Erasmus+ SHIFT project

SHIFT: From Solo to Startup Success

Across Europe more and more young people work for themselves. Freelancing offers freedom, but it often comes with unpredictable income, no safety net and no obvious way to grow. SHIFT helps young freelancers and sole traders take the next step, from working alone to building a business that lasts.

The gap we are working on

Young people who freelance often run a business without ever calling it one. They set prices by instinct, chase late invoices, and have nothing put aside for a quiet month. Asked whether they run a company, most say no. Asked whether they carry all the risk of one, most say yes.

For those who face extra barriers the distance is greater still. Young people who are not in education, employment or training, migrants, and those starting without capital, a degree or a professional network can find the step from surviving as a freelancer to running a company almost impossible to see, let alone take.

SHIFT was designed around that step.

What the project does

SHIFT builds practical tools and training that help young freelancers move from self-employment towards a registered, sustainable and scalable business. It also trains the youth workers and mentors who support them, so the help continues after the project ends.

• Give young freelancers the knowledge and tools to move from self-employment to starting a company
• Strengthen business models, productised services and growth strategies
• Improve financial literacy, digital skills and understanding of lean startup methods
• Train youth workers and mentors to guide young entrepreneurs
• Create opportunities for international exchange and peer learning
• Support young people from diverse backgrounds to become job creators

Who it is for

• Young freelancers and sole traders aged 18 to 30
• Young people not in education, employment or training
• Migrants and young people facing socio-economic barriers
• Youth workers, trainers and mentors who support them
• Organisations working in youth entrepreneurship and inclusion

At least seven in ten participants come from under-represented groups.

What we are building

The Freelancer-to-Startup Toolkit. An open, modular learning resource. Each part stands on its own, so nobody has to start at the beginning: mapping your path and turning your work into a product; testing a service cheaply before you build it; money that lasts, covering pricing, budgeting, reserves and formalising; winning clients; being seen, on personal brand and digital presence; and belonging, on confidence and entrepreneurial identity. It will be free in English, Slovenian, Lithuanian and Portuguese.

Training for youth workers. Ten youth workers and mentors from the three countries train together in Ljubljana in October 2026, then run the bootcamps at home.

SHIFT Bootcamps. Eighteen hours over at least three days in each partner country, for young freelancers, with mentoring afterwards rather than a handshake at the door.

An online learning platform. Free access to the toolkit, further resources and a community of freelancers and mentors. It stays open for at least five years after the project ends.

Public events. One event in each country on empowering entrepreneurship through digital skills and artificial intelligence for migrant communities, plus two online workshops for youth workers across Europe.

Partners

• Klub podjetniškega gibanja EMC, Slovenia, coordinator — emc-club.org
• Asociacija Aktyvistai, Lithuania — aktyvistai.lt
• EduMansha, Portugal — edumansha.eu

Follow SHIFT

News, open calls and resources go out through the project community. Anyone interested in youth entrepreneurship is welcome.

• Facebook group — facebook.com/groups/1417454719769798
• Instagram — instagram.com/shift_eu