The project aims to address the needs of Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) youth by reconnecting them with the professional world where they can grow their knowledge-base and build their self-confidence in a safe and welcoming environment.
Over the past several years, multiple challenges have become apparent for the youth in the agricultural sector as well as beyond.
These challenges encompass unemployment, educational failure, lack of references, social and economic barriers, and many more than hinder their integration into both the professional and the social worlds.
Another global challenge with local impact that compounds this issue, is the need of sustainable agriculture to be a major driver in the fight against climate change. Indeed, organic agriculture, alongside agroecology requires more human labour than generally thought, yet there is an increasing trend of individuals turning down positions in these fields.
This project aspires to bridge the gap between youth in need of employment and the agricultural sector requiring more workers. This is also in line with farmer’s needs to pass on their skills and knowledge, alongside of making their sector more sustainable. This is easier said than done: prospective workers require specific tools adapted to their needs, especially for NEET youth. These tools would accompany them towards novel professions in the field of sustainable agriculture and social farming, in turn increasing their employability in the future.
To do so, strengthening the employability of NEET young people into the agricultural world through developing innovative training targeting youth works and trainers will be done through the following objectives:
• Providing tools to youth works to increase awareness on opportunities offered by sustainable agricultural professions;
• Innovative training to provide basic skills and knowledge in organic and/or environmentally friendly farming techniques tackling climate change;
• Increasing the attractiveness of the farming sector and at the same time ensuring adequate working capacities for sustainable farming development across Europe;
• Increasing the interest and ability of farmers to welcome and teach prospective NEET youth.
Project activities to achieve this goal are structured around 4 project results (PR):
• PR1: Developing theoretical training material to specify and produce the pedagogical framework and the theoretical content and then to experiment the course in France, Italy, and Germany with 15 NEET youth per country;
• PR2: Creating an online matching platform to foster and promote connectivity between NEET youth and farmers based on matching criteria;
• PR3: Implementing guidelines to support youth workers to set up and undertake small internships to allow youth workers to experience and discover farm life for 5 days;
• PR4: Testing tailor-made tools for youth workers in an orientation workshop to accompany them towards professions in the sustainable agriculture world.
These project activities alongside these project results will allow project partners and stakeholders from both the social agricultural worlds to develop their skills in social farming. The project addresses the needs of rural areas that lack dynamism and work force by bridging it with NEET youth in need of employment by building a point of reference for job opportunities in the sustainable agricultural sector.
The project is coordinated by Lycée Agricole Le Nivot in France, with partners in Italy, Germany, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Belgium.
Funding Disclaimer:
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. The publication 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. Project N°KA220-YOU-37C49185
