PROJECT BACKGROUNDYouth unemployment is one of the most pressing challenges Europe faces. According to Eurostat youth unemployment statistics there were 4,96 million unemployed persons under 25 years old in the EU 28 in December 2014, which amounts to a youth unemployment rate of 21.4 %.While many young people search in vain for employment or apprenticeship positions, existing vacancies are often not filled because employers complain they cannot find suitable young candidates. Among the reasons for this gap are lacking basic knowledge about the way enterprises function and an unsatisfactory level of key competences. Such basic business competence, however, is essential for successfully (inter-)acting in the world of work.PROJECT OBJECTIVESYoung people from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds are particularly affected by the risk of unemployment. They are the target group that most urgently need skills, competences and guidance for the competitive labour market.The project addresses this problem by developing a unique non-formal training program leading to internationally recognized certification. It targets young disadvantaged jobseekers.The non-formal training concept combines basic economic knowledge with social and personal skills needed for being successful the labour market. The aim is to enable young jobseekers to become „CEOs of their own lives“. In particular, the following key competences of the European Commission’s key competence framework are addressed:- 4. Digital competence- 5. Learning to learn- 6. Social and civic competences- 7. Sense of initiative and entrepreneurshipPROJECT PARTNER CONSORTIUMThree partners participate in the project consortium from countries with high youth unemployment rates (Hungary, Poland, Spain). PARTICIPANTSThe project will reach a minimum of 188 people benefiting directly from the project.- Participants taking part in pilot testing Entrepreneurial youth camp: 30- Youth workers involved in the Preparation coaching and the Entrepreneurial youth camp: 8- Professionals involved in the development of the training material and Preparation coaching for youth workers: 8- Local and international participants at Multiplier Events: > 150Indirect beneficiaries are hundreds of young disadvantaged job seekers, who potentially could be given a new perspective on life and "self entrepreneurship" through the project approach.PROJECT ACTIVITIES AND METHODOLOGYThe project develops a comprehensive non-formal training package which is tailor-made to the needs of young people, including those with a low level of education, from social-economically disadvantaged backgrounds and at risk of being excluded from the labour market. The training package - which will be piloted during the Entrepreneurial youth camp - includes- Training curriculum defining learning objectives covering three areas:o Economic thinkingo Economic planning and implementationo Personal and social competence- Training Kit according to the Training Curriculum- an interface with the existing certificate EBC*L certification system, which allows the participants to take an internationally recognized exam at the end of the training- didactic concepts which ensure that the non-formal training approach is life-, action-, production- and media-oriented and thus likely to be designed to raise the interest and motivation of the hard-to-get target group- a set of attractive and motivating learning physical and on-line materials on the three areas mentioned above- a Youth workers' Manual how to effectively use these materials- a Preparation coaching for youth workers to enable youth workers to apply and cascade the developed products- a clear and purposeful strategy in terms of quality control, dissemination and sustainability, promoting the outputs and making sure that they will be used by after the end of funding.IMPACT ENVISAGED AND LONGER TERM BENEFITSThe project will lead to an improved offer for youth organisations which meets the necessary competences of young disadvantaged jobseekers. It can be expected that in the long run the project will contribute to a higher employability for young people.