed with the Employment Service of Slovenia, every young person aged 15 to
29 years will receive an offer for employment (including apprenticeships), on-the-job training,
formal education or any other training related to employers’ needs.
In the 2016–2020 period, the Youth Guarantee measures will target those who actually need
help to enter the labour market. Those who have greater opportunities in the labour market
will be directed to workplaces, career counselling and job search skills training, whereas
more intense active employment policy measures will especially target the long-term
unemployed young people with fewer opportunities and those returnees within the Youth
Guarantee scheme who did not get a job despite being involved in the Youth Guarantee
measures.
Source: Vlada Republike Slovenije - http://www.vlada.si/
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74
8.2 Basic characteristics of youth workers in Slovenia
8.2.1 The socio-economic scope of youth work
Until recently, Slovenian youth policy has had a strong vertical dimension; it gained a new
impetus through the European Youth Pact, EU resolutions and the EU Youth Strategy that
promote holistic youth policy. With the adoption of the national youth programme (in 2013),
stipulated by the Public Interest in the Youth Sector Act, Slovenia is heading towards more
holistic and intersectoral youth policy.
The public authority responsible for the field of youth and realisation of the public interest in
the youth sector at the national level is The Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Youth. It
is an independent body within the Ministry for education, science, culture and sport since
1991. The Office for Youth prepares regulations and measures for the youth sector. It
promotes nonformal learning processes to increase competences of youth in their transition
from childhood to adulthood. It develops suitable mechanisms for supporting youth
organisations and organisations for youth which are of key importance for promoting active
youth participation.
Source: Country sheet on youth policy in Slovenia
The Slovenian legislation, particularly the youth sector, is governed by two laws, namely the
Act on public interest in the youth sector (Ur. L. RS, no. 42/2010) and the Youth Council Act
(Ur. L. RS, no. 70/2000 and 42/2010). The Act on public interest in the youth sector defines
the public interest in the youth sector and the means of achieving a public interest in the
youth sector, the Youth Council Act regulates the status, functioning, activities and financing
of the Youth Council of Slovenia and local community youth councils. Both laws also provide
the powers of local communities in the youth sector.
The law - which includes the autonomy of young people, non-formal education and training,
access to the labor market and developing entrepreneurship, care for young people with
fewer opportunities, mobility and international networking, healthy lifestyle, access to culture
and young people's participation in public affairs in society – complies with the Revised
European Chart on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life (2003).
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75
Not even one Municipality in the Heart of Slovenia area has adopted a Policy (Act) for young
people. From the Municipalities that are involved in the pilot, only in Kamnik the municipal
council adopted a strategy of development in the field of youth in the municipality of Kamnik
for the period 2014-2018. The policy for young people has not been adopted yet. In the
municipality of Litija and Mengeš the strategy for young people has not been prepared yet.
Youth centres have only prepared the program for young people.
8.2.2 Status of youth workers
Professional profile of the youth worker includes various types of personnel, especially in
the context of organizations in the youth sector. Youth workers are dealing with young
people in the form of management of organizations or groups of young people, project work,
voluntary work, a variety of non-formal education and other professional support to young
people. Youth workers help young people to develop their skills and talents mainly in
extracurricular areas, which complement the young school knowledge.
In Slovenia a person for pursuing the profession of youth worker can not obtain a valid public
education or public document on qualification for carrying out this occupation. Office for
Youth initiatived to prepare professional standards and catalogs of standards of professional
knowledge and skills for youth workers. Proposal initiative was discussed in 2015 by sectoral
committee for professional standards and the initiative was adopted and confirmed. The
National Institute for Vocational Education and Training started with the procedures of
drafting the professional standards and catalogs of standards of professional knowledge
and skills.
8.2.3 Needs of youth workers
Youth workers help young people reach their potential in their personal and social
development. As youth workers they use educational activities, advice and support to help
young people to learn about themselves and to become more confident.
To be a youth worker they need to be able to relate to young people from all backgrounds.
They also need to be enthusiastic, and have good negotiation skills.
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76
Youth workers in Slovenia often face a challenge of poor skills to work with NEETs – young
people who are not in process of education or employed. They are not sufficient trained and
qualified to work with this target group.
