Y&S – Young & Smart: developing a user-friendly financial literacy for young entrepreneurs

"<< Background >>The Young & Smart project was conceived to address a recognized gap in European vocational education: the lack of accessible entrepreneurship and financial education for young people. In many partner countries (Greece, Italy, Spain), formal curricula do not sufficiently cover basic financial management or entrepreneurial skills. This leaves young people – particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds – without the tools they need to manage personal budgets or launch businesses. Educators, youth workers and trainers highlighted an urgent need to make finance and entrepreneurship learning more practical and relevant. The project was designed to fill this need by creating an innovative, user-friendly training resource (“Skillbox”) and accompanying teaching materials. By doing so, it supported the Erasmus+ priority of aligning vocational education with labor-market needs and EU goals of improving youth employability, inclusion and entrepreneurial mindset. In essence, Young & Smart aimed to empower young individuals with critical skills for economic independence, while also equipping their trainers to deliver this content effectively.<< Objectives >>Young & Smart aimed to empower young people aged 18–25, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, with entrepreneurship and financial literacy skills to support their personal and professional growth. The project also sought to equip VET and CVET educators with digital tools and emotional intelligence strategies to better engage these learners. A third objective was to promote environmental awareness by embedding sustainability into entrepreneurship education. These goals were aligned with Erasmus+ priorities of inclusion, digital readiness, and labor market adaptation. Through the creation of a modular training toolkit—the Skillbox—the project intended to make financial education more accessible, engaging, and applicable, both in formal and non-formal learning settings. The overarching ambition was to increase employability and economic autonomy for youth, while modernizing and enriching educators' teaching practices.<< Implementation >>The project began with a Kick-off Meeting in Athens, where partners aligned on goals and responsibilities. They collaborated to co-develop the Skillbox ""Entrepreneurship 101""—a digital training toolkit comprising seven modules, training guidelines, and 14 “training pills.” An LTTA (Learning, Teaching, and Training Activity) was organized in Rome, training nine VET educators across the partnership on how to use and deliver the materials. Each partner then implemented national pilot sessions, training a total of 54 young people with the Skillbox content. The pilots combined hands-on exercises with self-paced learning. Three national webinars introduced the project to over 100 stakeholders. Finally, a three-day multiplier event in Granada showcased the results to 78 participants. Throughout, the team held three transnational project meetings and engaged in continuous communication and peer review to ensure quality and alignment.<< Results >>Young & Smart successfully delivered all planned outputs: the full Entrepreneurship 101 Skillbox with 7 modules, 14 training pills (exceeding the planned 12), 6 good practice examples, and multilingual guidelines. All materials were translated into Greek, Italian, and Spanish and published as open-access resources. The LTTA trained 9 VET educators; pilot testing engaged 54 young learners, who showed measurable improvement in financial and entrepreneurial knowledge. Over 100 educators and stakeholders attended the national webinars, and 78 joined the final conference. Feedback showed that over 90% of participants would apply what they learned, with the Skillbox rated highly for clarity and usefulness. The project increased digital and emotional teaching capacities, strengthened inclusion, and created a replicable model for youth entrepreneurship education aligned with EU labor market and education priorities."