Three foundations and two public institutes have decided to join forces to enhance the qualifications, educational integration and/or employability of young people who are neither in education, employment, nor training.

The newly created Empregar Network will bring together existing initiatives – “Gulbenkian Empregar” (by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation), “Incorpora” (by the “la Caixa” Foundation), “Afirma-te já” (by the Portuguese Institute for Sport and Youth), as well as the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP) and the BNP Paribas Foundation – with the aim of strengthening existing opportunities in the labour market for young people known as NEETs (Not in Employment, Education or Training), namely by facilitating and promoting connections between job seekers and employers.With the creation of the Empregar Network, it will be possible, collectively, to support the employment or qualification of 3,438 NEET young people participating in 43 projects across the entire country. The total investment involved exceeds €3 million.

About Gulbenkian Empregar 

In 2024, 11% of young people aged between 15 and 29 living in the European Union were not working, studying, or in training. In Portugal, the figure stands at 8.7%, although it is significantly higher among young people from more disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.

The Gulbenkian Employment initiative has supported innovative projects with replication potential that promote employability and improve job quality for 1,166 young people who are not studying, not in training, unemployed, or facing precarious, low-skilled or poorly paid work.