Support for Youth Outside the System: Workshop on Reaching and Integrating NEET Youth
Belgrade, 26th March 2025. – As part of its support to the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs in implementing the Youth Guarantee Program (2023–2026), the “From Education to Employment – E2E” project is organizing a specialized workshop focused on reaching and activating NEET youth – young people not in employment, education or training. The workshop places a special emphasis on youth with health challenges and disabilities, with the ultimate goal of their integration into the labour market.
The three-day workshop is being held from March 24 to 26 at IN Hotel in New Belgrade. The first day of training will be led by a lecturer from the Center for Dignified Work, while the remaining two days are under the guidance of experts from the Youth with Disabilities Forum. Additionally, a guest lecturer from the National Employment Service (NES) will present the procedure for assessing remaining work ability and NES’s approach to working with youth with disabilities.
The Republic of Serbia is implementing the Youth Guarantee Program following the EU model. Civil society organizations play a key role in reaching NEET youth and motivating them to participate, given that these young people usually do not approach institutions on their own and therefore remain beyond the reach of support services. To ensure a systematic and uniform approach, the IPA TA 2020 project supported the development of a Model for Reaching and Activating NEET Youth, which includes guidelines for identifying, approaching, and working with NEET youth. The National Employment Service engaged the Educational Center Kruševac (ECK) to implement outreach activities based on this model.
Workshop participants include youth workers and career counselors who will carry out activities in Kruševac, Niš, and Sremska Mitrovica – pilot cities for outreach to NEET youth. These centers, as local partners of the “From Education to Employment” project, aim to reach as many young people as possible across all categories and provide them with quality support on their path to employment. Career counselors from other Job Info Centers (in Požega, Smederevo, and Kraljevo) are also attending the workshop, in light of the planned expansion of outreach activities throughout Serbia after the pilot phase ends in 2026.
Through professional training, a multidisciplinary approach, and engagement of local partners, real opportunities are being created for the inclusion of harder-to-employ youth in the labour market and society. The “From Education to Employment” project continues to support this goal by empowering youth and offering them concrete opportunities for a better future.
