YOU (vocational guidance for young people) is an initiative that turns traditional labour market measures on their head. Employers are divided into different sector pools and notify any jobs that are available now and in the future and the qualifications required in order to access them. From this starting point, young people are offered an individual path and support at every stage of the journey. The initiative started in Västerås in 2009, where players on the employment market joined forces in an effort to reduce youth unemployment. The aim is to create a long-term functional model which can be rolled out all over the country to provide thousands of young people with jobs. Interest is now growing both nationally and internationally.
Eight municipalities are working together during the pilot phase to ensure that the model functions under different employment market conditions. The project has moved into phase two in Västerås, where a large group of participants is trying to identify better access to jobs together with those who create the employment market. Young people’s entrepreneurship is being channelled in close cooperation with the local economy. Research into the employment market and health is an integral part of the project. Starting from the actual employment market, giving young people better insight into working life and greater support from newly obtained motivation means a change in outlook. The challenge for us is to change society’s view of young people without work so that they are seen as a resource instead of a burden.
