European Commission recognises youth employability partnership

“On behalf of SOS Children’s Villages, I would like to thank the European Commission for recognising the GoTeach partnership for youth employability,” said Norbert Meder, CEO of SOS Children’s Villages International, of the honour.

“Our partnership with DPDHL Group has not only equipped young people with the skills and experience they need to kick-start their careers, it has also inspired the genesis of YouthCan!," Mr Meder continued. "Through such partnerships, we can make a real difference in tackling the global challenge of youth employability – and in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.” 

Susanne Novotny, DPDHL Partnership Advisor at SOS Children’s Villages International, accepted the award on behalf of the organisation at the high level conference Sustainable Europe 2030: From Goals to Delivery in Brussels.

Award recognises empowerment and inclusion of young people

The theme of the 2019 European Sustainability Award is “Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality”. SOS Children's Villages International received the award in the category “project/initiative taking place outside the European Union”. 

The conference in Brussels gathers European Commission Representatives including First Vice-President Frans Timmermans, Vice-President Jyrki Katainen and Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility Marianne Thyssen; academics, representatives of the corporate sector and of civil society organisations.

The European Sustainability Award, introduced in 2018, is an annual award recognising the efforts and creativity of European people, businesses and organisations in contributing towards realising the Sustainable Development Goals. More about the award can be found here.

Mentors share skills and experience

Through the GoTeach programme, DPDHL Group employees volunteer as mentors for young people aged 15-25 in their transition to the working world. In addition, the programme helps young people prepare for entering the job market through skills training and by giving them opportunities to gain work experience. Young people attend workshops and site visits in different business units at DPDHL Group and other corporate partners, gaining insights and experience into the working world and the skills they need.

Over the last eight years, the GoTeach partnership has gone from success to success, reaching 42 countries and strengthening the employability of thousands of young people. In 2018, 3,087 young people and 1,564 Deutsche Post DHL Group volunteer employees participated in 130 activities. These included more than 100 internships and almost 700 job shadowing opportunities.

Altogether, volunteers from all business units of DPDHL Group and young people from SOS programmes devoted more than 14,000 hours to GoTeach in 2018. In addition, 14 new countries joined the global partnership.

The partnership in 2018 did not only expand geographically, it also expanded its range of activities, including employability programmes with young refugees from SOS programmes in Serbia, Lebanon, Sweden and Syria. Also, young people from the SOS Children’s Village in Gothenburg, Sweden could take a forklift driving training provided by DPDHL Group, including the opportunity to gain a recognised qualification.

GoTeach was also honoured by the Spanish King earlier this year