The European Forum within the project "Virtual Internships for Inclusive Societies" brought together 60 representatives of civil society organizations from Serbia, Macedonia, Italy, and Spain, representatives of the public sector as well as young people. The event was held on September 26th and 27th.

Research unequivocally demonstrates that an increasing number of young individuals are eschewing internships in favor of online tools to enhance their knowledge and skill set. Online tools allow young people to learn and develop at their own pace and schedule. This gives them more freedom to explore their areas of interest and focus on what motivates them and develop in the areas they want.

In accordance with the above, the project "Virtual Internships for Inclusive Societies", which is being implemented in Serbia, Italy, Spain, and North Macedonia, aims to improve the social position of young people, especially those from vulnerable social groups, by organizing different internships models, which will be in the opportunity to improve their knowledge and thereby more easily join the labor market. So far, the project has provided insight into the needs, opportunities and limitations faced by young people in terms of opportunities to acquire skills for future employment within formal and informal education. Additionally, through research in all partner countries, insight was gained into the availability of virtual internship models, but recommendations for their implementation were also made, so that they would be in line with the needs and interests of young people.

At the European Forum of Virtual Internships, we discussed the advantages that young people will have from improving existing and developing new internship models, and how different European countries have improved the system of work internships. Teta Karampini spoke on behalf of the organization Junior Achievement Europe, Ane Matevska from the National Youth Council of Macedonia, Miriam Tullii from the organization ITS Agroalimentare of Teramo, Marianna Patalano from the organization ITS Agroalimentare of Teramo, Lourdes Bernabeu Calatayud from the organization XANO, and Milorad Bjeletić and Marija Milosavljević from Belgrade Open School.

The second day of the European Forum was devoted to the key topic "Ensuring the quality of work internships for young people", during which a constructive round table was held in cooperation with partners. The discussion focused on advocacy initiatives to improve the quality of work practices, and relevant aspects of the draft law on work practices were also discussed.

A total of 62 participants took part in this event, which took place on September 26 and 27, 2023, in the Hotel Putnik Inn in Belgrade. The conversations were fruitful, and the constructive discussion contributed to a deeper understanding and definition of key issues related to improving the experiences of young people during work placements.

This forum represents a significant step towards building a sustainable platform for the improvement of work practice systems across Europe, emphasizing the importance of cooperation between different sectors and partners.

Young people who went through the "Student Company" and "Girls go Circular" programs, which allows students to be involved in the development and management of their own companies, with real products and services, presented themselves and their work at the event. The students presented the programs and how student companies encourage students to develop entrepreneurial skills, creativity and innovation, and opportunities to connect student companies with the local community, and what mentorship looks like within student companies. The following student companies were presented at the event: Maccuero, Resourcerer with the support of JA Alumni Network.