The current EU28 youth unemployment rate, 19.4%, represents more than double the overall unemployment rate, (8.9% Feb 15 Eurostat) & reveals a worrying trend - namely that the proportion of people 15-24 years old, Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET), has continued to increase over the last few years (EC Draft Employment Report (2013) & Eurostat).The economic cost of not integrating NEETS is estimated at over €150 billion, or 1.2% GDP in 2011 figures (Eurofound Mar 15). Evidence shows that time spent as NEET can lead to a range of social disadvantages, including; poor future employment opportunities, mental & physical health problems, disaffection, lack of social activation & involvement in youth offending.Our project directly responds to these challenges, by providing a holistic & innovative approach to the prevention of further NEETS & the re-integration of current young people in this category.The heterogeneous nature of the NEET target group means that a localised “sheep dip” approach to combating the complex issues facing our beneficiaries will not be successful. There is a large contingent of young people who are not connecting with agencies commissioned to support them from education to work, or are flying under the radar of the support structure. The project partners have identified a need for better linkages between the various suppliers & a more intensive, personalised approach to connecting with & supporting young people in the NEET category, rather than the general nature of current provision. The main aim of our project is to improve the employability skills & sustainable job prospects of our young unemployed people by;(c) Formulating a menu of tailored methodologies to use in order to increase young people’s employability through gaining basic, soft & It skills, (d) Working with Youth professionals, sharing our innovative methodologies & disseminating our tools, in order to integrate our project model within current service provision & enhance individual professional practices within the topic.The partners will focus on the following specific objectives: -To research, test & analyse the current measures being implemented & tools used by youth professional & organizations invested in this area, to engage with & deliver training & upskilling options to marginalised young people- To develop a common transnational methodology to meet the needs of our varied & diverse target group, based on a “bottom-up”, beneficiary-led approach (e.g. use of focus groups formed of young people who can inform us of the specific needs/barriers/challenges & what methods have worked/what haven’t).- To formulate & test new or improved transnational materials, tools & methodologies, encompassing an intensive employment support approach that integrates tangible & practical experience, leading to real & sustainable change490 participants will be targeted. Those will be young people from our target group, youth/employment professionals but also employers who will participate in the project to provide advice and support to developing the tools but also understand better how they can make it easier for young people form our targeted group to develop the confidence required to access jobs availableBy using a beneficiary-led approach to the study and testing phase, our young beneficiaries will be able to inform us of their experiences, what worked well for them and what has not worked so well in terms of transition support. The compilation and evaluation of our findings will heighten awareness of the challenges our beneficiaries face and increase knowledge about their experiences of current provision (both good practice and areas for improvement). This knowledge will be invaluable to the range of stakeholders involved in project delivery and beyond. For example, private and public stakeholders, youth professionals, employers, local authorities, education providers and wider support agencies. The extensive networks already utilised and maintained by project partners throughout the life of the project and beyond, will make it easier to disseminate and exploit the resultant outcomes, tools and methodologies created. The key interconnected impacts on a long-term basis will be:- An increase in workforce and employability skills for young people in each delivery area- Increase in the GVA per head in partner communities- Increased youth employment- Increased social activation & inclusion of young people- Enhancement of professional practice – our transferable methodologies will be available post-project to help support young people “holistically”– not just a skills and training approach- Sustainable support through key transition stages – the “right” next step for each individual. - Improved quality of life, sense of well-being & health for each beneficiary- Strengthened linkages between social partners, youth professionals & wider stakeholders to provide a rounded support for young people.