The idea for this project stemmed from the urging need to reinvent programmes in the youth sector in the Green Employability sector based on innovative methodologies for strengthening employability prospects of Deaf and Hard of Hearing young people in green-oriented professions.

Partner countries face great challenges regarding the availability of green employability programmes to Deaf and Hard of Hearing young people. For instance, in Greece, no consistent non-formal learning programs tailored explicitly for Deaf and Hard of Hearing young people and youth initiatives on green education and climate change offer specialized provisions for Deaf and Hard of Hearing young people.

In Cyprus, the latest survey by the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights in 2023 shows that Deaf and Hard of Hearing youth feel excluded, whereas extremely limited youth initiatives are found for them. Notably, the European Climate Pact states that out of 500 young people, 81% do not know about green jobs, while for the deaf community, the case becomes accentuated as there is no Sign language terminology for environmental terms.

Recent data by Eurostat show that employment in Green-oriented professions has risen from 3.2 million in 2000 to 5.1 million in 2020. Furthermore, the number of jobs in Environmental Sectors are expected to accelerate in the upcoming years while green skills are in great demand, as the Directorate-General for Climate Action of the European Union notes.

The European Climate Pact and the European Green Deal have crucial 2030 environmental and economic objectives. The Pact focuses on skill development for the green transition, while the Green Deal stresses reskilling and upskilling for the growing green sector. The Skills Agenda and Youth Guarantee also prioritize green employability skills and equal access to training. CEDEFOP’s Skills Intelligence highlights emerging green-related skill demands.

Nevertheless, Deaf and Hard of Hearing young people still face vital challenges regarding their integration into the labour market due to limited training programmes and innovative methodologies, lack of the know-how of the youth workers to employ such programmes and inclusivity in job environments. The EU Disability Strategy recommends that while digital transformation and green transition provide a plethora of opportunities, including employability, using ICT to design services tailored to the needs of persons with disabilities is exceptionally needed.

The Youth Strategy 2019-2027 highlights designing Youth programmes which adhere to curbing discrimination while prioritizing Quality Employment for all and a Sustainable Green Europe. Specifically, the Youth Strategy accentuates the need to provide information and suitable skills for future employment to integrate youth into the labour market successfully and empower young people to act as agents of change for sustainable development.

Based on the above, the project’s funding will create and introduce a Green Employability Programme for Deaf and Hard of Hearing young people in youth work.