The Youth first! – Employment, skills and social policies that work for young europeans in times of uncertainty
The Seminar titled “Youth first! – Employment, skills and social policies that work for young europeans in times of uncertainty” was organised in Brussels on the 8th of September by five EU Agencies: European Training Foundation, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, CEDEFOP, Eurofound, and European Labour Authority.
The five Agency directors together with MEPs and other experts discussed youth policies, opportunities and challenges, in terms of employment, working conditions, wellbeing and mental health and the impact of COVID-19 on young people. In addition, working conditions for young people, access to education and training opportunities for cross-border mobility, realities in EU neighbouring countries and much more were included in the discussion.
This seminar used research findings and insights developed by the five EU Agencies under the responsibility of DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (Cedefop, Eurofound, EU-OSHA, ETF and ELA) to engage in the discussion also on employment, skills and social policies that work for young people.
The high unemployment rate in EU neighbouring countries and mismatch between the skills provided by education and the labour market needs are the two biggest concerns for youth. 3nout of 4 employers face difficulties funding employees with the right skills, but the CEDEFOP research show that Vocational Education Training can make the different.
VET is suited for young people in the context of green and digital future. It helps young people build the resilience and skills needed in those transitions. Also, bringing promising future job within reach of young people requires complementing skills intelligence. These skills might be needed in the future.
Therefore, we need to have good working conditions with good health outcomes. Young people are exposed from an early age to psychosocial and ergonomic risk factors, these exposures are incredibly important to control.
For more information click here: https://www.ela.europa.eu/en/events/youth-first-employment-skills-and-social-policies-work-young-europeans-times-uncertainty
