Pact4Work Skills

"<< Background >>Surveys show that young workers do not learn about soft and social skills and development opportunities through institutional education.Employers value candidates who can communicate clearly, resolve conflicts and build positive relationships with colleagues and customers. Research shows that employers often prioritise these qualities because technical skills can be developed on the job, but the ability to work well with others and to solve challenges calmly is much harder to teach. In a competitive labour market, young professionals who demonstrate strong soft skills are more likely to stand out and succeed in job search and career development.In working with young people and in a survey with partners and companies, the following skills gaps were identified: - effective time management- knowledge of communication styles- ability to cope with stress- lack of motivation and commitmentOur motivation was to fill this gap and to provide the young people involved with development and learning opportunities that would support their active participation in the workplace and improve the quality of their work.<< Objectives >>The objectives we have set are: to raise young people's awareness of the importance of soft skills, which are key to their personal and professional development, and to improve their employability.The soft skills mentioned in the surveys have been complemented and the following 10 skills have been identified as objectives to be developed and as a core element of the programmes:- Emotional intelligence- Self-awareness- Communication styles- Non-verbal communication patterns- Time management- Stress management- Empathy- Conflict management- Environmental, financial and social sustainability- Digital skillsTo develop these skills, we organised workshops, a one-week youth mobility programme with young participants and 9 podcasts on issues they considered important and topical to the project theme.Our aim is to develop and engage international young participants to create podcasts that will help their peers to navigate the labour market and raise awareness of the importance of interpersonal and social skills, and to develop these skills themselves through the project programmes.<< Implementation >>The project consisted of 4 work packages.The first work package is the management, which covered the organisation and management of the project. This activity included partner meetings (face-to-face and online) and administrative work.The second work package was Capacity Building - Youth Mobility, which took place in Velence, Hungary, from 15 to 23 July 2023. The participants will acquire the most important interpersonal and social skills that the labour market prefers in new candidates, so that the skills developed and acquired during the programme will increase career opportunities and quality networking.The third work package is ""Content creation"". In this activity, the participants designed and implemented 3-3 podcasts in their own countries, with a total of 9 podcasts produced in this work package. The themes of the podcasts were based around current labour market issues and personal competences for young people.The fourth work package is ""Local waves"". Each partner organisation designed and implemented 2 roundtables or workshops (in total 6) with young participants in their own location, for a young target audience, focusing on one of the 10 selected skills of the project.<< Results >>The concrete outputs of the project can be divided into two parts: the programmes implemented and the finished products, the podcasts.The main element of the project was the 9 day youth mobility programme, where young participants met young experts and coaches who provided them with developmental, self-awareness and creative exercises. Experts from a variety of backgrounds and activities presented interpersonal skills that have proven useful in their own life and work.6 round table discussions and workshops were organised, 2 events per partner, on the following topics:The workplace of the future, competences of the future - AI in the labour marketStress and crisis management - good practicesInterpersonal skills in practice: the gap between knowledge and applicationSocial entrepreneurshipSocial skills and careersWhere and how to learn interpersonal and social skills9 podcasts were produced on the following topics, with 3-3 podcasts per partner.What do you know about imposter syndrome?Young people's concerns about starting a jobPhd studies in Hungary Time managementStress managementActivism and volunteeringCommunication stylesThe importance of emotional intelligenceEffective optimisation of working time"