“ShiftWork — Non-formal Paths to Entrepreneurship”

This training course offers youth workers the opportunity to deepen their understanding of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial learning within youth work and non-formal education contexts, and to strengthen their capacity to design and facilitate practical entrepreneurial learning experiences for young people. Through non-formal education and experiential learning approaches, participants will explore key concepts from the EntreComp framework — including creativity, vision, self-awareness, motivation, ethical thinking, planning, and working with others — while gaining insight into practical tools and methods that promote entrepreneurial mindsets among youth.

The course places strong emphasis on the role of youth workers as facilitators of entrepreneurial learning processes. Participants will examine how educational activities can be designed and facilitated in an engaging and empowering way, with particular attention to building creative confidence, encouraging initiative, supporting young people in recognising opportunities, and connecting entrepreneurial competences to real-life youth work contexts. By combining theoretical input with structured reflection and peer exchange, the training supports participants in critically analysing their own facilitation styles, professional practices, and the entrepreneurial realities in their home countries.

Going beyond theory, the training course is highly participatory and practice-oriented. Participants will engage in interactive workshops, small-group design sessions, and hands-on activities focused on applying EntreComp principles in youth work. Special focus will be placed on developing concrete educational activities and local-level session designs that integrate entrepreneurial learning into everyday youth work practice. By the end of the course, participants will have strengthened their facilitation competences, developed practical activity concepts, and gained tools and strategies to foster entrepreneurial thinking, creativity, and initiative among young people in their communities.

The training course is developed in line with Youth Goal 7: Quality Employment for All, and contributes to:

• Ensuring equal opportunities for all young people to develop the necessary skills and gain practical experience in order to smoothen the transition from education to the labour market.
• Ensuring equal access to quality information and adequate support mechanisms to prepare young people for the changing labour market and future of work.

The training course is grounded in non-formal education principles and experiential learning approaches. The programme is designed to equip participants with the knowledge, skills, and practical tools needed to understand entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial learning, apply the EntreComp framework in youth work contexts, and design and facilitate entrepreneurial learning activities for young people.

The initial phase of the training focuses on building a safe and supportive learning environment, fostering trust among participants, and creating a strong sense of group cohesion. During the first days, participants will engage in activities that explore similarities and differences, group alliance, and shared expectations. They will be introduced to the foundations of non-formal education and entrepreneurial learning, the EntreComp framework, and the role of youth workers in fostering entrepreneurial mindsets among young people. This phase also includes reflection on country realities related to youth work and entrepreneurship programmes, as well as the Erasmus+ and Youthpass frameworks as tools for recognition and professional development.

As the training progresses, participants will deepen their understanding of core entrepreneurial competences, including self-awareness, motivation, ethical thinking, creativity, vision, planning, and working with others. Through practical workshops and reflective exercises, they will strengthen their facilitation competences and explore methods for designing engaging entrepreneurial learning experiences. Particular attention is given to empowering creative thinking, supporting young people in recognising and acting upon opportunities, and integrating entrepreneurial learning approaches into everyday non-formal education practice.

In the later stages of the programme, participants will focus on applying their learning through local-level session design and experiential learning cycles. Working in teams, they will develop concrete educational activities that integrate EntreComp competences into youth work practice. Through simulation, peer feedback, and structured reflection, they will refine their activity concepts and adapt them to their local contexts. 

On the final day, participants will engage in structured reflection and evaluation of their learning journey, and their achievements will be recognised through the Youthpass ceremony, supporting further professional development and transfer of entrepreneurial learning competences into their everyday youth work practice.

Objectives:

• To introduce participants to key concepts of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial learning within non-formal education (NFE), using the EntreComp framework as a common reference point.
• To explore country realities of youth work and entrepreneurship, fostering exchange of experiences and good practices among participants from different contexts.
• To develop participants' understanding of core entrepreneurial competences — including creativity, vision, self-awareness, motivation, and ethical thinking — and their relevance to youth work practice.
• To equip participants with practical NFE methods and tools for designing and facilitating entrepreneurial learning activities with young people at local level.
• To support participants in creating concrete plans for local-level entrepreneurial learning sessions, transferable to their own youth work contexts after the training.
• To encourage personal and professional reflection through experiential learning, peer exchange, and Youthpass recognition.