Re-motivate young NEET women to enter the labour market by building their personal branding through gamified training

<< Background >>We applied for the BRAND GAME project to respond to the growing number of young women becoming NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training), especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these women dropped out of work or education to support their families and faced difficulties rejoining the labour market.The needs we aimed to address:1.Lack of motivation and confidence among young NEET women to re-enter the workforce.2.Low awareness and skills in personal branding, which is now a key factor in employability.3.Limited access to training and job opportunities, especially for women at risk of social exclusion.4.Need for innovative, digital, and engaging learning tools to meet women where they are — online.5.Lack of connection between NEET women and support networks, such as employers, trainers, and mentors.The project used a creative solution — a Minecraft-based game, practical training materials, and a digital networking hub — to help women regain confidence, build skills, and connect with opportunities.<< Objectives >>With the BRAND GAME project, we wanted to empower young NEET women to re-enter the labour market by building their personal brand. Our goal was to boost their motivation, confidence, and employability through practical, engaging tools. We aimed to provide hands-on training materials focused on personal branding, create a Minecraft-based game with real-life job challenges, and launch an online networking hub to connect women with employers, trainers, and support services. We also wanted to support youth workers with new tools to better engage this target group. Overall, the project aimed to reduce social exclusion, promote equal opportunities, and help young women take active steps toward employment or education by offering them a safe, inclusive, and motivating learning environment.<< Implementation >>The Brand Game project implemented the following main activities across its four work packages:•Project Management (WP1):Developed a Project Management Plan and Quality Assurance Plan.Held three transnational project meetings.Submitted 4 bi-annual progress reports , an interim report, and a final report.Conducted regular virtual partner meetings to coordinate tasks and progress •Training Pack - “Personal Branding 4 Women” (WP2):Conducted needs analysis and sector research.Created training materials in multiple languages to help NEET women build personal brands.Delivered internal testing and validation workshops with target groups.Released a finalized training pack as open educational resources (OERs)•Brand Game - Minecraft Game (WP3):Designed a Minecraft-based game simulating real-world employment challenges.Developed 3D resources and custom mods.Created a guide for youth workers.Conducted internal testing and validation workshops with target users.Finalized and released the Minecraft game.•Online Networking Hub (WP4):Designed and launched a virtual portal connecting NEET women with employers, youth organizations, and stakeholders.Organized national info days and collected best practices and lessons learned<< Results >>The main results and outputs of the project include:•Training Pack:A complete multilingual training course titled “Personal Branding 4 Women” with practical materials to boost NEET women's self-confidence, communication, and employability skills •Brand Game - Minecraft World:A custom Minecraft game with real-life job market challenges to help women practice decision-making, collaboration, and problem-solving in a gamified environment •Online Networking Hub:A web-based platform that fosters connections between job seekers, youth workers, employers, and policymakers to support employment and training opportunities for NEET women •Youth Worker Guide:A guidebook to help educators and trainers use the Minecraft game as a training tool effectively•Path to sustainability and exploitationA solid report on how the results of the project could be sustained and exploited after the project end.