“Youth in transition”

“Youths on the edge” are at risk becoming social outsiders with extremely limited chances of achieving a self-sustaining life. These young people may have made numerous unavailing attempts to complete an education or to achieve employment and find their place in the norm society. Many have become “system-resistant” and distrustful even of the professionals who aim to help them. Appreciative methods and systemic approaches seem to have a positive impact. (Still) isolated attempts in the partner countries send promising signals, and they can become relevant elements of a new way of working across institutional boundaries and for the benefit of the individual.

Impact of the good practice

Establishing ”chain responsibility”: tightening the supportive cross-professional network under each individual NEET, from upper primary school to VET – and backwards, involving VET in a cross-professional collaboration to ease career learning for youths.
Unifying pedagogical approaches and guidance methods in the local ecosystems for working with these youths: education, social work, employment service, administration.
Supplying the professionals with supportive tools and methods.

Applicability/ Transferability of the good practice in VET

“Youth in transition” primarily targets the most vulnerable NEETs. They both have a significant lack of motivation and attitude and a lack of relevant skills. This subgroup of the NEETs are the most ‘hard to reach’ for professionals.

Secondly, cross-sectoral activities enhance and empower the network for professionals around this target group: youth counsellors, educational counsellors, social workers, VET teachers with special tasks, employment counsellors etc.

The profiles of these counselling professionals vary from country to country, and so does the set-up for cooperation and coordination. A common characteristic is that the cross-professional work needs a supportive framework and joint approaches.

Finally, politicians and other decision makers will be encouraged to follow the sustainable implementation.