Talent Scouts help vulnerable young people

Far too many young people in Denmark do not take vocational training or find jobs. According to the Economic Council of the Labour Movement (2024) almost 45,000 aged between 15 and 24 were not working, and had not started a training or had failed to complete one. Vulnerable young people were the most severely affected. Landsforeningen Talentspejderne works to prevent vulnerable young people from ending in unemployment with no training.

In collaboration with leading experts, Talentspejderne have developed a programme which identifies the ability, strengths and talent of marginalised and vulnerable young people. “By means of the talent programme, we can see what strengths, ability and talent the young people have. Then we have a foundation to build up their self-esteem and self confidence. We can also inspire them by giving them ideas and suggestions to find a direction to base their choices of training and jobs on,” explains Tom T. Pedersen, senior consultant and fund-raiser for Talentspejderne.

Talentspejderne have learnt from experience that when a young person has an idea and a direction for training, school makes more sense as well. Even though Talentspejderne do not offer help with studies, the young people often improve by one or two grades in several subjects – simply by building up their self-esteem and confidence. In June 2025, a survey of young people who took part in the programme in the municipality of Randers from 2019-2023 showed that 34 of 36 (94.4 per cent) had now started an education or training or found work. Only two (5.6 per cent) were currently unemployed, not in training, or taking a gap year.

The volunteers come chiefly from socially responsible companies, but some are pensioners or have retired early. They are carefully prepared to act as talent scouts with young people. They have 24 weekly meetings of about an hour and a half (over 8-10 months). When trust is built up, they can discuss appropriate behaviour, good habits and the need for structure in daily life.

The volunteer coordinators at Talentspejderne recruit, train and supervise the volunteers throughout the process. In addition, they make contact with parents and the schools from which the young people are referred.

“We are a non-profit organisation, and we depend on the support of generous donors like the Vissing Foundation to be able to take the task on. We have partnership agreements with a number of local authorities, but that is not enough when we want to help children and young people nationwide,” says Tom T. Pedersen.