EASY

Duration: 01.04.2024 – 30.09.2026

Project number: 2023-2-FR02-KA220-YOU-000175177

In the face of escalating challenges such as youth unemployment, the digital transformation, economic inflation, and the proximity of war, the European Union is confronted with a significant skills mismatch. This issue has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving many companies in search of talents with the right skills and young people struggling to find jobs that match their qualifications. In response to these challenges, the EASY project is set to design and implement an upscaling program aimed at equipping thousands of young people with the in-demand skills necessary for securing proper and secure employment. This initiative is guided by recommendations from the World Economic Forum and the European Year of Skills Agenda, with a focus on identifying, building, and harnessing emerging skills among the youth. This aligns with the project’s main priority of strengthening the employability of young people. The digital transformation, accelerated by the pandemic, has revealed a significant skills gap, with the EU Digital Index indicating that 4 out of 10 employable individuals and every third European worker lacks basic digital skills. This digital skills deficit particularly impacts young people in their job search, highlighting the need to enhance their digital capabilities to navigate the digital landscape more effectively. Moreover, the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report identifies digital and technological skills as being in high demand, prompting the EASY project to aim for the validation, enhancement, and solidification of digital skills among the youth. This objective is in line with the project’s first additional priority, which addresses digital transformation through the development of digital readiness, resilience, and capacity. The digital divide is also pronounced in the geographical context, with rural areas lagging behind urban centers in digital skills proficiency. The EU’s “long-term Vision for the EU’s Rural Areas” underscores the importance of ensuring no one is left behind, emphasizing the need to boost digital skills and connectivity in rural and suburban regions. Recognizing these disparities, the EASY project dedicates special attention to young people in rural and urban areas, as well as those from disadvantaged communities such as migrants, refugees, and NEETs, aiming to better include them. This is in accordance with the project’s second additional priority, which focuses on inclusion and diversity in all fields of education, training, youth, and sport. The overarching goal of the EASY project is to enhance employability, talent development, and acquisition in disadvantaged communities, providing youth with innovative skills to secure decent jobs. The project’s concrete objectives include overcoming skills mismatches, increasing youth employability through enduring skills, empowering those with fewer opportunities, and tackling the inclusion and empowerment gap in rural and less developed urban areas. EASY introduces a holistic training pathway designed to enhance the employability of young people, covering a range of versatile and transversal skills including digital skills, teamwork, analytical thinking, problem-solving, resilience, and emotional intelligence. By interconnecting and combining these skills, EASY offers a comprehensive training experience that is solutions-oriented and forward-looking, aiming to significantly increase youth employability in the coming years. The project not only provides frameworks and reports but also develops upskilling pathways and offers practical learning and training opportunities in various accessible formats, both online and face-to-face. The main result, an online modular course, will also be utilized in face-to-face local workshops and transnational trainings, catering to the diverse needs and preferences of the target audience. In summary, the EASY project represents a pioneering approach to addressing the multifaceted needs of the labor market through a holistic training program that promises to open doors across various sectors for young people.