Problem addressed

Young people in Latvia and Romania, especially NEETs, face persistent barriers to employment, including low self-confidence, limited digital skills, and a lack of access to supportive networks and opportunities. Traditional employment services often fail to engage these youth or offer tailored, practical solutions. There is a growing need for innovative, inclusive approaches that combine mentoring, skills training, and employer engagement to bridge the gap between young people and the labour market, particularly in underserved regions and among vulnerable groups.

Innovative solution

Digital Works for Youth introduces a compact, practice-based model tailored to NEET youth, offering digital skills training, personalised mentoring, and job speed-dating events. The innovation lies in combining these elements into a three-phase learning and employment cycle that is accessible, engaging, and replicable. The methodology builds on the successful “Go Remote” project but adapts it with a clearer national focus, improved profiling tools, and stronger links to real employers. The project also includes face-to-face activities, especially an international bootcamp in Poland, which brings together NEET youth from both countries for intensive peer learning, confidence-building, and networking. This approach bridges the gap between education and work, using digital tools to reach and activate youth, helping them truly realise their potential.

This project builds on two successful initiatives: the “Go Remote” project (Latvia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia), led by Visas Iespējas, and the SEPAL project (Romania and other EU countries), implemented by Bucovina Institute.

Go Remote focused on tackling youth unemployment through digital mentoring, remote job training, and online job speed-dating, reaching over 6,000 young people, including NEETs. SEPAL offered a personalised, inclusive approach to working with disadvantaged NEET youth, emphasising one-on-one support, in-person guidance, and reintegration into the labour market.

Digital Works for Youth combines the digital outreach and innovation of Go Remote with the deep personalisation and tailored support methods of SEPAL.

Key results and benefits

Digital Works for Youth will empower 600 vulnerable young people (aged 18–30) in Latvia and Romania, especially NEETs, through a structured model of mentoring, training, and job speed-dating events. 

Key results include:

Mentoring for at least 240 participants, focused on personalised guidance and support.

Digital skills training for at least 360 participants, improving confidence and employability.

Job speed-dating events for at least 400 participants, directly connecting youth with employers.

At least 120 participants expected to enter employment.

Two full cycles of activities implemented in both countries, each lasting 9–11 months.

Enhanced youth engagement through in-person meet-ups and international bootcamps, improving peer support and learning.


The project uniquely combines scalable digital outreach with personal, local-level support - drawing from the best practices of Go Remote and SEPAL - and aims to create a replicable model that can be scaled nationally and internationally in future.

Potential for mainstreaming

Digital Works for Youth is designed for scalability and integration into mainstream youth employment and inclusion policies at both national and EU levels. Its core methodology—a structured cycle of digital outreach, mentoring, training, and job speed-dating—is flexible, low-threshold, and cost-effective, making it easy to replicate across different regions and contexts. The project’s strong digital component allows for wide reach, while its in-person elements (e.g. bootcamps, local events) provide depth and impact.