Innovative educational tools aiming to prevent youth from dropping out of school and tackle the issue of Early School Leaving (ESL) were developed as part of the EU-funded project “APPLE: eArly warning Platform to Prevent youth from dropping out of schooL Education,” which was implemented the last two years (December 2019 – November 2021) in the U.K., Greece, Spain, Romania, Portugal and North Macedonia.

Despite the significant developments in school integration of young people with vulnerable backgrounds, Early School Leaving remains a challenge for many EU member states, as it impedes productivity and competitiveness and fuels poverty and social exclusion. According to Eurostat, in 2020, 11.8% of young men and 8% of young women in the EU were early leavers from education and training.

The APPLE initiative aims at tackling Early School Leaving, by developing innovative tools for educators, schools and authorities to easier identify youth at risk of dropping-out. Special focus was given to groups that are most likely to be exposed to the risk of early drop-out, such as refugee and migrant children and youth, members of Roma communities or religious, ethnic and linguistic minorities, students with special needs, and students from low-income families and deprived rural areas.

During its implementation, APPLE developed a guide for educators and an online warning platform (https://www.appleproject.eu/platform/) – consisting of key scientific material and tools – which enable the educators to apply innovative pedagogical methods and identify youth at risk of dropping out of school easier. Identification of children and young people at risk of early leaving serves as an early warning, allowing educators to take action and tackle the risk of dropping out. The platform also contains the national research from the participating countries regarding the issue of Early School Leaving, a Capacity Building Seminar for Educators, and a white paper with the scientific results of the project, which was published in scientific journals. The content is available in all the partners’ languages.

At the end of the project, a number of national events were held in each participating country to promote the project, while the Final Conference, which was held online, was attended by 150 people (educators, NGOs, education stakeholders, psychologists) from participating countries. The project was well-received during its implementation through the pilotings, questionnaires and presentations. The partners will keep updating the platform and will ensure the sustainability of the project outputs. The platform is free for everyone interested in the issue of Early School Leaving.

The APPLE project was funded by the Erasmus+ Program of the European Union. It was implemented by the following six organizations: KMOP – Social Action and Innovation Centre (Greece), Canary Wharf Consulting (UK), Instalofi Levante (Spain), Centrul Pentru Promovarea Invatarii Permanente Timisoara Asociatia (Romania), Aproximar – Cooperativa de Solidariedade Social (Portugal), Family and Childcare Center – branch in Skopje (North Macedonia).

For more information, you can visit the project’s website: www.appleproject.eu

Contact: info@appleproject.eu

Download the press release here.