The objective of the Blue Generation Project is to inspire and engage young people between 15 and 29 years to pursue a sustainable career in one of the following Blue Economy sectors: coastal tourism, aquaculture, ocean energy, marine biotechnology, shipbuilding, maritime transport and fisheries. At the heart of the project lies the Blue Generation Program (BGP). The BGP is an integrated outreach action organised and implemented by the project with the aim to "attract, engage and convert" young people to the vast opportunities of the Blue Economy job market. The Blue Generation Program offers well-documented information about blue career prospects in Greece, Spain, Portugal, Bulgaria and Poland, mentoring programs for those among the young who wish to actively pursue a career in Blue Economy, including skills validation tools to better cope with the needed qualifications, as well as mobility exchanges through study visits for gaining first-hand experience in various Blue economy sectors. To succeed in this, the Blue Generation Project brings together experts from the Blue Economy and Youth organisations to share knowledge about skills needs, career paths, open job positions and existing training.

The Blue Generation Program will be repeated in four cycles throughout the years 2018 to 2022, each lasting from January to October, followed by an evaluation and improvement process. In the first year the Blue Career Job Platform will be developed, offering free of charge information on blue job positions as well as training opportunites across EU countries. Through the BGP, it is envisaged to reach up to 39,000 young people through promotional activities and convert at least 2,000 to employment or training in the Blue Economy. 

• The first target group of the project are young people from 15 to 19 who are NEETs or at risk of becoming NEETs after finishing their current education - approached via high schools, VET centres and youth centres.
• The second target group are NEETs from 15 to 29 who are currently registered as unemployed - approached via public and private unemployment centres, adult education centres, NGOs and associations.
• The last target group are young people from 20 to 29 at risk of becoming NEETs after finishing current education and Hard-to-reach NEETs, inactive youth living with parents, young mothers and young people with drug or alcohol abuse - approached via VET centres, Adult education centres, NGOs and associations.

The European Blue Economy, currently representing around 5.4 million jobs, is set to double its employment by 2030. Its problem is that young people are not being attracted to maritime careers, while businesses cannot find the required workforce, skills and profiles (European Commission SWD, 2017).

At the same time, the EU has up to 14 million young people between 15 and 29 years who are NEETs (Not in Education Employment or Training) and millions more who are at risk of becoming NEETs due to early school dropout, difficulties in entering the labour market, or other personal problems. The Blue Generation Project is set to fill this gap by re-introducing Blue Economy carreers as an attractive, modern and prosperous professional pathway and way out of unemployment for the young. 

We look into the following results

• Improved employment situation for young people and especially NEETs
• Increased participation in education and training of former NEETs
• Provision of innovative approaches on lowering youth unemployment 
• Increased transnational cooperation on labour market issue

• Training youth workers with a Blue Career MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses platform) to become knowledgeable promoters and mentors.
• Organizing info-days and activities in high schools, adult education centres, NGOs, unemployment services and local associations to promote Blue Career opportunities.
• Guiding young people through skills validation, personal mentoring and short exchanges to suitable employment and training in Blue Economy job sectors.
• Offering, at no charge, a Blue Career Guide, and a Blue Career Job Platform.