Jobs for youth: EPP Group urges governments to use €8 billion Youth Guarantee on effective programmes

The European Commission recently pointed out tentative signs that EU youth unemployment may be starting to level off. But it still remains historically high. The fact that it remains above 20% and young people are more than twice as likely to be unemployed as the adult population is alarming.

"We should mobilise all efforts to tackle the problem of youth unemployment in the EU by focusing on sharing and promoting best national practices. Most of the measures have to be taken in the Member States themselves so it is therefore crucial to cooperate and exchange information on the national projects which were successfully applied. In my Report, approved last week by the European Parliament, I call for the modernisation of education, high-quality apprenticeships, prevention of early school-leaving and developing a more specific approach to people not in education, employment or training. Now is the time to turn words into action to prevent that the current youth unemployment in the European Union turns into long-term unemployment”, said Joanna Skrzydlewska, EP Rapporteur on 'Tackling youth unemployment: possible ways out'.

The conference on 'Youth Employment: Opportunities for Europe', hosted by Inese Vaidere MEP, provided for discussion and exchange of good practices from the Member States (Germany, Austria and Finland), which have successfully kept youth unemployment low or have implemented key solutions to reduce the number of young people out of work.

Inese Vaidere MEP said: “€8 billion for the Youth Guarantee Programme will provide some breathing space for young people in those Member States with the highest levels of youth unemployment. Now we have to ensure that the programmes set up by the governments provide a real contribution, not only a temporary solution, for young people's long-term development. This conference will provide concrete proposals for the Member States.

Youth unemployment cannot be adequately addressed by a piecemeal approach. The urgency of the situation requires a cross-sectorial approach, with primary focus on the education systems. Unfortunately, many young people feel that there is a sharp disconnection between the education system and labour markets. According to OECD data, one in five students does not have the basic minimum level of skills to function in today's societies.

For many years, vocational education has been undervalued. This perception has to be changed, because modern vocational education is also about state-of-the-art skills in modern technologies, logistics, creative arts and other areas which require advanced-level technical skills.”

The key speakers of the conference were László Andor, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, EPP Group MEPs Heinz K Becker (Austria), Sari Essayah (Finland) and Monika Hohlmeier (Germany).