The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation will support 14 projects aimed at strengthening financial security and improving employment rates and quality among young people aged 16 to 34 who are neither studying nor working, or who are in precarious, low-skilled or low-income jobs. The Gulbenkian Empregar (Employment) initiative will support more than a thousand young people living in the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto, the Algarve and the Autonomous Region of the Azores.

Support for young people known as “NEET” (Not in Education, Employment or Training) will be provided through innovative projects presented by consortia of public or private non-profit legal entities based in Portugal that promote the skills and employability of young people in situations of greater vulnerability. These efforts will focus on several areas: developing basic literacy skills (linguistic, digital, financial, among others), developing social, emotional and technical skills, retraining and skills recognition, internships, career guidance, support for regularising documentation and legalising immigrants or creating jobs, encouraging self-employment and expanding local employment networks. Priority was given to projects with proven medium to long-term sustainability, quality and diversity of partnerships, and strong potential for replication.

The 14 projects were selected following a competition and independent evaluation based on criteria of relevance, innovation, quality, ambition, participation and sustainability. Lasting between 12 and 18 months, the selected projects stood out for their use of personalised interventions, mentoring, dual learning and the creation of local employability networks, as well as for their robust monitoring and continuity strategies. The initiative also aims to validate methodologies that could, in the future, be incorporated into public policies on skills, employment and youth inclusion.

The initiative includes ongoing, local support from experts in youth unemployment and social innovation (ISCTE and MAZE IMPACT, respectively) to boost the chances of success. A partnership has also been set up with the Institute for Employment and Professional Training to roll out the initiative on a wider scale.

About NEETs (“Not in Education, Employment or Training”)

The prevalence rate of NEETs in Portugal has been declining steadily since 2013, falling below the European target (9% by 2030) in 2023. It should be noted, however, that the problem persists, with a particular incidence in vulnerable groups, where rates are much higher – immigrants from some regions may have prevalence rates three times higher than the national average; young nationals from the Autonomous Regions are in a more unfavourable situation than young people on the mainland, and well above the European target.

There are six major subgroups of NEETs: conventional unemployed; long-term and short-term unemployed; those who are unavailable (for study, work or training); the discouraged; those seeking an opportunity (young people who, despite actively seeking work/training, are waiting for an opportunity that matches their skills and qualifications); volunteers (young people who have opted for alternative lifestyles).

Factors that explain the increased risk of a young person becoming NEET: low level of education; gender (girls face greater difficulties, often associated with increased family responsibilities); migrant or ethnic origin; health conditions; low socioeconomic status; resilience (the longer young people remain in the NEET condition, the more difficult it is to get out of it).

Economic and social consequences: loss of human capital; costs to the state; mental health and wellbeing problems; intergenerational cycles of poverty.