8.2.4 Reference to youth organizations (private or state) and/or projects which
help unemployed
The National Youth Council of Slovenia (Mladinski svet Slovenije) is a voluntary association
of national youth organisations with the status of an organisation in the public interest in the
youth sector in accordance with the Act regulating the Public Interest in the Youth Sector.
There are 11 members included in the National Youth Council (May 2016). 14 The National
Youth Council of Slovenia and the local community youth councils are legal persons
governed by private law with the rights, obligations and responsibilities determined by law
and the basic act.
There are several relevant youth NGO’s which are not members of the national youth
council:
- The Youth Network MaMa combines and represents organizations that run youth
centres or are active in the field of youth work in Slovenia in order to support the
youth, their spending of quality free time and a better life in the society. With its
activities the Youth Network MaMa stimulates and promotes creative activities of the
youth and emphasizes the principles of tolerance, cooperation and at the same time
social awareness among its members and the wider public.
- Institute NEFIKS is a Youth organisation that promotes the values of volunteering
and non-formal education in Slovenia by motivating young people to get education in
different areas and persuading employers to consider non-formal education as a
reference when getting a job.
- MOBIN, youth mobility and information institute, is a non-governmental non-profit
organization, which manages the European Youth Card Programme in Slovenia
named Ej!KArtica (previously called EUR<26).
- Youth Information and Counselling Centre of Slovenia (MISSS) is non-
governmental non-profit organization, working as national youth information and
counselling service, thus collaborating with 16 regional and local youth information
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77
and counselling centres throughout Slovenia which are mainly part of the local youth
centre. The local YIC, applying the European standards and principles of generalist
youth information work, disseminate information in their local space and provide
counselling in choosing the right information.
- The Social Academy encourages the social responsibility of Slovene citizens by
engaging in education, research and cultural activities. The organization Social
Academy relies on three foundations: education, research and culture. The main
activities: Social academy studies, different types of education, cultural and
educational evenings, production of various publications, cultural events and
international activities.
- Voluntariat - SCI Slovenia is a non-profit and non-governmental organisation which
co-ordinates voluntary work and international work camps in Slovenia. Voluntariat
organises training for volunteers and other people in order to spread an
understanding of the ideals of voluntary work; organises voluntary work in Slovenia
together with local groups, associations and other organisations which work in the
area of nature conservation, peace education, help to disadvantaged etc.,
- Slovene Philanthropy is a humanitarian organization operating in public interest
since 1992. Their programs are aimed at increasing the quality of life in the
community and advocacy for the socially weak. The central activity of Slovene
Philanthropy is the promotion of volunteering.
Source: Country sheet on youth policy in Slovenia
8.3 Recommendations & Best practices from your organisation and
country in relation to the project
Best practice from the Heart of Slovenia:
OPIN - European toolbox for youth e-Participation projects
OPIN is an all-in-one digital and mobile participation toolbox, easily embedded in the web
presence of youth organisations or public administrations. OPIN provides participation
projects with a digital home. All stages of the project are transparent and supported by
OPIN’s software:
features for digital and mobile participation
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78
easy to embed participation processes on your web site
intelligent community management
integration of offline events
multimedia information about your project
The toolbox is developed to support quality participation by design. Concentrated practical
tips and a tool for project management help to plan and find the right tools for your purpose.
Build a professional eParticipation process without being a pro. Existing features:
collaborative text work
collecting ideas
mobile polling
Five pilot programmes are currently testing OPIN and will give feedback for improvements:
The City of Paris
The French Federation of Community Centers
AEGEE - European Students' Forum
A cross-border partnership between Italy and Slovenia
The Region Heart of Slovenia
More information: http://opin.me
8.3.1 Summary and conclusion
How could all these helps to implement the project?
Development Centre of the Heart of Slovenia implements its projects in the Heart of Slovenia
area which connects 7 municipalities. In STEER project we are thinking to focus particularly
on 3 municipalities: Kamnik and Mengeš, which are the most active in local youth policies
and would be appropriate for a pilot.
