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The FREE project is aimed at providing an interactive tool to be used by those who work with the unemployed, such as councillors, tutors, trainers and other professionals, allowing them to gain not only hard skills in the areas of entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity, but also new soft skills, such as those required to support individuals who want to start a business.
By improving skills in these key areas, councillors, tutors and trainers will be able to provide better support to those who are unemployed and wanting to reintegrate into the labour market by starting a new business.
Recent statistics have shown that, as a result of the worldwide financial crisis which recently hit both European member states and others, many businesses have been forced to downsize their operations, causing unemployment to rise at a rate not seen for many years.
Eurostat estimated that 17.911 million people in the EU27 were unemployed in December 2008, as well as 15,9% of youths were in unemployment in October 2008. With this in mind, the role played by European employment offices and other entities who work with the unemployed has increased, forcing them to be even more prepared to provide guidance and assistance to a greater number of unemployed groups.
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