Skills Connect

Skills Connect is an EU ERASMUS project in which Centre for Digital Youth Care, alongside the English organisation The Mix (previously, YouthNet), are taking part. The key point of the project is supporting young people find their way into the labour market through their voluntary work on our online consultative platforms. The project will run from March 2015 – March 2017.

Young people develop work related skills through voluntary work

A lot of young people find it difficult to acquire and qualify their own capabilities, believing in themselves, and communicate their qualifications to employers – and thus, securing themselves a job. We know from experience that voluntary work amongst young people can help promote their self-confidence and open up opportunities for education and occupation. Each year, our online counselling Cyberhus.dk carries out more than 60,000 consultative interactions with young people. A part of those interactions are established between young people who counsel other young people.

Recognition as part of motivated learning

Skills acquired by young people from their consultative work on Cyberhus.dk can help increase their confidence in their own capabilities. Aside from specific skills, young people who are involved in voluntary work also acquire a greater sense of self-confidence and self-worth. Recognition is an important element in supporting young people’s learning and self-knowledge, and as a result helping them on their path to employment. That is the primary focus of this project.

Young people’s communication of their own capabilities

In cooperation with The Mix we will consider how we can support young people to effectively develop skills that directly may contribute to their opportunities of employment. Using so-called digital badges we can pay recognition to our young people’s progress and skills across the EU. Along with an accompanying learning programme we will support young people in developing an increased awareness of their own capabilities, which they then can present to potential employers.

E-courses on Cyberhus

Late last year (2015), representatives from the job market and a number of young people took part in a co-creational workshop which explored what skills are important for young people to acquire in order to increase their opportunities of employment. Following this workshop, it was decided to implement 2 E-courses on cyberhus.dk which are meant to help young people articulate and present their skills of 1) helping others and 2) solving problems. Read article Free E-courses for vulnerable young people for more information! The Mix and Centre for Digital Youth Care are going to qualify and badge 250 volunteers from our various online counselling platforms. At CfDP, this applies to our online counselling Cyberhus.dk. Centre for Digital Youth Care has previously worked with The Mix, most recently on a Daphne project concerning self-harming behaviour among young people online. ]]>