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Skills SHaring Among youth and Learning On eMployability
Start date: Aug 1, 2014, End date: Dec 31, 2014 PROJECT  FINISHED 

According to OECD statistics, youth uneomployment rate in Israel (11,6%), besides being lower than the OECD average (of 16,2%), is significantly lower than the Italian data (29,1%). This situation is possible thanks to the good practices adopted by government institutions and businesses at a local and national level. Taking this information into account, this project sets out to address the issue of the growing youth unemployment rate in Mantuan Oltrepò local area. The main action of this project was a study visit which allowed a group of 10 Italian youth workers to experience the virtuous Israeli employability strategies. The group was formed as follows: youth workers with no age limits and with heterogeneous backgrounds usually working for local projects related to Youth, Education and Welfare aspects in the Mantuan Oltrepò area. In particular, by experiencing directly the good youth policies and youth employment practices in use in Israel, and thanks to peer learning and non formal learning, Italian participants enriched their practical knowledge and skills, widen their point of view, gained new attitudes and acquired competences in order to help young people they usually work with to improve their personal development and employability in the European labour market. Moreover, they had the chance discuss future opportunities of collaboration with their Israeli partners.During their period in Israel, Italian participants visited local Municipalities and met Israeli mayors and representatives of Youth, Education, Welfare and Employment departments and became acquainted with the technology hubs they are using to facilitate youth employability. Moreover, participants visited local businesses, the Knesset (Israeli Parliament), and local associations dealing with youth integration in the work force. Through the meetings and workshops organised on these occasions, the participants got familiar with Israeli good policies related to youth employability and in particular they analysed thoroughly the strategies of cooperation between the local government and the business sector. The non formal learning of participants was assessed throughout the duration of the activities, and in particular one mid term and one final specific meetings was organized during the period abroad to allow participants to evaluate among them the experience. Furthermore, thanks to the peer to peer comparison, the present project helped raise participants' understanding and awareness of cultures different from theirs and provided them the chance to build networks of international contacts.On the one hand, the expected outcomes of this project on youth workers were basically an increased sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, increased self-empowerement and self-esteem, the ability to help young unempoyed people they work with enhance their employability, improve their career opportunities and enhanced intercultural awareness. On the other hand, participating organisations and target groups in general are expected to benefit from the acquisition of good practices and strategies about youth employability and to enrich their experience in youth programs and networking activities with particular emphasis on employability-related themes.Finally, considering the potential longer term benefits generated by this project, the main envisaged results at regional and national level concerned firstly Italian local administrations, who may catch the result of this project as an opportunity to adopt innovative good practices with the aim to increase employability opportunities for youth in their area; secondly the implementation of this project represented the starting point for other organizations at regional or national level to carry out similar projects to promote youth employability in different areas of Italy.

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