Review on “Strengthening competences of youth workers for reducing unemployment” Training Course

Youth in Action, Training Course
21-29.10.2013 I Bitola, Macedonia

“Strengthening the competencies of youth workers to reduce unemployment” was a training course designed through active and practical methods for dynamic involvement in the learning process, where participants had the opportunity to improve their skills and acquire new, necessary for the development of activities to increase of employment competencies.

This was opportunity for 7 days for 32 youth workers, youth leaders, teachers, educators, facilitators actively involved in youth work who want to increase the inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities in their communities by providing non-formal and informal activities and better access to employment competencies from the partner organizations from Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Lithuania, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Germany, Spain, Turkey and Bulgaria.

During the training course were used non-formal educational methods such as: small and large group discussions, individual and team work, experiential learning, role-playing, simulations, games and reflections on implemented activities for reaching the aim and objectives for this TC.

Through participation in this training course the participants had a chance to be dynamically engaged in the learning process, by using active and practical methods, they also had the opportunity to enhance skills and gain the competences necessary to guide and develop activities for increasing the employment competences among the young people with fewer opportunities in their community.

The objectives of the TC were:

• To learn how to recognize values and interests, assessing attributes and skills, identifying learning styles and learning strategies, goal setting, planning and tracking progress.
• To transfer knowledge for identifying and practicing workplace behaviors most often required by local employers.
• Empower young people to work in a team, learn from each other, giving and receiving feedback.
• To learn about the local labor markets, educate how to write an effective CV, prepare a clear letter of application, interviewing skills and job search basics.
• To lead and educate young people in budgeting, savings, planning skills that can help young people manage their income and expenses.
• Promote YiA Programme, providing mobility and volunteering opportunities for young people where they can develop their competencies.