Discovering mountain professions with the Action Group 3 in the French Prealps

Copyright EUSALP

Between the 9th and 11th July 2024 thirteen young people coming from France, Italy and Switzerland participated in the ‘Discover Mountain Jobs’ event, held at the AFRAT Centre in the Vercors area of the French Prealps, to learn about the challenges and opportunities of working and living in mountain areas.

THE ORGANISERS

This 3-day experience was organised by the EUSALP Action Group 3 (AG 3) ‘labour market, education and training’ - coordinated by the Autonomous Province of Trento – and is financed by the Support EUSALP Project (ERDF through the Interreg Alpine Space Programme). This activity belongs to the AG 3 ‘Youth and Jobs’ priority, whose main goal is raising awareness of mountain professions and employment opportunities in the Alps for young people in order to favour their settlement in mountain areas and contribute to preserving the cultural heritage of these territories.

THE ACTORS

The young beneficiaries (between 20 and 26 years old) share a passion for mountains but have different backgrounds: some of them are working, others studying, and some are experiencing a transition phase and looking for inspiration for their future. The latter belong to the so-called NEET category: young people between 15 and 29 years old who are neither employed nor in education or training.

Several actors were involved in the experience: AFRAT trainers, experts and professionals working in the Vercors area, representatives of the EUSALP Secretariat and AG 3. The people met along the three days shared their professional journey by answering numerous questions on the skills required and job opportunities.

THE ACTIVITIES

A multiplicity of topics emerged:

  • Environmental protection and education were addressed during a visit to the Vercors Regional Nature Park and the activities with the ‘Pied Vert’ team, while a representative of the National Forest Office talked about wood and forestry activities.
  • The participants heard about the difficulties of managing a hut that is not easily accessible, conflicts in the use of natural resources, and the impact of climate change on mountain activities. They learned about the promotion of local products and their valorisation through a cooking workshop. 
  • Moreover, they came across the theme of multi-activity by meeting a farmer who is also a ski instructor in winter. That of multi-activity is a reality in mountain areas, as many people find themselves combining two or more jobs due to the seasonality of certain professions, the variation in tourist flows, the need to achieve an adequate income, and the desire to make use of different interests and skills.

In this context, remote working and the use of digital skills multiply employment opportunities outside of traditional mountain sectors.

A new community approach was presented during the visit at ‘La Jolie Colo’, a so-called third place that combines a residential space with various economic activities, including a bakery, a carpentry workshop, an audio and video recording theatre, a co-working office open to professionals from different sectors, and a piece of land for the cultivation and processing of medicinal plants.

Young people were prompted to activate their soft skills by collaborating in practical exercises as well as reflecting on a self-assessment tool on the acquisition of soft skills developed as part of the AG 3  ‘Soft skills’ priority.

The Italian version of this press release is available here