The professional integration of young people remains a major challenge in an ever-changing labour market.

To respond to this issue, the Bureau International Jeunesse (BIJ), the Belgian national agency for youth responsible for the Erasmus+ Youth in Action and European Solidarity Corps programmes, offers opportunities for mobility abroad, allowing young people to live enriching experiences while developing transferable and valuable skills.

Inside the BIJ’s training programmes

The BIJ’s programmes are designed to offer each young person the opportunity to gain meaningful experience abroad, in any sector, while developing professional and linguistic skills. These are valuable to stand out in the job market, especially in an increasingly demanding professional world.

One of the programmes offered is Tremplin Job, which has been active for the past 15 years and is aimed at young jobseekers aged 18 to 35 who have lived in Wallonia or Brussels for at least two years. It is not an academic programme, but rather an opportunity for post-study professionalisation, conceived as a step towards the future.

Whether it is a first professional immersion, a well-thought-out retraining or a deepening of existing skills, Tremplin Job is aimed at those who wish to move forward, experiment, reinvent or reveal themselves in an international context.

To do this, the submitted projects must present a coherent connection with participant’s background: it can be in direct continuity with their initial training or be part of a new orientation, provided that it has a clear and well-thought-out justification. Once the application has been accepted, the BIJ offers significant financial support: international transport (a maximum of 1,000 euros) and a weekly scholarship of 250 euros, up to 1,000 euros per month, for a maximum duration of three months.

This opportunity can even be renewed: a second project can be introduced, provided that it is different from the first and that it is carried out during another calendar year. Finally, it is essential to emphasize that these experiences are not only aimed at young people already engaged in a professional path, but also at those in transition, in search of benchmarks, confidence or simply a fresh start. For many, Tremplin Job represents much more than just a new project: it is a decisive step, a founding moment where a unique and promising trajectory emerges, far from beaten track.

The inspiring portrait of Eve Englebert, psychologist

Why did you turn to BIJ recently?

I turned to the International Youth Office because I was looking for a programme that would allow young people to gain experience abroad while developing concrete professional skills. My goal was to invest in a project that makes sense, both humanly and professionally. It is a bit by chance that I discovered the Tremplin Job programme and it immediately caught my attention.

I put together and submitted my file in November, and in January, I was leaving for a three-month mission to Peru. Having already travelled to South America, I was very enthusiastic about the idea of returning there, but this time in a structured, promising and enriching setting. As a trained psychologist, it was essential for me that this stay was not only a personal adventure but also a professional opportunity. The financial support offered by the programme allowed me to live this experience in good conditions, fully dedicating myself to my project on site.

Why this desire to go abroad?

When studying psychology at university, we are often directed towards internships in freelance or towards hospitality and humanitarian work. This was my case too, and I admit I did not find my calling there. It was after I got my first job at the Brussels Mental Health League as a project manager that I realized there were much more professional opportunities than I had imagined. The idea of working internationally came to me very quickly. As a psychologist, it’s quite interesting to be able to open up to new cultures and understand how these different life experiences affect our perception of things.

What was your project in Peru?

I worked for the association 'Mano a Mano' which was created 30 years ago in the north of Lima. The people there live in slums in a desert, in precarious living conditions. The association helps this community, notably by creating retaining walls for earthquakes, by making community gardens to bring a bit of greenery, because everything is grey there.

There is also a literacy project for women and homework help provided for children. It is a fairly complete association that works collaboratively and employs Peruvians. This last aspect was important to me because I didn’t want to go into an NGO that creates ties of dependency with the local populations.

What did this experience bring you?

This has nourished my professional practice. I was able to confront my theoretical vision with a much more practical one.

AKI, a tool to enhance the skills acquired through mobility

Thanks to tools like AKI and the support offered, it offers valuable experience for young people’s CVs. The International Youth Office offers this online tool to help them take stock of the skills developed during an international experience.

Free to access, AKI is aimed at both young people and youth professionals. It helps to identify and formulate acquired skills concretely, facilitating job interviews for example. It is an added value in the professional integration process, especially with a future employer.

The objective is making international mobility recognized as an asset in the eyes of employers, because the experience allows the acquisition of transversal skills such as autonomy, adaptability, socialisation or the creation of professional networks.

By Nadia Salmi for W+B n' 169