GAPS aims to enhance and improve employment within the 2 Seas area by developing new skills and strategies for young people. The project gathers together 3 local authorities - Brighton and Hove, Medway and Rotterdam, each facing rising youth unemployment rates. Young people in these areas risk suffering from long-term unemployment and social exclusion. Of particular note for employers across the 2 Seas area is the absence of soft/life skills in many of the young people they recruit. The GAPS project activities will achieve the following aims through: - Closer dialogue with employers to develop innovative new strategies that address employers’ skills needs and inspire confidence for employers to engage with young people.- Cross-border work placements of up to three months, which include language training, promoting the value of such an exercise to both young people and employers.- Creation of a web portal that will host and facilitate GAPS project activities, during and after its lifetime, acting as an on-line recruitment resource to advertise work placements and job opportunities. Expected Results: What are the key results of the project?Forging stronger links between the partnerships for the long term and understanding and sharing knowledge and expertise in our current systems of working.- Creating employment and raising the skills of young people across borders.- Work placements will give young people the additional ’life skills’ such as self reliance, confidence, motivation, communication & team work they need to bridge the gap between their qualification/experience and what an employer is seeking in a future employee.- Increase in employer’s image of and participation in work placements as a high value activity with positive business benefits.Are all partners and territories benefitting from the results?The target groups benefitting from the project are: local authorities, universities, vocational colleges, work based training providers & employers both large and SME’s & GAPS observers.The final beneficiaries are: Graduates, apprentices, young entrepreneurs, young people not in employment, education & training.Employers: Including American Express, Legal & General, National Health Service, Sussex wide Councils, Thales, Nokia, BAE systems, Vestas, Gurit, Stannah Lifts, Pall Europe, Hillier Nurseries, BAE Systems, Delphi Diesel Systems,Sound Ideas Essential Install, Fabricsmart, Gainwell Futures, Tribeca Technology, Object Trading, The Fountain Workshop, Bedfont Scientific Limited, Imprexa Computer Services.Benefits to territory:Creating employment and raising the skills of young people across borders, such as self reliance, confidence, motivation, communication & team work they need to bridge the gap between their qualification/experience and what an employer is seeking in a future employee.What are the effects / outcomes for the territories involved?Sharing successful existing skills & employment strategies reducing youth unemployment and working in partnership by developing cross border skills & employment strategies.Young people will benefit from this scheme and increase their chances of finding long term employment in the future. Improving economic development in each partner area.Boosting business support and resources for employers. Creating long term legacy of project and opening up avenues of employment on a European wide level.Over 30% of employers (300) are expected to host work placements and over 600 young people to commence an apprenticeship over the projects life time.Each partner will update their current employment strategies based on the shared learning gained from the GAPS partnership.Providing equality of opportunity for all young people and increasing international mobility.