Detailed information about the project are at www.youthcoach.cz

The Youthcoach project is a transnational European VET partnership which aims to transfer, adapt and implement innovative projects and products which

a) strengthen the partnerships between education and employment in initial VET,

b) help reduce the high number of drop outs in VET,

c) develop basic and transversal skills especially entrepreneurial skills with young VET learners and

d) validate skills and competences of these young learners in accordance with Europe 2020, ET 2020 and Erasmus + goals.

The project addresses VET dropout prevention from a multidimensional point of view, involving companies, VET organizations and VET teachers and trainers by focusing on capacity building in both VET teachers and trainers and young VET learners.

Common "toolbox" will be developed based on the products which have been developed, implemented and evaluated by partners in Germany, Slovenia, Czech Republic and Austria and will be transferred to each other and to partners in Croatia, Spain, Greece and Italy.

The product "Vocational Training Assistence" is a German approach, implemented in some of the federal states of Germany, and has been further developed in a project by bfw/inab, Germany. The project integrates youth and young adults with disadvantages (lacking basic skills, no school records, migration background) into the vocational training system by providing consulting, training assistance and learning aid for disadvantaged young people and by providing a holistic external vocational training management for small and medium sized companies.

The product "Toolbox" has been developed by a European partnership represented by the Czech partner Aklub, Toolbox is a database which contains a set of methods and techniques for career advice and consultancy for unemployed people.

The product "Jugendcoaching" has been developed and implemented in Austria on a nationwide scale by Bundessozialamt OÖ, BFI OÖ has developed a concept for implementing it with young potential drop outs in VET schools. Youth case managers coach and support young people with high drop out risks to either stay in the chosen VET school, move on to another school smoothing the transition or start an apprenticeship in companies. They try to find the best situation together with the student, his / her parents, the school and companies.

The product "EBC*L Enterprise - Showing My potential" has been developed by EBC*L International, represented by ATAMA. The EBC*L Enterprise builds and strengthens young peoples' key competences in economic thinking and social competences and is certified by the EBC*L Enterprise exam where students demonstrate logical thinking, basic mathematical skills, communicative and social competence, business know-how, determination, ambition and the ability to work under pressure. It has been developed together with companies to build up skills needed in the workplace.

Project goals:

The project aims at realizing the following goals:

1. to transfer the concepts of Vocational Training Assistence (DE), Toolbox (CZ), Jugendcoaching (AT) and EBC*L Enterprise (SI) to other European countries

2. to further develop a Youthcoach competence profile and a Youthcoach train the trainer course based on a study in all partner countries

3. develop a toolbox for youthcoaches including modules on

- working with companies in bridging gabs between VET and the world of work

- intercultural competences

- personal development

- promotion of competences related to entrepreneurship (EBCL)

4. to implement the train the trainer course with 70 trainers in the partner countries