Venture Trust will lead an European project which will use the outdoors to get young people into work

A Scottish charity is leading its way in a new international employment partnership.

Venture Trust’s expertise in outdoor learning has resulted in the organisation being selected as the expert partner for a European consortium that will use the outdoors to get young people into work, education and training.

The From Outdoors to Labour Market Project (FOLM) is being led by the Centre for Innovative Education and includes partners from Poland, Spain, Ireland and Scotland. FOLM is funded from a £3,028,775 (€3,400,000) grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA and the Norwegian Grants Fund for Youth Employment.

The multi-national project will aim to give nearly 1000 young people not in education, employment or training – from Poland, Spain and Ireland – the skills and opportunities through innovative outdoor learning to develop life and professional skills to find and sustain employment.

The charity has decades of experience delivering a community and wilderness-based model of personal social development for young people in Scotland, and has supported thousands of young Scots to gain the personal skills, motivation and confidence that has allowed them to move towards employment, training and education.

Venture Trust’s head of operations, Mike Strang said: “The Centre for Innovative Education (CIE) has recognised the expertise Venture Trust brings to its work with young people in Scotland, and approached the organisation to lead the ambitious project.

“By supporting the FOLM project we can share learning and extend the reach of our work by enabling partners to work in a meaningful way with hundreds of young people not in education, training or employment in wider Europe.

“Our programmes continue to contribute to a progressive society here in Scotland and now we are delighted to be able to extend that approach to European partner countries.”