INTRODUCTION

Eurostat (Jun 2022) indicates that there are 2.546 million young persons unemployed in the EU. While Spain holds first place in regards to unemployment rates their percentage of youth unemployment is a strong 27%. A specific situation in Serbia indicates a 2-8% increase in unemployment in 2021, while the overall youth unemployment rate sums up to 29% which is a concerning indicator. The strong NFE sector in Cyprus, on top of higher education rates, must have contributed to the country’s lower unemployment rate of 17%, which is still above the EU average.
Youth unemployment is a persistent phenomenon that has obviously worsened during the current crisis. International Labour organization presents that the COVID-19 crisis and the measures applied have triggered a sharp increase in the number of claims for unemployment benefits across the EU. While the majority of the EU’s youth is highly educated, scholars agree that formal education has learning outcomes challenges caused by a lack of practical knowledge. Skills are vital (EU semester skills for labour market 2017) for competitiveness and employability, as structural changes such as globalization and technological progress calls for ever higher and more labor market-relevant skills for productivity growth and to secure good jobs. Matching the labor market needs and the skills that young people possess is another concern. New roles are emerging in relation to digitalization the green transition, and demographic changes such as aging and immigration. This transformation calls for new skills and action to minimize the potential mismatch between the skills required by the labor market and those possessed by the workforce.
Our research & experience show that there is a going interest and awareness amongst the youth to acquire skills. As per the ORF studies, 76% of the youth said that they were interested in skills and most of them emphasized on acquiring skills in a short modular form.
Pedagogical methodologies, such as game-based education, role-model education and digital gamification have been
proven efficient in upskilling young people and motivating them for shaping up their competences according to the needs of the labor market.
We have been motivated by all of these facts to work together to create relevant NFE opportunities, innovated with modern and appealing forward-looking methodologies such as green educational escape rooms, in order to create the most relevant skills development opportunities to young unemployed people all over the EU. Inasmuch, through the development of innovative educational resources, we aim to use and promote environmentally sustainable practices so that young people can benefit both from upskilling according to the relevant needs of the labor market, but also greatly contribute to environmental sustainability through a powerful change in mindset and motivation with means to live and work the green practices established within this project.

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