zeropoverty

In addition to the official unemployment statistics, there is another, unrecorded figure - that of teenagers who have not finished school, do not have a regular routine, but do not appear in official figures as either employed, in education or in training. The 'Startbahn' employment project in Vorarlberg, Austria, gives these young people a chance to gain new perspectives and skills, by offering them employment. Supported by professional instructors, these teenagers produce simple wood products, renovate furniture and gain independence and self-esteem. The main task of the volunteers and social workers involved with the project is to help these teenagers into a daily work routine, while helping them find training or steady employment elsewhere. In this way young people who might otherwise have joined the list of the long-term unemployed can work towards gaining independence and self-sufficiency.