In Jyväskylä, employment services’ coaching pilots helped young people find pathways to working life

The City of Jyväskylä has long been committed to improving the situation of young jobseekers. One success in this work is the Digitaitoja työmarkkinoille project, which concludes this summer. The project brought together 260 unemployed young people for coaching pilots, both in person and through an online learning environment. The aim was to implement bold coaching experiments identified in the municipal employment trial and tailored to the needs of young people. Of the participants, 112 found a direct route to employment, studies, or entrepreneurship.

— This is my first time being unemployed, and it’s even a bit scary. But thanks to the project, adapting to this new situation has been much easier, says one young participant.

The coaching pilots, which improved young people’s digital and job-seeking skills, were carried out from July 2023 to June 2025. Based on participant feedback and results, the combination of personal guidance and online coaching methods proved highly effective. The methods tested in the pilots are planned to be used more widely with young jobseekers in the future. In Jyväskylä, the growth of youth unemployment has been curbed with timely services, but there are still 3,200 unemployed jobseekers under the age of 30.

Young people want face-to-face encounters and digital learning

During the coaching pilots, young jobseekers were offered the support of a skills coach and received help in developing their digital skills, navigating digital job search tools, understanding working life, and strengthening their personal resources. Participants could also choose, for example, body language coaching to prepare for job interviews. The coaching was designed to guide participants toward working life and included collaboration with companies. During the coaching, young people also had the opportunity to learn about careers in the gaming or IT industries directly from companies in those fields.

— The project motivated me to leave the house now and then. While unemployed, I’ve noticed how easy it is to get stuck at home, says another participant.

Feedback from jobseekers highlights the significance of the services. Many reported gaining new skills and motivation for job searching, insights into working life, business contacts, and relief from loneliness. Close cooperation with the skills coach was seen as particularly important.

The coaching models and online learning platform developed in Digitaitoja työmarkkinoille will be integrated into the employment services offering during 2025–2026.

Digitaitoja työmarkkinoille is a project funded by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) and the City of Jyväskylä. The project runs from May 2, 2023, to July 31, 2025.