Problem addressed

The project addressed the issue of youth disengagement in Italy with a focus on the Emilia-Romagna region, where 15% of 18–29-year-olds are NEETs. Traditional services often fail to reach this group due to fragmented outreach and misconceptions that frame them as lazy or unmotivated. In reality, they often experience psychological distress, economic instability and a lack of direction. The structural complexity of public services intensifies this issue: overlapping jurisdictions and a lack of coordinated support networks hinder effective engagement. This project redefined the reactivation of NEETs by promoting international mobility and viewing it as a collective responsibility. It emphasised the role of family, community, and local institutions in guiding young people back into pathways of opportunity.

Innovative solution

"We NEET EU" introduces a network-based approach to pilot the ALMA model for the first time in Emilia-Romagna. Its key innovation lies in combining international mobility with holistic support that involves different national and international stakeholders.  

During their stay in Seville (Spain) and Lisbon (Portugal), participants engaged in work-based learning experiences within local companies. They were involved in a variety of sectors, including tourism and hospitality (e.g. hotel reception and tourist services), office administration (e.g. secretarial work in a law firms, in a pharmacy) marketing and communication (e.g. social media management and video editing), education and childcare (e.g. educators assistants in preschools and summer camps), retail (e.g. in plant shops and in pet stores). These WBL experiences were designed to foster the development of technical skills and role-specific knowledge, to improve autonomy in performing daily and job-related tasks and to enhance soft skills such as problem solving, effective communication, adaptability, teamwork and stress management. At the end of the mobility participants highlighted significant improvements in their technical know-how, autonomy and self-determination.

Key results and benefits

• 24 NEETs completed the mobility experiences in Spain (16) and Portugal (8). Of them 16 were long term unemployed. 
• Participants gained not only job-related experience but also soft skills, foreign language competencies and enhanced self confidence.
• 120 hours of training and 20 hours of coaching were delivered pre-departure per participant, focusing on empowerment, intercultural skills, and communication.
• 15 NEETs successfully transitioned into employment or further training pathways upon return in Italy.
• A multi-stakeholder partnership involving a Regional Authority, VET providers, Chambers of Commerce and   NGOs and institutions dealding with the mobility was established.
• An interest to align ALMA initiatives with regional ESF+ strategies was demonstrated at the end of the project by the Emilia-Romagna Regional Authority, strategic partner in this project
• A final report was  prepared at the end of the project, outlining lessons learned and conditions for scalability.
 

Potential for mainstreaming

The project demonstrated strong potential for integration into mainstream regional policies. By involving Regione Emilia-Romagna as ESF+ Managing Authority from the start, "We NEET EU" ensured policy relevance and replicability. The pilot offered a blueprint for ALMA-aligned initiatives to be embedded in the Regional Operational Programme as highlighted in the Final Report. 

The future plans foresee the publication of a regional call having as main purpose the promotion of young NEETs employability through international mobility projects. To this end, Emilia-Romagna Region will be inspired by the results coming from the project “We NEET EU” which will be considered to evaluate both the positive and critical aspects encountered throughout the preparation, mobility and follow-up processes