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79
9. Primary Research Analysis:
The primary research analysis was based on surveys that conducted in the form of
questionnaires in the six participant countries. The total number of questionnaires 150, has
surpassed the overall number of 120 questionnaires which was the initial target and 20
questionnaires per country. The responded questionnaires in Greece is almost double
26.7% of the average number of questionnaires in the partner countries. The average
number of questionnaires per country is 20-28.
9.1 Chart 1, Completed questionnaires per country
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Chart 2 below, shows how the project’s two main target groups are being represented in the
sample. From the total number of the people questioned, 56% were women and 44% were
men. The percentage is relatively balanced without great disparity.
9.2 Chart 2, Completed questionnaires per gender
Variations in age are more prominent among participants as the Chart 3 shows below.
From the total number of participants, 43.3% belong to the age group 22-26 years,
28% are of the ages 26-29 years old and 21.33% of the people questioned are above
30+, a relatively high percentage. Only 7.33% belongs to the age group 18-21.
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9.3 Chart 3, Age group of participants
As demonstrated by the Chart 4, the greatest percentage of respondents 34% represents
university graduates. Second largest group is of those with secondary education
background, 33.7%, followed by participants with higher non-university qualifications and
post university qualifications which are equally dispersed and represent 13.3% of the
sample. The remaining 6% and the lowest percentage are primary education respondents
who usually present the higher levels of unemployment.
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9.4 Chart 4, Participants per education level
The total duration of unemployment presents great disparities, as shown in Chart 5. The
majority of respondents 42.7% stated that their unemployment duration is between 0-6
months. This percentage is almost double in comparison with the long-term unemployment
data that amounts at 14%. From the total number, 14% of participants stated that they are
unemployed between 7-12 months and 22.7% of them between 12-24 which are considered
long-term unemployed.
Months Respondents Percentage
0-6 months 64 42.7%
7-12 months 31 20.7%
12-24 months 21 14%
24 < 34 22.7%
9.5 Chart 5, Duration of unemployment
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Chart 6, shows the percentage of people registered in the public employment services.
Great discrepancy can be identified between the two groups of which 70% are registered
and less than half 30% are not registered.
9.6 Chart 6, Percentage of participants registered in the public employment
services
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In the questions asked whether somebody was not registered in the public employment
services, responses varied by country and participant. Among the respondents, a great
number stated that they didn’t know that it is necessary, others believed that their services
are not helpful, some of them answered that they are studying, and others that they are not
interested at all.
9.7 Chart 7, What are the main reasons you are not in employment?
The level of satisfaction of support provided to unemployed youth by the national public
employment services is relative low. Almost half of respondents rated the services poor,
24%, or very poor, 21.3%, while 40% found the support relatively satisfactory and only 12%
found it good or very good, 2.7%.
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9.8 Chart 8, How would you rate the level of support provided to unemployed youth
by the national public employment services of your country?
Among the respondents, many of the responses expressed a disappointment for the
employment opportunities for young people, either related to the limited work experience
and lack of qualifications, financial restraints for young people or lack of internship
opportunities. Many responses stated the mismatch of qualifications and the labour market
needs, while others were corresponding to the economic crisis and the financial difficulties
as well as the restrains in the labour market. Those answers providing extra validation to the
findings of the Chart 8 as it is shown below.
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From the main obstacles that were documented for the respondents of the questionnaires,
a very strong reason was the lack of experience and reputation as responded 78 of the
participants, amounted to 52%, following by 38% of the sample which stated as an obstacle
the mismatch between education and labour market needs. From the total, 150 participants,
41 identified that there is lack of adequate funding opportunities for young entrepreneurs,
and 35 considered that the lack of internship opportunities is also a burden. Lack of
mentorship was also perceived as a stepping stone according to 26 participants, equal to
17.3%. Finally, 12% of the sample responded that administrative burdens were one of the
reasons for not finding a job while another 6.9% stated other reasons.
9.9 Chart 9, What are the main obstacles that you face when trying to find a job?
It is worth noticing that some valuable opinions were presented when participants asked
what measures should be implemented by the state actors and other bodies to reduce
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unemployment. A great number of the sample indicated that more opportunities for youth
should be created as well as accredited training courses for skills development according to
the labour market needs. The necessity to create entrepreneurial possibilities was also
prominent among other responses especially for youth living in rural areas with limited
resources. Active policies including subsidized employment programmes and internships
are also considered supportive measures to tackle youth unemployment. Mentoring and
career guidance together with long-lasting job creation that will enhance the skills and
experience of youth in different sectors are some of the much-needed actions.
