3DBIZ4YOUTH: AN INNOVATIVE PROGRAMME TO PROMOTE THE EMPLOYABILITY AND INLCUSION OF YOUTH WITH FEWER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE LABOUR MARKET FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

"<< Background >>The project idea stemmed from contact between the two organizations, IWM and Emphasys (EMP). Both have been active for years in education for disadvantaged groups and are firmly established in providing accessible, high-quality education. CitizensAct (CiACT) is a dedicated newcomer in this field. The daily work of all three organizations clearly showed how rapidly and disruptively digitization and modernization are progressing in the world of work, and how quickly disadvantaged individuals are being left behind, consequently facing poorer prospects in the job market and social integration. At the same time, disadvantaged youth and young people feel the particularly urgently need to be accepted as part of society and to make a ""productive"" contribution to improve their social situation. This project aimed to address this on multiple levels, directly supporting young people, while also offering indirect support by enabling youth workers at a meta-level to implement professional educational programs.<< Objectives >>The project's overarching goal was to help introduce new generations of disadvantaged young people to the demands of the modern job market. This aimed to close existing digital gaps or, ideally, prevent them from forming in the first place. Ultimately, this contributes to better social integration into society and promotes social, economic, and political participation.To achieve this goal, the three participating organizations set out with the specific aim of developing an integrated educational package in 3D printing and design, as well as in social entrepreneurship, and refining it for practical use. This Training Pack includes both the training of youth workers to qualify them for educational work with young people in these areas, and a ready-to-use curriculum (including materials) for directly training young people in the sustainable use of 3D technologies within social entrepreneurship.<< Implementation >>Within 3DBIZ4Youth, diverse activities were carried out to specifically foster digital skills and entrepreneurial thinking among disadvantaged youth and social workers. Initially, we developed a validated Training Pack with micro-certificates. This included digital 3D printing skills (e.g., TinkerCAD) and social entrepreneurial abilities based on the EntreComp framework. Professionals and multipliers participated in capacity-building measures to expand their practical competencies in these areas and gain approaches to pass these skills on to young people.The acquired know-how and the Training Pack were then used to conduct workshops and training for young people (especially from disadvantaged groups like NEETs, migrants, or those from rural regions). In doing so, young people not only acquired technical skills but also developed their own social-ecological business ideas with self-conceived, designed, and printed 3D products. Finally, regional 3DBIZ4YOUTH Hubs were established to anchor the impact locally.<< Results >>The 3DBIZ4YOUTH project achieved several concrete outputs with sustainable impact. Key results include the Training Pack for Youth Workers, comprising two competency frameworks (for 3D technologies and social entrepreneurship), two Capacity-Building Courses (including PPTs, podcasts, webinars), and an assessment method based on micro-certificates.This was complemented by an interactive 3DBIZ4YOUTH E-Book for young people, offering guidance on using 3D technologies, establishing social enterprises, and providing practice-based workshop templates. A significant output was also the digital project platform, which offers an e-learning hub, a collection of educational resources, and a community function for networking.Beyond these products, a large number of young people (especially those with fewer opportunities), as well as professionals and multipliers, were reached, qualified, and motivated to develop their own 3D projects with societal benefits. The platform and developed materials were implemented fully digitally and multilingually, ensuring the long-term use of the project results."