On 20 February 2020, EFEE participated in the European Commission’s Consultation Hearing on Reinforcing the Youth Guarantee. This initiative, which was announced in the Communication “A Strong Social Europe for Just Transitions” of 14 January 2020, aims to update and strengthen the existing Youth Guarantee so as to tackle youth unemployment and inactivity.

The Consultation Hearing brought together European Social Partners from different sectors to discuss the possible areas in which the Youth Guarantee could be reinforced. From the outset, it was agreed by all participants that education and training plays a significant role in addressing these issues. Career guidance and efficient information flow should be an integral part of every student’s educational path from an early age and not only in its final stage. The participants furthermore recognized that youth unemployment can only be tackled if all the relevant stakeholders, including education institutions, public employment services, private companies, civil societies, youth organisations, et., create a cohesive and strong network of partnerships. Moreover, it was emphasized that the Youth Guarantee will only be effective if it co-aligns with other important instruments such as the Skills Agenda, the Child Guarantee and the European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships. Lastly, the participants urged the European Commission to include a critical analysis of the previous Youth Guarantee in this new proposal in order to give all the stakeholders a clear overview of the progress that has been made and the biggest challenges ahead.

Social partners are given until 5 March 2020 to provide written remarks to the proposed reinforcement. The Reinforced Youth Guarantee is expected to be published in the second quarter of 2020.

 

For more details, please contact isaline.ossieur@educationemployers.eu 

©Featured Image: by DG EMPL, video excerpt.