The Project

The general objective of the Newcomers@Work project is the social inclusion and empowerment of newly arrived young NEETs aged 18-25 with a refugee or migrant background through the improvement of their employability skills.

More specifically, it aims to achieve the following objectives:

  • the creation of safe, respectful spaces for young refugee/migrant NEETs;
  • their upskilling through tailor-made, learner-centered educational and training opportunities accustomed to their needs with a strong work-oriented learning dimension;
  • the establishment of their career goals and aspirations;
  • their preparation to enter the labor market of the participating countries through the provision of personalized and holistic support services;
  • mentoring support during their first carreer steps.

At the same time, the project aims to train youth workers in order to provide them with the necessary skills and tools that will facilitate and improve their work with young people with a migrant background.  Considering the big number of migrant NEETs in the participating countries, such capacity-building is also expected to increase the quality, innovation and recognition of the importance of youth work.

Last, it aims to address the importance of cross-sectoral co-operation with youth work, in line with the 2019-2027 EU Youth Strategy, vital for all the priorities mentioned and youth work “may become the bridge into education, training or work, thus preventing exclusion”.

When facing complex issues like the employability and social inclusion of diverse groups of people, one of which are the refugee/migrant NEETs, it is important to create synergies between different sectors of society. In order to make sure that these young people receive the best service possible, all relevant sectors should relate to each other and ideally work together, as the challenges faced are interconnected and stakeholders are not always capable to see such complex phenomena from different perspectives. Only this way can a holistic, effective and long-lasting support be provided. Such synergies will include employers, state employment or welfare offices, the newcomer NEETs themselves, as well as youth and non-governmental organizations, with a special focus on migrant-led organisations. Therefore, both NEETs and youth workers will be engaged and actively participate in all phases of the project.