(Questionnaire reference: Question, 10)
Those findings complement the value of involvement in youth work activities for those young
unemployed who have actually participated. From the total sample, only 42.67%
respondents have participated in such activities in comparison with 86, amounted of more
than half of the sample, 57.33% who have responded that they have not.
10.11 Chart 10, Have you ever been involved in youth work activities?
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(Questionnaire reference: Question 11.1)
There was a different perception of young people about youth work activities so those who
have stated that they have participated in such activities have given different replies. Many
of the respondents related youth work with volunteering in different organisations and
European youth exchanges/mobility programmes, while others connected their involvement
to sports and participation in creative activities. Internships in different fields were also
perceived as some kind of youth work.
Although, most of the respondents have not participated in youth work activities as shown
before, it is impressive to notice that a great majority almost 84%, indicated that youth work
can play an important role in finding work. This figure is quite encouraging for the
development of new mechanisms for tackling youth unemployment. Therefore, 16% of the
sample does not find youth work helpful due to different reasons that will be further
explained.
10.12 Chart 11, Do you believe that youth work play an important role in finding
work?
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(Questionnaire reference: Question 12.1)
Overall, the participants demonstrated that youth work can provide experience and
competences that can be applied for further professional development. In addition, it
provides opportunities for networking and indicates personal skills such as motivation, good
communication and social skills. Apart from that, it provides stimulus for young people and
functions as the engine for smoother integration in to the labour market, considering the
practical knowledge that young people can gain and the learning outcomes that they have.
A small percentage believed that youth work can help in developing new skills and gain
experience but to find a job.
Apart from youth work, when assessing the courses that could help in reintegration into the
labour market, almost 58% of the respondents stated that providing career guidance and
counselling it is considered as the most valuable course. Development of life management
and social skills, has perceived as equally important for labour market mainstreaming for
about 35% of the sample. The identification of the strengths and weaknesses of the
participants as well as mentoring are in the same line providing important feedback for the
fact that young people need external support and regular advice in issues related to self-
related skills which could be transferable in seeking employment. That also demonstrates
the gaps in career orientation of people who try to make a transition from education to the
labour market and do not have the required knowledge to make appropriate career plans or
to take further steps that could facilitate this process.
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10.13 Chart 12, Which of the following courses do you think that will help you in
your reintegration into the labour market?
(Questionnaire reference: Question 13.1)
In general, the lack of skills that have been identified as missing are varied in nature among
respondents, despite the fact that similar necessities can be acknowledged in the IT field
and digital competences, knowledge of foreign languages, motivation and decision making
capacities, soft and networking skills. It is remarkable the fact that young people need
mentoring and career guidance together with CV building skills for improving their career
prospects.
In line of a general assessment of skills needs and courses that could facilitate labour market
integration, a great number of respondents 107 out of 150, demonstrated their willingness
to participate in youth mentoring sessions as part of the STEER project as the figures show.
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10.14 Chart 13, A key activity of the STEER project is the delivery of youth
mentoring sessions for unemployed youth with the aim of helping their transition to
employment. Would you participate in such sessions?
Despite the different needs and skills mentioned in previous questions, young people who
accepted to participate in mentoring sessions are expected that youth workers will be
qualified in different key competences according to Youthpass classification. The most
prominent competences that youth workers should carry are sense of initiative and
entrepreneurship as shown by 48.7% or 72 or respondents. It was equally agreed that digital
competences and learning to learn skills are valuable in building the transition process to
employment. Although 37.3% mentioned that social and civic competences could facilitate
this process, 31.3% also agreed that communication in the mother tongue was relatively
important in comparison to 28.7% of the sample that considers cultural awareness and
expression as key competences for a youth worker undertaking this role.
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10.15 Chart 14, Which of the following Youthpass key competences would you
consider to be the most important for a youth worker mentoring you during your
labour market transition?
