NEETwork Project
NEETwork project (Step 1: 2016-2019. Step 2: June 2021- ongoing)
In Italy, there are over 2 million young people in the 15-29 years age group who are “Not in Education, Employment or Training" (NEETs) and 230,000 of them are in Lombardy (17% of the population in that same age bracket).
NEETs are a varied mix of youngsters in terms of level of education, age, and family background. 40% of NEETs in the 15-29 age bracket have a level of education not higher than middle-school education, a percentage that rises to 42% in the 15-24 age group. These youngsters have poor skills, lack support from family and society, are disheartened about their future prospects and disenfranchised, hence at high risk of marginalization.
Project goal and target group
NEETwork is a project designed to reach out to the most vulnerable NEETs i.e., those youngsters with a low level of education from socially disadvantaged and culturally deprived backgrounds, who have more difficulties in taking action. NEETwork helps these youngsters transition into the labor market by offering them a package of mutually-reinforcing, complementary support services including: career guidance and support, digital skills training and a six-month paid traineeship at a third sector organization (TSO) or at an enterprise (depending on traineeships on offer).
NEETwork is directed at youngsters who are not in education, employment or training and:
- are aged 18 to 24 years
- are domiciled in Lombardy
- have a level of education not higher than middle-school education
- have been unemployed for at least 3 months
- are not enrolled in the Youth Guarantee
Intervention
NEETwork reaches out to the aforesaid group of NEETs via the project website (www.neetwork.eu) and campaigns on the main social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, YouTube). After checking their eligibility, the recruiters of Mestieri Lombardia and Fondazione Adecco contact those who applied for two interviews. The interviews are aimed at getting information on the skills and interests of applicants and selecting the pathway and traineeship that best match their profile. As they enter the program, and at the end of it, these youngsters also receive assistance and support from a coach from the NEETwork coach team.
NEETworks has entailed engagement of Third Sector Organizations (TSOs) operating in Lombardy to identify TSOs willing to partner up with Fondazione Cariplo and offer paid traineeships to NEETs. TSOs participating in the project receive assistance with fulfillment of administrative requirements in connection with the traineeship and financial support (coverage of a portion of the trainee compensation, of occupational safety contributions, third-party liability insurance premiums and expenses for payroll services as well as mandatory occupational health and safety training expenses).
Partners
The project has been promoted by Fondazione Cariplo in partnership with Mestieri Lombardia, Fondazione Adecco and Istituto Toniolo, and in collaboration with Fondazione Vodafone. The Lombardy Regional Administration is the partner local authority.
Third sector organizations and enterprises willing to offer youngsters participating in NEETwork a paid traineeship providing a motivational on-the-job experience are strategic allies in the project.
NEETwork first and second editions
The first edition of NEETwork spanned from 2016 to 2019. Here are some project numbers and results:
- 530 traineeship positions offered by 274 nonprofit organizations;
- 23,000 NEETs meeting eligibility criteria, 2,026 youngsters got contacted, 230 traineeships got started;
- assessment of the effectiveness of online campaigns in reaching out to the project target group of NEETs, including those who typically do not take their CV to public employment services/private recruitment firms;
- youngsters showed a higher level of vulnerability than expected due to their personal history of hurdles and/or failures but also appreciable motivation when engaged in the project and their drive and determination had noticeably increased at the end of the traineeship compared to when they started it;
- a high level of interest in the project both nationally and internationally, and participation in numerous conferences both in Italy and abroad (“Creating Value Together” under an initiative of the European Commission; “Public-Private Collaboration for Social Impact – Tackling Unemployment Together” promoted by European Venture Philanthropy Association; both held in Brussels).
The second edition of NEETwork started in June 2021 with the collection of traineeship offers. The support pathways for NEETs will start in September 2021.
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