Background
The project was developed to address the growing challenges faced by disadvantaged jobseekers, particularly young people with limited formal education and work experience, in navigating an increasingly digital and evolving labour market. Many lack recognition of their non-formal and informal skills, which are critical to employability but often go unrecognised in traditional recruitment processes.
In addition, career practitioners outside formal education systems often lack up-to-date training and tools to effectively support these job seekers. Many young people struggle to identify transferable skills, understand labour market requirements and build career pathways without structured guidance.
The project developed an innovative self-assessment tool and online career guidance platform to address these needs. These tools empower job seekers to identify and validate their skills, while providing structured training for career practitioners. The project aimed to increase the employability of young people by improving digital career guidance methods and ensuring equal access to career development resources.
Objectives
The project aimed to improve the employability of disadvantaged jobseekers by helping them to identify and validate their non-formal and informal skills, making them more competitive in the labour market. It also aimed to provide guidance practitioners with innovative digital resources and training to better support them.
A key objective was to develop and implement an interactive self-assessment tool to help jobseekers identify their transferable skills, strengths and career potential. The project also aimed to create an online platform to provide accessible, engaging and practical career support.
The project modernised career guidance services using blended learning approaches, digital career guidance and labour market intelligence. The ultimate goal was to bridge the gap between job seekers and employment opportunities and to promote inclusive and proactive career development solutions.
Implementation
The project focused on improving the employability of disadvantaged jobseekers and strengthening the capacity of career practitioners through structured activities. It started with a needs assessment in each partner country to identify key non-formal and informal skills for jobseekers. This led to the development of a self-assessment framework outlining essential skills for the modern labour market.
The project developed an interactive self-assessment tool for jobseekers to identify and validate transferable skills, as well as an online career guidance platform providing digital tools, training materials and labour market insights.
The project piloted tests with jobseekers and counsellors to improve usability and gathered feedback for improvement. It also implemented a training programme for career practitioners, offering blended learning through online modules, workshops and guides.
Finally, the project carried out dissemination activities, including events, stakeholder engagement and digital promotion, to encourage widespread adoption of the tools and resources in career guidance services.
Results
The project delivered practical and scalable outputs, including an interactive self-assessment tool that helps job seekers identify and validate their transferable skills such as communication, adaptability, and problem-solving. This tool provided personalized feedback, improving career planning.
A key result was the online career guidance platform, which hosts the self-assessment tool, labour market insights, and digital training materials. Designed to be GDPR-compliant, mobile-friendly, and multilingual, it ensures accessibility for a broad audience.
The project also developed a training program for career practitioners, including blended learning resources, a practitioner handbook, and user-friendly guides, equipping them to support job seekers using digital tools.
Through piloting and feedback collection, the tools were refined and psychometrically validated, ensuring accuracy and reliability. Dissemination efforts engaged employment agencies and career networks, promoting long-term adoption and sustainability.
