Athens, 29 June 2026 – A new initiative to empower young people and bridge the gap between education and the labour market was presented today. The Bridge to Employment: Future READY (BE Future READY) programme, implemented by New Agriculture New Generation in partnership with ActionAid and with the support of Citi Foundation, aims to support more than 500 young people across Greece.
The programme was presented at the offices of Citi Greece in Athens, with the participation of Emilios Kyriakou, CEO and Head of Banking for Citi Greece, Cyprus & Malta, Effie Lazaridou, CEO of New Agriculture New Generation, Eva Polyzogopoulou, General Director of ActionAid Greece, and Dimitris Voloudakis, Programmes Director at New Agriculture New Generation.
Following a brief welcome by the representatives of the organisations implementing the programme, Mr Voloudakis presented its main features.
The Bridge to Employment: Future READY Programme
Bridge to Employment: Future READY will run until February 2028 and aims to build a meaningful and sustainable pathway to employment, placing particular emphasis on young people from vulnerable social and economic backgrounds, rural and semi-urban areas, as well as young people with migrant or refugee backgrounds.
The programme primarily targets young people aged 15–24, while a smaller percentage of participants aged 25–29 will also be eligible to take part.
Through a comprehensive portfolio of activities, the programme invests in developing skills that respond to the needs of today’s labour market, offering vocational training, Green Skills education, financial and digital literacy, career guidance, counselling services, mentoring, as well as direct networking opportunities with employers.
By leveraging New Agriculture New Generation’s CULTIVATE digital learning platform, the programme ensures that young people from different regions of Greece have access to educational resources, counselling services and professional development opportunities, regardless of where they live.
The Role of the Implementing Organisations
As the lead implementing organisation of the Bridge to Employment: Future READY programme, New Agriculture New Generation is responsible for the overall design, coordination and implementation of the programme’s activities. Building on its extensive experience and expertise in designing high-impact educational initiatives, the organisation develops actions that strengthen young people’s skills and create meaningful pathways to employment, with particular emphasis on the agrifood sector and the green economy.
Within the framework of the programme, ActionAid is responsible for implementing activities focused on developing financial, digital and employability skills. More specifically, through 10 experiential training camps, one business ideas Hackathon, 100 personalised mentoring sessions, two Job Fairs in Athens and Thessaloniki, ten employability skills seminar cycles, and collaborations with employers, among other activities, the programme aims to equip young people with the knowledge, confidence and opportunities they need to plan their next professional steps.
The Programme’s First Action
The programme’s first educational initiative is the Green Skills training cycle, implemented by New Agriculture New Generation and launching on 31 July 2026. It will provide participants with knowledge and skills related to sustainable development, the green economy and modern practices in the agrifood sector.
The programme includes four training cycles of 60 hours each, targeting the participation of 240 young people, who will receive ACTA certification upon successful completion. It is delivered entirely online through the CULTIVATE platform, combining asynchronous learning, educational resources, self-study and assessment, and will remain available until December 2027.
Partnership with Citi Foundation
This marks the second time that New Agriculture New Generation has been selected by Citi Foundation as part of the Global Innovation Challenge, having previously been recognised in 2023 for the Social Farming 360 programme, implemented in collaboration with the General Secretariat for Anti-Crime Policy, ActionAid and Freedom Gate. At the same time, the organisation also participates in another Global Innovation Challenge initiative led by PRAKSIS, focusing on the labour market integration of people experiencing housing insecurity.