(Questionnaire reference: Question 16)
Respondents were generally positive on the impact of youth work in reducing youth
unemployment. Some interesting comments focused on the role of youth work in increasing
motivation and self-esteem and creating networking opportunities. The potential for
employment that youth work can offer it was also mentioned together with the development
of new competences and life learning skills. Finally, participants acknowledged the
importance of non-formal training that can be provided through youth work activities and
career orientation as well as equal opportunities for youth.
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10. Conclusions and Recommendations
This research has reached very interesting outcomes related to the situation of youth
unemployment in the six participant countries. The unemployment levels among youth are
significantly higher comparison to the general unemployment rates as the research shows,
creating limited opportunities and life-long effects. Youth unemployment is higher among
youth groups with lower educational background. The increased numbers of jobless youth
can have serious long-term impact consequences both for the labour markets and the young
people themselves often characterised as the “lost generation”. European economy has to
face the challenges due to the ageing population and that can have consequences on some
countries’ productivity especially when large numbers of young people remain unemployed
for long periods, creating scaring effects and a loss of human capital. Beyond the mere
economic data, we need to consider the social effects of this phenomenon in terms of
disengagement from the labour market and society, isolation, health risks and social
exclusion.
The situation has been deteriorated in some countries due to the economic crisis, a fact that
has impacted in increasing the unemployment rates among men and a loss to the
“traditionally male occupations”, in countries such as Greece for example. In addition,
particularly worrying is the situation related to young people who characterized as NEETs
(Not in Education, Employment, or Training). Bulgaria and Greece have the largest
percentage of NEETs in Europe, mainly concentrated on ages between 19-24, and on ethnic
minority groups including Roma and migrants, which signifies a crucial time period for a
young person’s productive life. Moreover, the integration of NEETs in society require
targeted strategies and human and financial resources, that often countries lack due to
economic hardship. NEETs totally face other burdens such as lack of funding opportunities
for entrepreneurship, lack of mentorship programmes, lack of experience and a great
mismatch between qualifications and the labour market needs.
As the results showed, the situation is particularly alarming in some countries if not all, and
often the designated strategies to tackle youth unemployment are limited in effect. Some of
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the participant countries lack an overall national youth strategy and the existing institutional
framework is based on short-term active policies and subsidized programmes that cannot
address structural unemployment problems. That requires the development of new
strategies, that will focus on real problems such as youth unemployment, social inclusion,
human rights and intercultural understanding together with the designing and provision of
targeted welfare services.
Youth work also presents gaps in relation to unexciting institutional frameworks which define
the role of youth work as such as well as proper education and training for youth workers
which will target concretely the current challenges they face. Therefore, as this research
investigated the role of youth workers has been strengthen during the crisis and their role in
many cases substitutes the public welfare provisions that should be existing in first place.
Beyond the scope of this research is the identification of the needs of young unemployed in
their transition and/or reintegration to the labour market. According to the results of the
survey the mismatch of qualifications and educational gaps are the main reasons for people
not in employment, considering that the provision of national support is very poor or less
than fair or fair. That comes to confirm the institutional differentiations among partner
countries but also demonstrates the lack of policies and measures which aim particularly to
tackle the problem of youth unemployment. The most common challenges that young people
face is the mismatch of qualifications, financial restraints and funding for young
entrepreneurs, lack of internships and work experience opportunities. That means that the
educational establishments in the target countries provide do not provide targeting training
that meets the labour demands or the national strategies do not cover compulsory
internships as part of their national curriculums in all educational levels. This consists the
main obstacle of youth when seek for job or trying to make the transition from education to
employment.
The need for creating more employment opportunities for youth and to receive accredited
training courses was shared by most participants and across all countries. What it was also
identified and generally agreed was the need for creation of entrepreneurial opportunities
particularly in countries when new jobs are limited and entrepreurship is a deadlock. Helpful
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measures that could reduce or tackle unemployment, should entail subsidised employment
programmes and internships in combination with mentoring and career guidance that
provides more targeting aims for young people’s career paths.
A recurring theme was that young people should be involved in youth activities and been
able to adapt informal learning to the individual needs as well as developing new social skills
that will facilitate their transition to employment. A new stimulus for young people is to use
youth work and particularly allocated courses to cover specific needs, tailor-made for their
own educational gaps. Interesting comments from participants, demonstrated the
identification of strengths and weakness and the development of life management and social
skills.
