Tackling early school leaving and youth unemployment through local counselling

• Author: Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (European Commission)
• Pages: 32-33

SOCIAL INNOVATION: INSPIRATIONAL PRACTICES

SUPPORTING PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES

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Photo of young people taken during counsellors’ f‌ieldwork

© JES vzw, 2013

Problem addressed

Leaving school early produces many negative consequences

for individuals including unemployment, social exclusion,

poverty and poor health. In Antwerp, the early school leaving

rate is 21.7%. The city also has one of the highest levels

of youth unemployment in the Flanders region. In 2020, the

youth unemployment rate in Flanders stood at 17.7%, while

in Antwerp the rate was 25.2%.

Innovative solution

Youth Competence Centres (YCCs) are spaces where young

people in Antwerp can receive advice and counselling on

their future personal and professional development. The

centres are open to all young people aged 16 to 25, but

particularly target those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

These young people may feel disillusioned and distrustful

of formal education institutions or ‘authority f‌igures’ due to

negative past experiences. YCCs’ innovative approach is to

build a trusting, personal relationship between counsellors

and young people to overcome this.

Youth workers and counsellors meet young people at youth

centres and in informal settings, such as parks and cultural

and sports events. This ensures that the young people are

at ease in a familiar setting when communicating with

counsellors, supporting the trust-building process. Counsellors

provide support either individually or in groups. Counselling

sessions either focus on work-related acquired competences

(WAC) or on the recognition of acquired competences (RAC).

The WAC type of counselling primarily targets unemployed

youth and early school leavers to ease their transition into

the labour market. The RAC type of counselling targets young

people aged 16–25 and focuses on f‌inding volunteering

experiences for them.

Tackling early school leaving and

youth unemployment through

local counselling

Youth Competence Centres

Belgium