European Alliance to develop disadvantaged groups soft skills

"<< Background >>The decision to apply the project SHAREN(E)ET was based on a perception that there exists a transnational need to tackle the critical issue of ""skills mismatch"" affecting disadvantaged groups across Europe, especially NEETs, migrants, and immigrants. Currently, Europe has at least 80 million workers that are either overqualified or under-qualified for their roles. As so, and considering data from OECD, this is a particularly pronounced challenge across Europe. This mismatch limits economic growth and poses significant barriers to social inclusion, impacting disadvantaged groups’ ability to integrate and thrive. Our proposal was aimed to respond to these needs by focusing on developing essential networking and soft skills for NEETs and migrants, empowering them to build social capital and better access opportunities. Through these skills, we believe that they will be more equipped to integrate into their communities, improve their employability, and enhance their overall quality of life. Additionally, the cooperation deployed through the project seeks to share best practices and innovative training methods throughout partner countries to strengthen these competencies and improve inclusion on a European level.<< Objectives >>Through the deployment of our proposal, our primary objective was to support disadvantaged groups, particularly NEETs, migrants, and immigrants, in becoming active community members and participants in the labour market. We aimed to achieve this by enhancing their networking and soft skills, crucial for building social capital and improving employability. Specific goals included developing an accessible networking self-assessment tool, designing tailored learning paths, and creating a training guide for practitioners. These resources help participants assess and strengthen their networking skills, empowering them with the confidence and abilities needed to navigate social and professional environments. By piloting these tools across partner countries, we aimed to foster inclusive practices, document successful case studies, and establish a replicable model to support long-term social inclusion and employability across Europe.<< Implementation >>Within the implementation process of the SHAREN(E)ET project, we deployed several key activities focused on skill development and social inclusion for disadvantaged groups. We started through the creation of a self-assessment tool to measure participants' networking and soft skills, helping to tailor learning paths based on individual needs. Following this, we developed a set of learning resources and a catalogue to support participants' personal and professional development in a flexible, user-centred format. These resources were piloted across partner countries, where participants, guided by trained practitioners, engaged in workshops to apply and test the tools. Additionally, and complementary to skill-building resources, we deployed several transnational meetings for coordination and experience sharing, four face-to-face and twenty online and we implemented two short-term staff training events to equip learners with the methodologies and practices required for effective implementation. We also organised six multiplier events in each of the partner countries to exploit and disseminate findings and best practices, ensuring wide-reaching impact and sustainability.<< Results >>Our project delivered concrete outputs that include:1. Networking Self-Assessment Tool – to assess networking skills, designed specifically for NEETs, migrants, and other disadvantaged groups to foster social capital development and employability;2. Personalized Learning Paths Tool – to allow participants to follow personalised routes to enhance their skills and confidence;3. Learning Resources Catalog – organised by proficiency levels and aligned with participants’ needs;4. Guides for Practitioners and Human Capital Development – for organisations to manage diversity and support disadvantaged individuals more effectively.In addition, each partner conducted research to define key terms like Networking, Human Capital, and Social Capital, emphasising their importance in fostering personal and professional growth. It identified essential networking skills to help participants recognize and strengthen their competencies. Also created web developers were provided with specifications for login, permissions, task management, user access, scoring, and feedback features—enabling users to track progress and gain insights.A competency framework was established with scoring guidelines and proficiency levels to support growth."