eArly warning Platform to Prevent youth from dropping out of schooL Education

Despite the significant developments made in the field of school integration of young people with vulnerable background and of high risk profile, Early School Leaving remains a challenge for EU Member States and Associated Countries. According to datasets released by Eurostat, 10.6% of young people (18-24 olds) in the EU in 2017 did not complete their studies at upper-secondary level and did not follow any other educational path or did not enrol in a vocational training program. Same source reveals that 12.1% of early leavers were young men and 8.9% young women.Students leave education and training for a variety of social, economic and family-related reasons. Early School Leaving is an obstacle of social and economic growth and development, as it impedes productivity and competitiveness and fuels poverty and social exclusion. In a period of emerging challenges, Europe has to make full use of its human capital and take preliminary measures to tackle social exclusion of vulnerable groups. As prevention is better than cure, consortium of APPLE project will develop innovative guides and an early warning platform, equipping educators, schools and component organisations and authorities with the necessary tools to halt Early Leaving. Special focus will be given at groups that are most likely to be exposed to the risk of early drop-out, such as refugee and migrant children and youth, members of Roma communities or religious, ethnic and linguistic minorities, students with special needs and learning disabilities, students from poor families and deprived rural areas.The above will be achieved through the implementation of the following activities:1. Capacity Building Seminars for Educators1.1. Desk and Empirical Research1.2. Development of Seminar Curriculum1.3. Implementation of the Capacity Building Seminars2. Guide for Educators2.1. Profiling2.2. Focus Groups with Youth At Risk of Early Leaving2.3. Developing a Guide for Educators3. Online Early Warning and Early Drop-Out-Tackling Platform3.1. Development of the Early Warning and Early Drop-Out-Tackling Platform3.2. MOOCs curriculum3.3. Piloting4. Support for Policy Reform4.1. Stakeholders Consultation Workshops 4.2. Participation at Targeted Conferences 4.3. Publications in Scientific Journals