On Thursday, April 27th, the first National Fora was held as part of the "Virtual Practices for an Inclusive Society" project. As young people are recognized as one of the most sensitive social groups, concerning opportunities for internships, advancement, and training, representatives of civil society organizations and young people gathered to improve support mechanisms in planning the professional training of young people and overcoming the challenges and barriers they face. The issue of participation in work practices is incredibly challenging in the case of young people transitioning from the educational system to the labor market.Accordingly, the working group recognized the need to develop a more inclusive internship program that will be oriented to the needs of young people and provide an adequate response to the challenges that young people face when entering the labor market and planning professional development.

The working group dealt with the issues of the current state of virtual internships and internships in Serbia in general, the legislative framework and the skills that young people should develop through these programs, as well as the role of the civil and state sectors in providing support to young people, especially those from vulnerable social groups to were able to achieve opportunities for continuous career development. The national forum drew attention to the need for the cooperation of all sectors, from the educational to the business sector, to make the internship program comprehensive and open to all young people. The need for mentoring has been recognized, which will enable young people to get to know the work system adequately and develop the so-called "soft" skills, especially in business communication, digital competencies, business ethics, etc. The forum provided a starting point for further cooperation to formulate an appropriate system of virtual internships.The virtual internship system will support both the formal and informal education systems to support young people to acquire the necessary skills to enter the labor market.

The first National Forum was held as part of the project "Virtual practices for inclusive societies" implemented by the Belgrade Open School, in partnership with the National Youth Council (North Macedonia), Pixel (Italy), XANO Channel (Spain), Junior Achievement (Europe), Junior Achievement in Serbia. The project will be implemented between 2022 and 2024 with the support of the European Education and Culture Executive Agency.