A new episode of the podcast from the European Network of Public Employment Services (PESPod) has revealed how Sweden is supporting young people with disabilities or health conditions as they move from education into work.
The episode features host David Poyser in conversation with Christian Skoog, national project manager and youth strategist at Arbetsförmedlingen, the Swedish Public Employment Service, the European Commission informed in a release on Wednesday.
Discussion centred on two Swedish initiatives — Samstart and SamSTART+ — and what other public employment services can learn from their implementation, it said.
Public employment services are state-backed organisations that help people find work and access employment support.
Samstart was piloted through five regional projects supported by the European Social Fund+, an EU funding programme.
The initiative brought together the Swedish public employment service, schools and municipalities to connect young people with employment support before they leave education, allowing counsellors to start planning for the transition into working life. Samstart was rolled out nationally in spring 2025.
SamSTART+ created to reach young people missed by schools
The experience of Samstart showed some young people could miss support — including those who left education early or were not identified through schools — the Commission said.
SamSTART+ was developed in response and works not only with schools but also with municipal services, healthcare providers and other trusted organisations to reach young people who may otherwise be missed.
The episode also discusses providing specialist support for at least a year after a young person starts employment.
It also covers the use of a national registration system within Samstart to show how many students receive support across different schools and municipalities, and how comparing those figures with local student populations can identify areas where fewer young people are accessing help.
