XRAISE – Boosting youth employment with XR and AI technologies

The project addresses the growing problem of youth unemployment in Finland, which carries a significant cost both for individuals and for society as a whole. New approaches are needed to tackle this challenge.

By leveraging new technologies, part of employment coaching can be provided flexibly and efficiently as a self-service solution, allowing human coaches to focus their efforts on situations where their support is most needed. The aim is not to replace human coaches, but to combine the scalability enabled by technology with the personalised support provided by human coaching.

The project’s primary target group is young people aged 18–29 in South Karelia. Development will follow the principles of experimental and co-creative development, involving young people, employers, employment authorities and other organisations working with young people. The solutions will be tested in a real-world environment and further developed based on the experience and feedback gained from the pilots.

The project will result in a productised and evaluated coaching programme that is embedded into regional employment and youth services.

Goals

Main objectives:

1. Develop and productise an AI- and XR-based coaching programme that combines technology-enabled independent and scalable coaching with the personalised support provided by a human coach. The aim is to improve the service received by jobseekers while enabling employment support services to be delivered more cost-effectively than at present.
2. Improve young people’s readiness to transition into employment, education or entrepreneurship by developing their skills, digital capabilities, working-life skills, and ability to identify and articulate their own competences.
3. At least 100 young people will participate in the pilots, of whom at least 50% will find employment, start studies or become entrepreneurs during the project.
4. At least five employers, particularly SMEs, will participate in the pilots. At least three of these employers will employ a young person or offer them another concrete opportunity to gain work experience, develop their skills or participate in working life during the project.
5. Strengthen regional cooperation and capacity to utilise AI and XR technologies in supporting employment. The project will increase young people’s, employers’, employment authorities’ and youth support organisations’ understanding of the potential of new technologies and jointly develop new approaches and practices.

Sub-objectives:

1. The digital skills of young people participating in the pilots and their ability to utilise new technologies will improve.
2. Young people’s skills in experimental development and service design will improve, and they will actively participate in developing services intended for them.

Project manager