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The PATHS project tackles shared regional challenges by introducing a comprehensive, personalized approach to career guidance and life planning for young people, particularly those living in rural and disadvantaged areas. The project addresses critical gaps in support services, helping to reduce school dropouts, reverse rural depopulation, and improve lifelong learning opportunities.
In many rural areas, limited access to career services, especially for youth from low-income families, increases the risk of educational and social disengagement. The PATHS project provides a solution by designing Life Path Support Services (LPSS) that are accessible at the municipal level and tailored to the real needs of young people.
The PATHS project brings together 13 partners from 9 countries, working collaboratively to design and implement effective, community-based career support services:
The Lead Partner is Universtiy of Pécs - one of the most famous, prestigious institutions having a leading role in Southern Transdanubian region.
The project aligns with the 2024 Danube Region Strategy priority of making rural settlements more attractive and liveable for young people. PATHS will deliver a tested LPSS model that is sustained locally by trained mentors. It will also establish a Danube Region LPSS Network that coordinates strategy, methodology, and policy integration. Long-term structures such as the Career Guidance Expert and Methodology Team (CG ECMT) and Intersectoral Working Groups (IWG) will operate as Sectoral Learning Dialogues (SLDs). Additionally, the project will produce policy recommendations aimed at institutionalizing mentor training and supporting lifelong learning systems.
PATHS presents a socially innovative model that connects career services directly with rural community settings. It increases the availability of local support for disadvantaged youth and promotes cross-sector collaboration between municipalities, schools, businesses, and NGOs. By empowering young people to envision their future in their home regions, the project actively combats brain drain.
The PATHS project is building lasting pathways for youth across the Danube Region — from rural challenge to community-driven opportunity.
For more details, visit the Project Website or contact one of our project partners.
The PATHS project brings together 13 partners from 9 countries, working collaboratively to design and implement effective, community-based career support services:
The Lead Partner is Universtiy of Pécs - one of the most famous, prestigious institutions having a leading role in Southern Transdanubian region.
CDDA Nonprofit Ltd. and the University of Pécs successfully organized the opening conference of the PATHS (Personalized Approach to Territorial Life and Career Support) international project in Pécs on September 23-24, 2025. The two-day professional event brought together representatives, experts, and educational partners from the countries of the Danube Region to discuss solutions for helping young people in rural areas stay in their communities and find career guidance.
Ceremonial opening and plenary presentations
The following speakers gave welcoming remarks at the ceremonial opening of the conference:
• Dr. Zoltán Koltai, Vice Dean for General and Educational Affairs (Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Teacher Training and Regional Development, University of Pécs),
• Jonathan Halligan, Senior Project Manager (Danube Region Program Managing Authority / Joint Secretariat), and
• Andrea Mária Grónay, Managing Director (CDDA Nonprofit Ltd.).
The series of plenary presentations was opened by Tibor Remete, Strategic and Creative Director of Super Channel, with his presentation entitled "Cooperation as an evolutionary reserve".
This was followed by Zsuzsanna Sándor-Majoros, professional director of KDMFÜ Nonprofit Kft., who presented the background and objectives of the PATHS project.
The section was closed by Dr. Tamás Vámosi, representing the University of Pécs and professional coordinator of the project, who spoke about the expected results of the initiative.
Roundtable discussion and interactive workshop
Following the morning program, participants took part in a roundtable discussion entitled "Best practices in successful career counseling models in the Danube region," moderated by Edit Lakó-Tóth, senior project manager at CDDA Nonprofit Ltd.
During the discussion, experts from several countries in the Danube region shared their experiences:
• Péter Szilágyi, Fehér Kereszt Alapítvány (Hungary)
• Cristian Gligor, Pro Cultura Siculi Intercommunity Development Association (Romania)
• Martin Novysedlák, University of Bratislava (Slovakia)
The afternoon program was a special interactive workshop based on gaming, which focused on experience-based career guidance tools. Participants had the opportunity to try out three innovative games designed to help with career choices:
• Előrelépés (Step Forward) board game – presented by Sarolta Gloviczki and Péter Szilágyi (White Cross Foundation)
• Career guidance tools, games – presented by István Fűrész, career guidance teacher (Székesfehérvár Vocational Training Centre)
The workshop was moderated by Zsuzsanna Sándor-Majoros.
Professional study trip on the second day
On the second day of the conference, foreign partners took part in a professional study trip: they visited the premises of Matró Kft., where company manager Attila Kornél Nagy presented the company's operations. This was followed by a presentation by Balázs Csirke, president of the South Transdanubian Engineering Cluster, on the practice and opportunities of dual training in Hungary.
The aim of the event
The main aim of the PATHS project launch conference was to promote the management of challenges affecting young people in rural areas, support local prosperity, and strengthen the sustainable and competitive future of the Danube region.
The event was organized and coordinated by Boglárka Barkó, international working group leader at CDDA Nonprofit Ltd.
