Description
Go Remote provides targeted training and employment support to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly NEETs, young mothers, and rural youth. The initiative uses a combination of online and in-person training, mentoring, and job-matching services, with a focus on remote and hybrid job opportunities across multiple sectors. The project addresses skills gaps, promoting employability in a post-pandemic digital economy.
The Go Remote project opens two ways for youth to gain remote employment:
- Active learning path consisting of “remote job training” tailored towards specific remote professions, followed by online job speed-dating events, during which companies and youth meet face-to-face to land a job. The path is completed by remote work mentorship that sustains the lasting impact of remote employment.
- Finding a remote work path, as a broader, but less regulated process, allowing NEETs to find a job at any time. It is enabled by the online job platform with remote and hybrid-remote (e.g. weekly attendance) vacancies coupled with a database of job seekers, personalised profiles with employer-employee matching options and a up to date “Learning Hub” with high-quality educational content on remote work. The main innovation of the platform stems not only from the specific focus on remote jobs but from integrating transnational remote job vacancies between EEA countries.
To construct impactful activities, the project commenced with expertise-partner-led in-depth research (from Island, Norway and Finland), creating youth, employer and market need assessments, and developing a roadmap for a training plan and job speed-dating events. Reflections on the project can be found via the Blueprint on Remote Working (training methods and approaches) and the Learner’s Guidebook, enabling the project’s solutions to be easily adapted and the platform to be self-sustained and easily scaled beyond the 4 countries involved in the original project.
Beneficiaries
Young mothers (25-29), Rural youth
Education level and sector
Vocational education and training (VET)
Adult learning, non-formal adult education
Level of implementation / Scope
Aims of policy/initiative
The main aim of the Go Remote project is to reduce youth unemployment by equipping disadvantaged groups with the skills, knowledge, and support necessary for remote and hybrid jobs. The initiative addresses both the skills gap in the digital job market and the socio-economic barriers faced by NEETs, young mothers, and rural youths.
Features and types of activities implemented
- Remote work training programmes (local and international).
- Mentoring programmes.
- Job speed dating events.
- Development of job portals and training platforms in multiple languages.
- Marketing and communication campaigns to promote opportunities.
- Research on NEET needs, labour market trends, and remote work potential.
- Soft and technical skills training (e.g., digital marketing, project management, software testing).
Target group
- Trainers, mentors, academia.
- Relevant institutions working with NEETs (educational institutions, local and regional public institutions).
- Policy makers, NGOs (awareness about empowerment and unlocking the potential of NEETs).
- Other stakeholders, such as families, companies and labour market
Resources
The project was funded by the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment, with a total grant of EUR 1,168,039. It involved expertise from partner organisations in multiple countries and contributions from local and international trainers, mentors, and IT developers.
Lead project partner:
SIA Visas Iespejas (LV)
Beneficiary partners:
Local development agency Pins (HR)
New Sustainable Generation (BG)
One Terrene International (CY)
Expertise partners:
Keilir Academy (IS)
Olemisen Balanssia ry (FI)
Participation Agency (NO)
Evaluation of the measure
The initiative has been evaluated through feedback surveys, statistics on training participation, and employment outcomes. The findings highlight a positive impact on participants' employability and a high level of satisfaction with the training and mentoring programmes. For example, in Cyprus and Latvia, participants reported increased confidence in applying for remote jobs, and job speed dating events led to job placements for several individuals.
Evidence of effectiveness of the measure
The project succeeded in training over 2,000 young people and several participants gained employment in remote jobs. The mentoring programme and job speed dating events were particularly effective, helping many NEETs overcome barriers to employment.
Over the project duration, 7,058 people were involved. A total of 3,941 young individuals were trained in remote work skills, resulting in 530 successful employment placements, bridging the youth-employment gap.
A total of 318 SMEs were engaged in remote work practices, signalling a shift in organisational culture towards flexible work arrangements.
The project trained 74 mentors to provide support to young job seekers. This initiative not only facilitated skill development but also encouraged long-term career growth among participants.
As this was the first of such a high-level project for the beneficiary partners, all partners gained unique experience in nation-wide marketing and digital work with youth, with 3 of the 4 partners planning to continue this action. It worked as a springboard through which almost all partners developed new products (university trainings, job-matching platforms, larger trainings and campaigns).
The project has shifted society’s understanding towards idea that rural life can be digital and work can be remote.
Success factors
- Comprehensive approach combining research, training, mentoring, and job placement.
- Innovative use of remote work opportunities tailored to NEETs, young mothers, and rural youth.
- Strong collaboration among partner countries.
- Tailored training programs focused on both technical and soft skills essential for the remote work environment.
