ALMA: an active inclusion initiative for young people

ALMA - which stands for "Aim, Learn, Master, Achieve" - is an EU initiative, aiming at supporting young people that are not in any kind of employment, education or training (NEETs).

The goal is to help the most disadvantaged young people (aged 18-29) integrate into society by gaining access to work or training.

Typically these are people who are vulnerable with regard to their chances of accessing work or training for individual or structural reasons (e.g. disability, long-term unemployment, insufficient qualifications/skills, migration background).

This initiative offers participants:

an intensive tailored training in their home country (preparatory phase)
a supervised work-related experience with accompanying mentoring services for a period of 2 to 6 months in another EU country (mobility phase)
on their return, continued support will guide them in using the newly acquired skill to gain employment or further education in their home country (follow-up phase)

ALMA covers the costs for participants, such as:

travel
insurance
social security
basic needs such as food and accommodation
coaching and counselling before, during and after the stay abroad

If you want to learn more about how to implement ALMA, check the ALMA handbook.

Can young people apply directly?

Individuals cannot apply directly for ALMA.

As ALMA is currently implemented under national and regional European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) programmes, the organisations co-financed by these programmes are the ones who identify participants.

How can organisations get involved in ALMA?

If you are a public or private organisation, are based in an EU country and want to get involved in the implementation of this initiative, please contact:

the authorities in your country and/or region which have already launched ALMA call(s)
the authorities in your country and/or region which are planning to launch ALMA call(s) soon

Where can organisations search for transnational and local partners?

The Social Innovation Match Database (SIM) is the official platform for finding transnational and local partners interested in implementing ALMA projects.
Consult the user guide and video to learn how to search for potential ALMA partners and register your organisation.

Background

‘Aim, Learn, Master, Achieve’, ALMA aims to promote inclusion and employment for participants in their home country by improving their skills, knowledge and experience and giving them an opportunity to create new connections across Europe.

It is implemented by EU countries and supported by the European Commission at EU level.

ALMA is building on a social inclusion initiative implemented by Germany since 2008 (IdA, Integration durch Austausch), taken over in 2012 by an ESF-supported transnational network of 15 EU countries (TLN Mobility Network), and as from 2015 through a transnational call for proposals under the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+).

An EU call was launched late 2022 (indicative budget €15 million) to help EU countries integrate ALMA in their ESF+ programmes, by piloting or scaling up an ALMA type of activity. The 28 projects ended in 2026 and the results demonstrate ALMA’s positive impact: 62.2% of participants who completed all three phases found employment or returned to education; participants also reported significant improvements in personal growth, social competences, employability, and stronger sense of European identity.

The findings point to a strong return on investment, with every €1 invested in ALMA generating €1.57 in social and economic value.

The complete results are available in the ALMA Impact Evaluation Report 2026.

Political background

With this initiative, the Commission reaffirms its commitment to the following initiatives:

ALMA complements existing programmes supporting mobility of young people such as:

Contact

You can reach out via email

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