The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated economic slump have caused the number of young people without job prospects in Europe to skyrocket. Over the past months, many adolescents described their impression that they had been forgotten in the fight against the consequences of the pandemic. The EU Commission now proclaimed 2022 as the “Year of Youth”.

The EU average of youth unemployment is 16.9 percent (Austria: 9.7 percent). Those among them who have been unable to get into a job, education, or training in their lives are referred to as “NEET” (“Not in Education, Employment, or Training”).

Within the framework of a project workshop, the situation of these adolescents is to be examined specifically. For example, the research questions are to address the implications of the pandemic, the consequences of unemployment, available support offers, and employment campaigns. Relevance is achieved through the psycho-socio-economic implications for individuals and society, and the management of crisis situations that the frequently marginalized target group of adolescents and young adults tend to run into.

To answer the research questions, the project workshop will use a mixed-methods approach that the students individually select for themselves.