In a world where the challenges faced by vulnerable youth are numerous and complex, it is imperative that we, as a society, should provide youth with the necessary support and empowerment. By implementing activation measures that encourage their personal growth and development, we can help unlock their potential, instill confidence, and inspire them to create a brighter future. The European Union’s report titled “Activation Measures for Young People in Vulnerable Situations: Experience from the Ground” (2018) inspired the YOUTHShare team on developing the “Training manual for Key Account Managers (KAMs) on outreaching, coaching, job matching, skills utilizing for NEETs” (https://t.ly/ikN_6). This article delves into the power of our YOUTHShare thinking of youth activation measures and how this developed by YOUTHShare project team during the five years of its implementation.
YOUTHShare main aim was to reach out, empower and train vulnerable youth, especially NEETs of 25-29 years old of the MED EEA area and getting them back to employment. By the establishment and the creation of Transnational Employment Centers (TEC), YOUTHShare provided a supporting environment where young individuals could flourish and overcome obstacles. The Key Account Manager (KAM) of each TEC, worked as a life and career coach or as mentor for informing, motivating, and engaging disengaged NEETs to labor market!
From the outset, all 4 KAMs were asked to take on a different role, i.e. that of “Knowledge brokers”!
Their role refers to:
- Collecting up-to-date knowledge on labor market trends, job vacancies, and training programs to provide accurate and timely information to youth participants.
- Effectively translating and communicating this information to youth by organizing workshops, events, participatory cafes and so on.
- Establishing links and nurture relationships with various stakeholders involved in the activation process. KAMs were the ones that work closely with employers to promote the benefits of hiring young talent, address any concerns or biases, and facilitate work-integrated learning opportunities.
- Providing personalized guidance and support to youth participants.
Our KAMs and team learned a lot through this process:
First of all, there is a need for NEETs orientation and profiling! This profiling process helps them to assess their interests, aspirations, and options regarding education, training, and employment opportunities. It also helps them to gain a realistic understanding of the world.
Secondly, a holistic and person-centered approach in counseling through individual action plans enables the identification of individual barriers and strengths, contributing to the overall well-being and success of young people.
Thirdly, this holistic –person centered process needs time to invest per beneficiary! Needs time to build the trust, active listening and the honest dialogue needed. Scaling up knowledge broker services to reach a larger number of youth participants can be challenging and quite demanding!
Finally, KAMs work for developing, engaging, and enlarging the list of stakeholders, thus increasing collaboration and synergies with them in activating youth! By doing so, KAMs foster a community of practice where knowledge brokers can connect, collaborate, and continually enhance their skills and knowledge. However, KAMs or any knowledge brokers should stay updated with the dynamic labor market and changing skill requirements, by ensuring that the information provided to youth participants remains relevant.
YOUTHShare’s members have become more knowledgeable on how to address potential issues and implement appropriate strategies based on the work done by our KAMs as a knowledge brokers! And this is our first step towards advocating the role of knowledge brokers in youth activation policies and initiatives!
Aimilia Markaki
Greek TEC, NESC
Key Account Manager
YOUTHShare Project
