Reinforcement of support structures for NEETs in the entrepreneurial field

The E4NEETs project aimed to address the lack of access to entrepreneurship for young adults who are considered as NEETs. Indeed, entrepreneurship and especially social entrepreneurship (SE) can b...

The project wanted to offer a solution to structures working with NEETs (without specific expertise in social entrepreneurship) by training them. This project was in line with the European Recommendation 2018/C 189/01 on key competences for lifelong learning and seen as a prerequisite for providing more job opportunities for NEETs. Moreover, the idea was to create a European community of practice by connecting structures specialized in entrepreneurship (PULSE), education (Belgrade Open School), with diverse organizations working with NEETs, such as Chambers of Commerce (The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Terrassa), NGOs (The Local Mission of Marseille) or Youth umbrella organizations (National Youth Council of Macedonia). The added-value of this project was also to bring together structures that implement the Youth Guarantee in 3 different countries (France, Spain and North Macedonia) to strengthen the activities offered to young people in the framework of this program. Finally, through its results, the project would reinforce existing structures and projects, but also to prove to other stakeholders that it is possible and necessary to integrate and remobilize NEETs through entrepreneurship.

Our project developed a series of 14 activities divided into 3 phases: the co-creation phase from Dec. 2021 to Aug. 2022, the testing phase from Sept. 2022 to July 2023 and the dissemination phase from Aug. to Dec. 2023. The 1st phase led to 6 activities: confirmation of the needs of the 3 structures working directly with NEETs (A1), ecosystem mapping for each entrepreneurial ecosystem (A2), creation of a framework to deliver a support program (A3), creation of training tools for increasing the staff’s skills of each support structure in social entrepreneurship (A4), co-design of animation techniques to complete the training modules (A5) and organization of a European training session (A6). The testing phase implied the organization of events to present the tools in Marseille, Spain and North Macedonia (A7), activities for NEETs in France, Spain and NM by the operational partners (A8), a feedback session to adjust the methodology (A9) and activities for NEETs again in the 3 countries. The 3rd phase aimed at disseminating the tools via a pedagogical tool (A11), videos of NEETs and counsellors’ testimonies (A12), dissemination events in Paris, Spain and Serbia (A13) and the final event in Marseille (A14).

The concrete results of the E4NEETs project were: R1: The acquisition of new skills on entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship for the staff working with NEETs; R2: A better awareness of NEETs about entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship; R3: A better awareness of policy-makers and company executives on the stake of inserting NEETs and how to mobilize them; R4: A transnational dissemination of these innovative methods and productions across Europe and the Mediterranean area. To achieve these results, 3 project products were foreseen and have been developed: PP1: A program framework for the support of NEETs and their awareness of entrepreneurship (based on 3 national needs assessment reports, 3 ecosystem mappings and online interviews with MLM, NYCM and Cambra); PP2: Training tools and techniques on social entrepreneurship for the staff working with NEETs; PP3: A pedagogical booklet on the project. These PPs were co-designed, tested by partners (after the LTT in Spain) in France, Spain and North Macedonia, then updated after one feedback session, before being tested again and finally disseminated at all levels thanks to multiplier events, 1 final event and communication materials.