Bridges to Work

Linking youth (work), employment and entrepreneurship > Inspiration - Networking - Funding - Visibility - Action - Cooperation > For people working on youth employment and entrepreneurship > From (17) 18 till 20 October 2011, Antwerp, Belgium.

Download the Bridges to Work conference report - with conclusions, action plans, key-note inputs, the voice of young job-seekers and employers, etc. Get inspired!

A successful conference that lead to action

Bridges to Work was a success – that is at least what 99% of the participants put in their evaluation form. 93% of them said they learned new things and 85% got new partners or contacts at Bridges. 86% even made plans for new employment projects.

Download the summary of outcomes and evaluation.

An interactive dynamic conference

2 opening addresses
3 key-note inputs
1 theatre workshop
1 panel discussion
15 good practice workshops
8 project visits
8 funding programme presentations
4 concluding remarks

More details in the programme.

Bridges between stakeholders

The conference built bridges between a variety of stakeholders. You can find an overview of the selected participants here.

25 workers/coaches of youth employment & entrepreneurship projects
23 young (long-term) unemployed young people of those projects
20 representatives of job centres, employers and employment & entrepreneurship services
20 staff of support & funding programmes (Youth in Action, Lifelong Learning, European Social Fund, Eurodyssey, Erasmus for Enterpreneurs...)
34 experts, researchers, policy makers, VIPs
9 speakers, 4 facilitators, 1 general rapporteur
12 staff & 2 coodrinators

Nothing about them without them!

Parallel to the big stakeholder conference, a seminar for (long-term) unemployed young people took place. The two groups discussed the same employment issues but from different perspectives. At strategic moments in the programme, their respective views were shared to enrich the discussions and to root the different suggestions in reality.

All participants (100%) at Bridges to Work evaluated the participation of young jobseekers as a positive element of the conference!

At the same time, Bridges to Work also ensured that representatives of the work sector were around the table. Because if youth work axcertains to contribute to young people's employability, it needs to liaise with employers to see how to make the step from more employable young people to effective jobs for them.

^^ top ^^

The bigger picture - background information

Young people's employment and entrepreneurship is on top of the agenda in times of economic crisis. Bridges to Work gave the floor to programmes and intitiatives that aim to increase young people's chances on the labour market.

Bridges to Work was a networking event where 93% of participants said they found new inspiration & insights, 85% said they found new contacts & partners and 86%of participants developed plans for new projects to lead young people to a job, especially those young people at disadvantage in society (inclusion groups).

Bridges to Work programme

Culmination of different employment actions

Bridges to Work does not happen in a vacuum. Many smaller scale initiatives have been combating (long-term) unemployment or supporting (fewer opportunities) young people in their quest for a job. The results and organisers of these different initiatives was brought together in Bridges to Work.

Bridges to Work is part of SALTO Inclusion's strategy to combat youth unemployment and the fruit of the cooperation of a myriad of partners. It took place in Antwerp, the European Youth Capital 2011.

Overview of Bridges to Work partners