Project Background:
The Werkstattjahr project, funded by the European Social Fund, is a one-year project designed to help young people who dropped of school and could not attain a school diploma, to get achieve this step and advance either in further education or in initial VET training, helping them to transition into work life. It is for people aged 16 and above and it combine both schooling, training, career support and extra curricula components to improve also their social and organisational skills.
The training part focuses on woodworking skills, where the participants can explore their creativity making different objects. Alongside woodworking, students also get help and tutoring with school subjects. The students earn small amounts of money by completing tasks and collecting points, which motivates them to work hard.
Why Annika joined the training?
Annika's journey to learning new skills started from the local jobcentre, where she decided to register as she hadn't finished high school and didn't have a diploma. She signed up for this training programme the centre suggested, seeing it as – as she herself described - her last chance to get her diploma and improve her situation. The support and guidance she received throughout the process have been invaluable for her and showcases the important complementarities and mutual support between EU funded projects and the already existing local structures supporting NEETs and youth education and employment.
Personal Growth and Skills
Through the project, Annika has learned valuable technical skills in woodworking and handicrafts, and engaging in these activities brings her happiness as well as confidence in her skills. She really enjoys the training and loves the chance to work on projects she can't do at home. The creative side of the training is her favourite part. She's excited to get her diploma after completing the training and has already started with the help of the project to apply for initial VET training.
Future plans
The project has been helpful in guiding her towards vocational education, providing counselling and support all along. She is looking forward to starting vocational training next September, where she wants to study either floristry or painting and varnishing. Also, she wants to improve her math skills in the future.
Encouraging Others
Annika would encourage others to participate in the Werkstattjahr project. “Having the setting, the material and the training to work with explore woodworking is like a gift, to have the opportunity to work with objects is beautiful.” The sense of fulfilment and confidence that comes from creating something with your own hands is amazing and she is thankful she is taking part of the training. Moreover, she finds the support provided by projects like these important and she has received that in the broadest way.
Her experience in Meeting with the Champions event
Initially, Annika was afraid of attending the Meet the Champions event, but after arriving, she was very happy she came. Everything in the event was very exciting and it was an enriching experience. She met many people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Hearing different languages in the event made her interested of learning Spanish in the future.
- Project locations
- Germany