<< Background >>In the past few years, there has been a growing interest in the development of a ‘green’ or ‘low carbon’ economy in the Eu context, as a means of reconciling economic development and the environment. According to the European Commission (2020), eco-design, eco-innovation, waste prevention and the reuse of raw materials can bring net savings for EU businesses of up to EUR 600 billion. Additional measures to increase resource productivity by 30 % by 2030 could boost GDP by nearly 1 %, while creating 2 million additional jobs. It also benefits the environment and reduces Europe's greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, green economy is a means of financial and social growth, through the provision of employability and entrepreneurship opportunities to all EU citizens, especially those with fewer opportunities. In 2019, the average rate of NEET young people in Europe was 16,4%, with 9 Member States reporting rates higher than the average. Among these, by far the highest rates were recorded in Italy and Greece, where a quarter or more of all young people aged 20–34 were neither in employment nor in education and training (27.8 % and 25.1 % respectively). In the same year, more than one fifth (20.8 %) of young women (aged 20–34) in the EU were NEETs, while the corresponding share among young men was 8.6 percentage points lower, at 12.2 %. In this context, the project Green Entrepreneurship for NEET Persons - GENTe aims to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) take advantage of the opportunities offered by the transition to a green economy. The project will bring together young adults, especially women, who fall in the category of NEET and representatives of SMEs who are interested in making their business greener and give them the chance to explore the possibilities for cooperation. In parallel, the project will offer NEET people the opportunity to participate in educational activities that will allow them to develop their skills, boost their employability and consider the possibility of starting their own green business. More specifically, the project suggests ways in which SMEs can turn environmental and social challenges into business opportunities, by involving NEET people in their activities, especially women, and taking advantage of their existing skills and competences.Preliminary research in the partner countries has revealed the need for the upskilling of young people, especially women, and the provision of opportunities for employability and entrepreneurship. In order to address those above needs, the project GENTe is built on the foundations of the latest EU policies, initiatives and strategies for NEETs on green entrepreneurship skills, and transversal skills development. The development of the project results, the overall project implementation and the project outcomes will progress based on a well-structure model of smart, adaptable, sustainable and value-oriented mode. There are various steps in the knowledge and training development continuum and development of skills to the target groups that will be supported by the GENTe consortium, and they could be used out of sequence as well depending on the need of the target group and each stakeholder in the wider NEET area, with a primary focus on financial and resource sustainability. What is more the modular and innovative digital approach of this project will provide general guidelines and pedagogies, so that other issues and skills can be addressed, depending on the specific needs of the target group and the stakeholders.<< Objectives >>The project aims to provide alternative ways of learning to a broad range of young adults and help them develop their knowledge, skills and capabilities in order to be benefited from opportunities for employability and entrepreneurship in the framework of existing or new SMEs. In particular, it is estimated that the participation of NEET adult learners in the educational activities of GENTe will offer them the opportunity to explore new forms of employability and motivate them to either join existing small and medium-sized enterprises or, ideally, put their own ideas into practice and start their own small, green, business. Furthermore, it is expected that all participants involved in the project (NEET adult learners, partner organisations and relevant stakeholders, such as representatives of SMEs) will become more aware in terms of environmental issues and put green entrepreneurship into practice, growing a green mentality of learning and working in the EU. What is more, it is expected that the participants will benefit from the project by improving their digital literacy and creating eco-friendly, green and sustainable businesses.In summary, the main objectives of the project are the following:- Contributing to the EU’s strategies for green entrepreneurship by offering the opportunity to a broad range of people, especially women, to be involved and utilize their potential.- Promoting green growth and becoming part of developing a resource-efficient, circular economy where nothing is wasted.- Developing innovative educational tools that will facilitate the development of new and innovative digital skills among NEET people in Europe.<< Implementation >>The project GENTe is designed to serve a dual purpose: on the one hand, to contribute to the dissemination and adoption of the philosophy of green entrepreneurship among the partner countries and beyond and, on the other hand, to improve the employability of young NEET people, especially women, in the contemporary EU labour market. To achieve the above, the project includes innovative activities and results, in which all participants and target groups will take part. In particular, the partner organisations will recruit and engage all interested members of the target groups in the project design, development and implementation. The first step will be to ask the members of the target groups to provide inputs in the development and review the content of the Interactive Training Curriculum (Project Result 1), on whether it matches their needs and expectations. Then, on completion of a prototype of the Online Platform (Project Result 2), all partners will extensively disseminate the platform among target group members, stakeholders and multipliers in order to pilot-test and provide feedback and suggestion for improvement. Additionally, policy actors and other stakeholders will review the Interactive Guidebook (Project Result 3) and contribute to the drafting and dissemination of the National and EU Education and Training Policies that it will include. Moreover, all partners will identity and attract the involvement of interested actors which will commit to integrate the project outcomes in their normal training activities, as an open-source program.Furthermore, all participants will contribute to the dissemination of all Project Results through the Learning, Teaching and Training activity for the partner organisations, and the Multiplier Events and Final Conference NEET, partner organisations and stakeholders. Their involvement will allow the further spread of the project across partner countries and the EU in general and form the basis for the creation of a transnational community of individuals and groups acting towards the upgrade of adult learning and the adoption of innovative pedagogies in contemporary European learning settings.<< Results >>The project GENTe aims to provide equal opportunities for learning and employability to NEET people, especially women, through the utilisation of their existing skills and the development of new competences. It is estimated that, upon its completion, the project will have the following results and outcomes:1) Provision of an in-depth analysis of the current green economy and entrepreneurship strategies in Europe on a regional, national and local level: This analysis will be based on the collection of data from interviews and focus groups which will take place during the project. The objective is to map out the specific character of the current opportunities for green entrepreneurship in the contemporary European labour market, as well as the benefits of including NEET people in current and future SMEs, in order to better address it through the provision of opportunities for learning and employability. 2) Development and implementation of an Interactive Training Curriculum (PR1) for NEET people: The Curriculum will include activities designed to help NEETs, especially women, improve their skills and capacities to enter the labour market. These skills include digital literacy, as well as ways of developing their own business ideas, thinking about start-up companies, entrepreneurship skills etc. The Curriculum will be a valuable tool for NEET people and can be utilised by partner organisations and stakeholders as well.3) Development of an Online Platform (PR2): The platform will work as a bridge between NEET people and local SMEs, stakeholders and organizations who offer opportunities for employment and/or entrepreneurship. This platform will also include the Curriculum activities, as well as information about green opportunities in the EU. The platform will be used for the training of NEET people in all partner countries and will be open to the public during and after the implementation of the project. 4) Development of an Interactive Guidebook (PR3): The Guidebook will summarise the activities and outcomes of the project and will be a comprehensive resource that will work towards the objective of building the professional capacity of practitioners in the field of green entrepreneurship. It will do so, by preparing SMEs, practitioners and stakeholders to address the needs and gaps as well as move towards fulfilling their expectations as identified in consultations with GENTe’s partners in earlier stages of the project.5) Dissemination of the results and sustainability of the project: The successful implementation of the project will form the basis for NEET’s integration in the European green labour market and society at large and set a good example for other organizations and stakeholders across Europe to follow. The impact of the outcome will be twofold. First, it will encourage a more inclusive approach from local SMEs towards NEET people, especially women. Second, it will disseminate the experiences, knowledge and practices gained through the project’s actions across and beyond the network of partner organisations of GENTe.