YouRock is a website that aims to help young Europeans aged 15-24 build online profiles showcasing their skills and achievements. It does this by guiding users through a three step process: 1) identifying latent skills, 2) getting endorsements from trusted adults for each skill, and 3) linking social media content demonstrating those skills. The goal is to encourage interest in ICT careers, help users recognize their existing skills, and act as a stepping stone in their early careers. An initial prototype is being developed and tested with plans for a full multilingual launch across 15 European countries in early 2014.

1. YouRock overview
Telecentre Europe Summit
Malta, October 2013

2. YouRock concept
Play

3. YouRock audience
Aged 15-24, male and female, European
 Perceived likely target age range 17-21
 Employed, unemployed, or in full time education
 Have little or no workplace experience or career profile
 Likely to use range of social media, but not
LinkedIn
 Have little or no interest in ICT as a career
 Uses technology daily

4. YouRock functionality
Profiles aspirations, achievements, skills
 Help young people to recognize their latent skills
 Site will act as stepping stone in early career period
 Three key stages to profile building:
1. Identify latent business skills (see next slide)
2. Each skill endorsable by trusted adult/educator
3. Link to social media content showing each skill (potentially
creating content elsewhere that shows those skills)
 The profile building process will
1. Encourage ICT as potential career choice
2. Activate behavior change regarding building online
employability related content
3. Create a new relationship dynamic with endorsing educators

5. YouRock USP
Recognizing latent skills (some examples)

6. YouRock progress
Developments so far and future plans
 Crowd-funded €14,400 to create prototype
 Accepted as pledge to Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs
Plans
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Hackathon develops prototype in November
Development and testing until February 2014
Full service in around 15 countries from March
Engage with EU campaigns to reach users

7. Detailed plan to launch
Five months development to Beta release
 October: Delivery partner engagement
 November 6-8: Vilnius Hackathon develops functional prototype
 November 24-30: EU Code week; further user experience development
 December: Prototype testing; partner prototype visibility
 January 2014: Alpha system development & release; translations
 February: Alpha testing by delivery partners; 2nd Hackathon builds beta
 Early March: Beta system release; snagging
 March 24-28: Get Online Week; public service launch.
 April: eSkills Campaign launch event Athens

8. Country rollout in 2014
Intended countries, networks and languages
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Belgium – Interface3
France – TBC
Germany – TBC
Greece – GetBusy
Ireland – FIT
Languages
 English
 French
 German
 Greek
 Italian
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Italy – TBC
Lithuania – LIA
Latvia – LIKTA
Poland – FRSI
Portugal – TBC
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Latvian
Lithuanian
Polish
Portuguese
Romanian
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Romania – EOS
Russia – PH lnt’l
Serbia – IAN
Spain – PuntTIC, Esplai
UK – TBC
 Russian
 Serbian
 Spanish
Languages to be confirmed; Partner networks indicative.

9. Further Information
Ian Clifford
ian@ianclifford.co.uk
twitter.com/ian_cli
+44 (0)7411 118667
be.linkedin.com/in/ihclifford
News site
http://latentskills.com