A general assessment of courses that should be more focused on career guidance,
counselling and mentoring. This process should be nurtured from an early stage so to
prepare young people for the job market. Strategic training should also include tailor-made
courses according to the market needs which also aim to cover particular gaps which this
study identified. Young people lack
digital competences, knowledge of foreign languages, motivation and decision making
capacities, soft and networking skills which could considerable help them in improving their
career prospects.
Despite the different needs and skills mentioned, the feedback provided was that young
works should carry specific characteristics in order to provide mentoring to young people in
the process of transition. A useful point made was that youth workers should have a sense
of initiative and entrepreneurship, followed by digital competences and transmission of
knowledge capacities. Cultural awareness are also key components for youth workers un-
dertaking this role.
Several recommendations were made but the most interesting ones are provided below:
The creation of parental care facilities for assisting parents working with their children
especially among vulnerable groups or ethnic minority groups
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Improving the educational curricula at schools, VET institutions and other educational
levels to be more practically and digitally oriented, and to include innovative ideas
that can enhance young people’s minds and thinking. The developed curricula should
respond to market needs and prepare students for the situations that are going to
face in the labour market
Developing measures that will increase dissemination of information among young
people as well as counselling and career guidance regarding the possibilities existing
in education and employment
Increasing motivation and building self-esteem activities and inclusive policies for
marginalised social groups such as Roma, migrant groups, ethnic groups.
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11. Annexes
11.1 National Report Template
Current Situation Analysis and transfer of know-how & good practices in the partner
countries
1. The problem of unemployment in your country (800-1200 words)
i. General characteristics (e.g. current situation, unemployment rates etc.),
ii. emphasis on youth unemployment and NEETs,
iii. State’s role in tackling unemployment (e.g. the State helps to those who leave
school to find work? If yes, how? If no, there are other procedures that help unem-
ployed?),
iv. Mention other state or EU funded employment schemes and how effect (e.g. Youth
Guarantee)
2. Basic characteristics of youth workers in your country (800-1200 words)
i. The socio-economic scope of youth work,
ii. Status of youth workers (e.g. Educational background, values, benefits etc),
iii. Needs of youth workers (e.g. the obstacles that youth workers face when working
with NEETs and young unemployed),
iv. Reference to youth organizations (private or state) and/or projects which help un-
employed.
3. Recommendations & Best practices from your organisation and country in re-
lation to the project (600-800 words)
1. Summary and conclusion
How could all these help to implement the project (potential prospects and oppor-
tunities)?
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11.2 STEER Questionnaires
STEER Needs Analysis Questionnaire
STEER ("Supporting the Transition from Education to Employment of youth at Risk") is an 18 month
long project that aims to to design, develop, deliver and test a comprehensive training programme for
youth workers in transition planning. Trained youth workers will utilize their training to support the
transition from education to employment for NEETs and unemployed youth.
The purpose of the STEER Needs Analysis Questionnaire is twofold:
1) To reveal the setbacks that hinder the transition of NEETs (persons not in employment or
education and training) and young unemployed from education to employment
and
2) To receive feedback from NEETs and young unemployed, on what impact youth work could
have in fostering youth employment.
