Progress in Work
Project Reference: 2020-2-ES02-KA105-015342
Project Status
Completed
Start date 01-12-2020
End date 30-09-2022
EU Grant
18.654,00 €
Programme
Erasmus+
Key Action
Learning Mobility of Individuals
Action Type
Youth mobility
Summary
Objectives
The project “Progress in Work” was born out of the need of partner organisations to equip their teams with useful and necessary skills for job searching and professional growth, as well as to provide them with tools to independently use and develop these skills. The idea originated from a meeting between representatives of L’Ayalguina and YoWo Poland, who realized that the young people in their respective groups faced similar challenges in finding decent, non-precarious jobs, securing employment opportunities, and achieving job retention. In addition, we noticed a common lack of transversal and personal skills valued by employers and considered essential in the labor market, such as teamwork, interpersonal communication, organization, adaptability, flexibility, creativity, etc. For some young people in our communities, there was also a lack of motivation and self-confidence, as well as distrust in the system, which often led to situations of unemployment, lack of education, or training courses. Therefore, it was decided to collaborate on this topic and to include three other organisations known for their work in improving employability and the personal and professional development of young people from different geographical areas. This led to joint research and the identification of a heterogeneous set of soft skills, required and prioritized in the respective labor markets, that the project aimed to develop to increase participants’ employability, self-esteem, and self-awareness.
In line with objectives 4 (Quality Education) and 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) of the 2030 Agenda, the United Nations aimed to significantly increase by 2030 the number of young people and adults with specific skills for employment and to substantially reduce the proportion of young people who are not in employment, education, or training. Similarly, the Spanish National Agency’s work program for 2020 set as a national priority the development of relevant and high-quality skills and competencies, particularly those aimed at promoting employability and socio-educational and personal development, as well as promoting the inclusion and employability of young people with fewer opportunities, with special attention to those at risk of marginalization.
In full alignment with the above goals, within the objective of the project—to increase participants’ employability by enhancing the soft skills considered essential in the labor market—the project set the following objectives:
- To provide young people with knowledge about soft skills;
- To create a safe space for young people to practice and develop their interpersonal skills and to provide them with tools for this practice;
- To increase awareness of the importance of these skills in the personal and professional lives of young people;
- To boost young people’s self-confidence in their personal and professional lives;
- To motivate participants, especially those with fewer opportunities, to actively seek employment or vocational training;
- To foster reflection and self-analysis both at a group and personal level for better self-awareness and understanding of their own capabilities.
Activities
We implemented two activities: a preparatory visit (APV), which was initially supposed to be conducted in person but was later agreed to be held online, and a youth exchange. Both the APV and the youth exchange met the number of participants initially requested for funding: 7 people participated in the online meeting to develop the activity program, and 33 people participated in the youth exchange held in Spain. Regarding the APV, we included an additional participant from Poland, as there were no additional costs, and this person was responsible for the project’s implementation. There were also some changes in the number of participants from each national group in the second activity, the youth exchange, due to last-minute dropouts; however, we managed to include some additional participants from the local community who showed interest and motivation in participating. All of this was done while ensuring a balance between different genders, Erasmus+ experiences, etc.
Results
Our goal was to provide participants with a safe space to develop their skills. As a result, they were empowered to use the skills they acquired in their lives, in job applications, learning, and engaging in activities around them. We expected participants to develop their knowledge, skills, and attitudes. In terms of knowledge, we expected them to gain new information about soft skills and their importance in education, the learning process, employability, and active life in society. They learned what soft skills are, how to use them, and, most importantly, understood their power. They were expected to acquire new soft skills and further develop those they already possessed. The young people were able to practice these skills during the activities and developed them to the extent that they would be able to use them in daily life. Additionally, participants learned how to continue developing these skills by being introduced to various methods and tools that could help them continue practicing them in their usual environments after the project. We also expected participants to gain more confidence in developing and using the soft skills they acquired and to become more aware of the skills they already had and those they wanted to develop. Finally, it was anticipated that they would feel more empowered to take initiative and be active in their daily lives, in job searching, and in their active lives as citizens.
The participating organisations were indirectly impacted by the project. They were involved in every step of the project (preparation, implementation, dissemination, reporting). In this way, each partner gained knowledge and developed skills related to project organisation. Most of our partners were young organisations established by active young people. By participating in the project, they enhanced their own activities by creating new possible partnerships, acquiring new non-formal education methods and tools, observing and adopting new good practices, gaining experience in organising Erasmus+ projects, and increasing their visibility. The young people sent by the participating organisations developed interpersonal skills and, after the project, were able to share what they had learned with their sending organisations. Thus, the participating organisations indirectly benefited from this and, most importantly, had the opportunity to encourage participants to become more involved in their daily activities. We also gained new contacts for cooperation or strengthened existing ones. In this way, we all have new project possibilities that could be implemented in the future, based on this experience. We also expected all partners to adopt and develop a cooperative and supportive attitude towards online visibility and dissemination materials. They committed to sharing each other’s project materials and ensuring that their posts were also reshared. In this way, we not only ensured a supportive and cooperative link for project organisation and execution but also focused on maintaining this online connection between organisations. As the participating organisations were relatively new, we all benefited from this project by increasing our visibility on social media. This, in turn, will help them find partners in the future and, more importantly, reach more young people in their local communities. We also planned to have an impact on the partners through the Group Leaders of all the national teams: once they participated in the activity, they acquired skills and knowledge about soft skills and, by guiding participants to implement dissemination meetings after the youth exchange, they helped the participating organisations benefit from the potential of the young people. Thus, the organisations expanded their networks and were able to use the methods and tools used during the activity in their daily operations, transferring these resources to their organisational activities thanks to the Group Leaders and participants.
Countries covered
5
Topics:
- Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning
- Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills
- Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment
YEuropa y Erasmus+
Proyecto de movilidad juvenil internacional
YEuropa! Project es el departamento internacional de la Asociación Cultural L’Ayalguina, dedicado a la movilidad juvenil internacional. Nuestro objetivo principal es conectar a personas jóvenes con programas europeos de educación y formación. Nos enfocamos principalmente en becas del programa Erasmus+, que ofrece diversas oportunidades, como intercambios juveniles y cursos de formación para personas que trabajan con jóvenes.
El programa Erasmus+ es una iniciativa de la Unión Europea que brinda oportunidades de aprendizaje y desarrollo a personas de todas las edades. Está diseñado para que los jóvenes puedan experimentar diferentes culturas, adquirir nuevas habilidades y ampliar sus horizontes. A través de becas y proyectos, las personas participantes tienen la oportunidad de viajar, estudiar, trabajar o participar en actividades de voluntariado en otros países europeos.
En este marco, organizamos también proyectos de intercambio y formación en nuestra comunidad, brindando a las personas participantes la oportunidad de sumergirse en nuevas culturas, establecer conexiones internacionales y desarrollar habilidades clave para su crecimiento personal y profesional.