CLApp: A Career Learning APP for Young People Not in Employment, Education or Training

Technological advances and automation are making workplaces increasingly knowledge intensive, with many routine and well-defined jobs becoming redundant. The new labor market requires workers with high competencies who are not afraid of change, challenges and acquiring new skills. For people with weak beliefs in their capacity to learn, this could be a major risk factor for labor market exclusion. Indeed, today almost 10 percent of young adults in Norway are "Not in Education, Employment or Training" (NEET). Based on protocols from psychology, we have developed an app (RØST), supporting young school or job applicants. We have used design thinking to adapt the content in RØST to the NEET population. This development process was done in close collaboration with a pilot group of NEET youth, researchers from University of Stavanger, Stavanger University Hospital, University of Texas at Austin and employees at the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV). We have successfully piloted the app with a user group in Rogaland, gaining valuable insights and feedback. However, the number of respondents is too low to draw reliable conclusions about the intervention. In 2024, we plan to expand this initiative in collaboration with NAV through a large-scale rollout so that we can conduct statistical impact analyses of the app. This project will provide new knowledge about young NEETs, and how the society can support them in entering the labor market or education. Additionally, the project will give the young adults an opportunity voice their opinion about the project.

Technological advances and automation are making workplaces increasingly knowledge intensive, with many routine and well-defined jobs becoming redundant. The new labor market requires workers with high competencies who are not afraid of change, challenges and acquiring new skills. For people with weak beliefs in their capacity to learn, this could be a major risk factor for labor market exclusion. Indeed, today almost 10 percent of young adults in Norway are "Not in Education, Employment or Training" (NEET). Based on protocols from psychology, we will develop an app (RØST), supporting young school or job applicants. This project will provide new knowledge about young NEETs, and how the society can support them in entering the labor market or education. Additionally, the project will give the young adults an opportunity voice their opinion about the project. We use design thinking to adapt the content in RØST to the NEET population. This development process will be in close collaboration with a pilot group of NEET youth, researchers from University of Stavanger, Stavanger University Hospital, University of Texas at Austin and employees at NAV.