Commissioned by the European Youth Forum, and conducted by the University of Bath and GHK Consulting, the study on “the impact of non-formal education in youth organisations on young people’s employability” confirms the importance of the COMANITY project.
Non-formal education can be understood as “an organised educational process that takes place outside the mainstream systems of education and training, and does not typically lead to certification. Individuals participate on a voluntary basis and the individual is usually aware that (s)he is learning”.
Among the findings are:
- Young people who report higher levels of involvement in the youth organisations’ activities (in terms of frequency and duration) also report higher levels of skills development;
- Employers consider involvement with youth organisations as a positive experience, as they have implicit theories that associate certain experiences with certain skills sets;
- Beyond Skills Development: involvement in youth organisations creates networks and connections for young people
The study also include a set of recommendations, notably to foster young people’s participation in youth organisations and better recognition of any learning that happens there.