Basic information
1. Country *
o Greece
o Bulgaria
o Italy
o Cyprus
o Slovenia
o Portugal
2. Gender *
o Female
o Male
3. Age *
o 18-21
o 22-26
o 26-29
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o 30+
4. Formal Education *
o Primary
o Secondary
o Higher non-university
o University
o Post University (postgraduate or/and doctorate)
5. Duration of unemployment *
o 0-6 months
o 7-12 months
o 12-24 months
o more than 24 months
6. Are you registered in the public employment services? *
o Yes
o No
6.1 Why aren't you registered in the public employment services? *
Exploring youth unemployment
7. What are the main reasons you are not in employment? *
o a. Family reasons
o b. Education
o c. Qualifications and experience behaviour in the labour market
o d. Lack of motivation
o Other:
8. How would you rate the level of support provided to unemployed youth by the national
public employment services of your country? *
o Very poor
o Poor
o Fair
o Good
o Very good
9. What are the main obstacles that you face when trying to find a job? *
o a. Administrative burdens
o b.Lack of adequate funding opportunities for young entrepreneurs
o c.Lack of experience and reputation
o d.Lack of mentors (mentorship programs)
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o e. Mismatch between their education and labour market needs
o f.Lack of internship opportunities
o Other:
10. What measures could be taken by both the state and other actors to reduce youth
unemployment? *
Youth work & employment
Youth work can be defined as a broad range of activities (e.g. social, cultural, educational, sports-
related and political) carried out with, by and for young people through non-formal and informal
learning. Youth work has three essential features: - Young people choose to participate; - The work
takes place where the young people are; - It recognises that the young person and the youth worker are
partners in a learning process. Youth work helps young people to reach their full potential. It
encourages personal development, autonomy, initiative and participation in society. (
http://ec.europa.eu/youth/policy/implementation/work_en.htm )
11. Have you ever been involved in youth work activities (e.g. internship, NGO experience,
voluntary service, or mobility)? *
o Yes
o No
12. Do you believe that youth work can play an important role in finding work? *
o Yes
o No
12.1 Please explain why you answered yes or no in the above question.
13. Which of the following courses do you think will help you in your reintegration into the
labor market? *
o a. Mentoring
o b. Development of life management and social skills
o c. Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the participant
o d. Providing career guidance and counselling
o e. Developing soft and transferable skills
13.1 What other skill(s) are you missing?
14. A key activity of the STEER project is the delivery of youth mentoring sessions for
unemployed youth with the aim of helping their transition to employment. Would you
participate in such sessions? *
o Yes
o No
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Youthpass is a European recognition tool for non-formal and informal learning in youth work. Youth
workers who participate and complete the STEER training programme will receive a certificate based
on the Youthpass framework. For more information on Youthpass and its key competences please visit
the website: https://www.youthpass.eu/en/youthpass/about/process/kcs/
15. Which of the following Youthpass key competences would you consider to be the most
important for a youth worker mentoring unemployed youth's transition to employment? *
o a. Communication in the mother tongue
o b. Digital competence
o c. Learning to learn
o d. Social and civic competences
o e. Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship
o f. Cultural awareness and expression
16. Please provide your feedback on how youth work could play a role in reducing youth
unemployment and/or any other comment you might have on the specific issue. *
If you want to participate in the STEER project please fill in the contact form
found in the following link: https://goo.gl/forms/JEL7Sio2NvKO2hsz1
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12. References per country report
13.1 Bulgaria
Alliance. (2015). Проучване на младежките нагласи и нужди [Study of youth attitudes
and needs]. Retrieved from http://www.kauzi.org/uploads/File/Research.pdf
Council of Ministries. (2013). National Youth strategy 2014-2020. Retrieved from
https://www.google.bg/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&ved=0ahUKEwj42J
SCksvOAhUB6xQKHcMiCMQFghIMAc&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.strategy.bg%2FFileHa
ndler.ashx%3FfileId%3D4332&usg=AFQjCNEZchqy5bHn3AZYE5i6rC43vohkGw&sig2=he
ZOur2nMgDmuWHE8cdkYw&bvm=bv.129759880,d.bGs&cad=rja
Mediana (2012). Младежка безработица в България – фактори, типове безработица,
социално-психологически нагласи, държавана политика, програми, ефективност на
мерките, очертаване на проблемите, Доклад [Youth unemployment in Bulgaria - Factors
types of unemployment, socio-psychological factors, government policies, programs,
