The main aim of the YMC project is to improve the tech skills and career awareness among VET students, enabling them to secure gainful employment in the Maker/Tech industry. The project, targeting VET students, aims to foster the development of creativity, innovation, critical thinking, problem analysis, solution-finding, and other essential skills which are highly valued in today’s labor market.

The project will extend the Maker communities for VET students from three locations to four (Chisinau, Balti, Cahul and Ungheni). These communities will provide a collaborative space where students can join and, with the support and guidance of mentors, develop new maker/tech projects and products. This initiative will allow young people to express their creativity and innovation in various areas of daily life using evolving technologies.

YMC workshops, local and national makeathons, and camps will diversify the skillsets of VET students, equipping them with in-demand tech skills that are highly sought after by companies that incorporate various technologies in their production processes. This will contribute to the formation of a new generation of young professionals capable of generating solutions and innovations in both tech and non-tech-related processes.

The project will also include several orientation sessions, meetups with private company representatives, and promotional campaigns to inform a larger number of VET students about different career paths in the Maker/Tech industry. These sessions will provide insights into the requirements of companies looking for employees and how students can integrate smoothly into these new working conditions. This initiative will help students make informed decisions about potential employers and the skillsets they need to develop, thereby facilitating better integration of VET graduates into the labor market.

Implementing these initiatives will diversify the VET non-formal education through innovative, tech-based YMC learning opportunities. By acquiring relevant in-demand skills and gaining a better understanding of job prospects in the Maker/Tech industry, YMC project is expected to enhance the employability perspectives of VET graduates.