What is the ALMA initiative?

ALMA – Aim, Learn, Master, Achieve – is a EU initiative designed to support young people aged 18 to 29 who are currently not in Education, Employment, or Training yet (NEETs) to improve their ability to gain access to the employment market. It focuses especially on those young people facing personal or structural challenges that make it harder for them to access job or training opportunities – such as long-term unemployment, limited professional qualifications or professional skills, mental or physical health issues, personal barriers or due to a migration or newly arrived/refugee background.

ALMA is a social inclusion programme using transnational mobility as booster for these young NEETs by supporting them gaining confidence, skills, and real-world experience through a three-phase journey within Europe: 

• First phase is an intensive preparation in the home country: participants receive a tailored training and support in their own country to get ready for the experience ahead.
• Second phase is a transnational mobility abroad: the participants take part in a supervised work-related learning placement in another EU country, lasting between 2 and 6 months, supported by accompanying mentors from a transnational partner and the host country‘s guidance throughout.
• Third phase is a continued support on their return into the host country: after coming back home, participants continue to receive support by using their newly acquired or rediscovered skills to gain employment, further training, education or another step bringing them on their path on enhance their employability.

ALMA is currently being implemented (and has been in the past since 2009) by several EU countries and regions, with great support from the European Commission. The idea builds on a successful model first developed in Germany, which was later transferred through the Transnational Learning Network Mobility (TLN Mobility) to several other Member states within Europe. TLN Mobility was a collaboration launched in 2013 by Managing Authorities and Implementing Bodies looking to create transnational mobility opportunities for disadvantaged youth under their national or regional ESF+ programmes and has been transformed into the ALMA Network.

To further boost its reach, the ALMA EU-level call was launched in late 2022, with a budget of €15 million. This funding has helped Member States pilot or expand ALMA-type activities, resulting in 28 Grant Agreements now under way in 10 Member States.

The call was very successful also in terms of upscalling the ALMA initiative. Thanks to this experience, several Member States and regions are now scaling up their pilot projects and launching new ALMA calls within their national or regional programmes.

This is where the ALMA Network plays a key role – by bringing members together to share experiences, exchange good practices, and support one another, the Network helps ensure that each new ALMA call builds on past successes and achieves even greater impact.