Description
Directed towards the youth of Alentejo, a region in Portugal struggling with depopulation and weak business dynamics, the project fosters inclusion and employability in the agricultural sector, aiming to strengthen economic and social development in rural areas. To reach this goal, networks for innovation and employability will be created, and other initiatives will be carried out to strengthen entrepreneurship and investments that contribute to job creation and the improvement of the regional value chain of agricultural products. The project also includes cooperation with two research centres dealing with innovation and rural development from Norway, so that Portuguese and Norwegian NGOs may broaden their knowledge and exchange experiences. In order to strengthen the skills of young people, training and awareness raising activities will be carried out, and there will also be the opportunity to contact with best practices and internships on farms and agricultural companies, in addition to technical support.
Summary of project results
Alentejo is a mostly rural region of Portugal with an unemployment rate usually above the Portuguese average and little job opportunities, namely for young people. Youth unemployment in the country reached 40% in 2012 (National Statistics Office), standing at 33.4% in November 2015. In 2014 the picture of the youth unemployment rate, at 37%, was the following: 15.5% owned a higher education degree (14% were graduates); 61% had either secondary education or higher education diplomas; the youth unemployment rate was higher among women (39%); and 13.5% of young people between the ages of 18 and 24 were NEETs. In Alentejo Central NUTS III there are young people up to 30, attending or having completed higher education in agronomy, animal husbandry and agri-food (eg biochemistry) and young people with technical training in the area of agricultural production, who wish to strengthen their skills for employment and entrepreneurship. They are young people who are unemployed, in a vulnerable situation of professional integration and lacking entrepreneurial and cross-cutting skills for employability, which limits their integration into the labour market. 43 young people (of which 17 were women) with those characteristics were trained in order to get new cross-cutting skills useful for employability and new technical and practical skills to be entrepreneurs. 1 office to support agricultural entrepreneurship was set up as well as 3 networks to promote and assist youth employability and entrepreneurship. Technical training was provided on project ideas and business implementation, small investment management, bio and integrated production methods, food safety and market circuits. All initial targets were met by the project. A complementary Bilateral Cooperation Initiative with two Norwegian counterparts was very useful to change practices and experiences and to learn the differences between public policies on this area in the two countries.
Summary of bilateral results