performance measurement, outlining the problems, Report]. Retrieved from
http://www.ilianaiotova.eu/files/h_g_DOCLAD_youth_unemployment_2012.pdf
National Statistical Institute [NSI]. (2015). Безработни лица и коефициенти на
безработица - национално ниво, Динамичен ред [Unemployed and unemployment rates
- national level, Time series]. Retrieved from
http://www.nsi.bg/bg/content/4002/%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%88%D0%
BD%D0%B8-%D0%B4%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%B8
Tsoneva, E. (2010). Младежка безработица в България – икономически и социални
проблеми [Youth unemployment in Bulgaria – economic and social problems]. Dialog (1)
pp. 44-58. Retrieved from http://www.uni-svishtov.bg/dialog_old/2010/1.10.EC.pdf
United Nations Children‘s Fund [UNICEF]. (2015) Assessment of the Status and Analysis
of the Profile of Adolescents and Young People not in Employment, Education or Training
(NEETs) Summary
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13.2 Greece
Claire Dheret, Youth Employment-Does the EU care about its future? European Policy
Centre, Policy Brief 2013
CoE, Country Reports on Youth Work, Greece http://pjp-
eu.coe.int/documents/1017981/3084952/Youth_Work_Greece.pdf/eea9f12f-4708-4413-
8b92-372f6160fe49
CoE, Country Sheet on Youth Policy in Greece, 2012 http://pjp-
eu.coe.int/documents/1017981/1668139/Hellenic_country_sheet_2011.pdf/05049a39-
c832-4c53-ae44-1e5fa985204e
Dora Giannaki, Youth work in Greece: a historical overview, http://pjp-
eu.coe.int/documents/1017981/8437152/H4_Greece.pdf/903fba48-35a4-4283-98dd-
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Eurostat, NEETs Statistics in Europe http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-
explained/index.php/Statistics_on_young_people_neither_in_employment_nor_in_educat
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Report, First Results, Part A’
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13.3 Italy
Armanda Cetrulo (2014). Master Thesis; The State of Youth Unemployment in Italy:
Looking towards Europe for Solutions?
https://eu.boell.org/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/02/presentation_armanda_cetrulo.pdf
Directorate-General for Internal Policies (2014). Country Report Italy; The Social and
Employment Situation in Italy.
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/note/join/2014/518757/IPOL-
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European Commission (2014). Country Report Italy; Working with young people, the value
of youth work in the European Union. http://www.youthpolicy.org/library/wp-
content/uploads/library/2014_EU_Youth_Work_Study_Country_Report_Italy.pdf
Isi-Growth (2015). Working Paper; Labour market reforms in Italy: evaluating the e ects of
the Jobs Act. http://www.isigrowth.eu/wp-
content/uploads/2015/12/working_paper_2015_5.pdf
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rallentamento della produttivita’del lavoro e la crescita dell’occupazione. Il ruolo del
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Leaving. http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2024136,00.html
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Carcillo, Stéphane ( 5th October 2016), Society at a Glance 2016 A Spotlight on Youth, How
does Portugal compare?, OECD Social Policy Division, Directorate for Employment, Labour
and Social Affairs
Prepared by Allison Dunne, Daniela Ulicna, Ilona Murphy, Maria Golubeva Checked by
Daniela Ulicna, Margaret James, Working with young people: the value of youth work in the
European Union, (February 2014) European Commission, Directorate-General for
Education and Culture
STEER project ref. no. 2016-1-CY02-KA205-000749
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105
Coppola, Gianluigi and O'Higgins, Niall, Youth and the Crisis: Unemployment, education
and health in Europe, Routledge Studies in labour Economics
Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion The Youth Guarantee country by country – Portugal
13.5 Cyprus
EU Youth Report (2012), EU Youth Report [online] Available at:
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2016]
Ministry of Labour welfare and Social insurance Cyprus (2016) Speech by the Minister of
Labour and Social Insurance on «The Integration of Young People in the Labour Market»
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[Accessed 10 Aug 2016]
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http://www.tradingeconomics.com/cyprus/youth-unemployment-rate [Accessed 10 Aug
2016]
STEER project ref. no. 2016-1-CY02-KA205-000749
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This presentation reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein
106
15.6 Slovenia
Labour Force Survey Results, Slovenia, 2nd quarter 2016
SURS
The social profile of young people in Slovenia - Urad RS za mladino
Country sheet on youth policy in Slovenia
Zavod RS za zaposlovanje
Vlada Republike Slovenije - http://www.vlada.si/
Smernice aktivne politike zaposlovanja:
http://www.mddsz.gov.si/fileadmin/mddsz.gov.si/pageuploads/dokumenti__pdf/zapo
slovanje/Smernice_APZ_2016_2020__final.pdf
OPIN platform: http://opin.me