Finland’s ‘Digillä Duuniin!’ project (Digital Applications in Youth Employment Services!) developed and tested different methods of providing online employment services for young people living in sparsely populated rural areas. Funded by the European Social Fund and working alongside a partner project in Lithuania, the project developed new tools and services including online youth workshops and games that support employment and entrepreneurship coaching, with a focus on digital and online tools.

These innovative methods met with real success for young people not in employment, education or training. The project increased youth employment in eastern Finland and other European regions through local and regional development, international experience exchanges and service modelling.

Heikki Kantonen, who is a project worker at ‘Digillä Duuniin!’ stated: ‘The project focused not only on digital capacity building, but also more generally on activating young people and developing their own thinking. It is not enough for the services and technology to be in place and available unless the young people themselves want to go in the direction desired by society or anywhere at all. The developed methods increased social empowerment and supported the young people to also move forward along their path to working life.‘

The project’s activities helped increase employment opportunities and overall understanding of entrepreneurship among young people in regions where access to training and employment services are often not available. The benefits for young people participating in the project included the development of much-needed skills, and preparation for sustainable, quality employment in today’s dynamic labour market.