Youth on the Move The perspective of regional and local authorities

Transcription

1 EUROPEAN UNION Committee of the Regions Youth on the Move The perspective of regional and local authorities Proceedings of the conference held at the Committee of the Regions on 13 December 2012

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3 Introduction Youth on the Move The perspective of regional and local authorities On 13 December 2012, the Committee of the Regions (CoR) organised a conference on Youth on the Move: The perspective of regional and local authorities. Opened by CoR President Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso, the event brought together 300 representatives from EU institutions, regions, cities and associations. Twentyfive renowned speakers took part, including the CoR s first Vice-President Mercedes Bresso, the CoR s political coordinator on Europe 2020, Michel Delebarre, other CoR members, the deputy Secretary-General of the OECD, Yves Leterme, representatives of the European Commission s DGs for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, and and Education and Culture, as well as experts from Eurofound, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Cedefop, the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, the OECD, and local and European projects. The conference took place a week after the adoption of the Youth Employment Package by the European Commission and László Andor, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion and Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Youth, Education, Multilingualism and Culture, addressed the audience. The event was the first in a series of seven CoR conferences in 2012/13 on the seven flagship initiatives, which are part of the Europe 2020 strategy. Participants discussed the issues of employment, apprenticeships, training and mobility of young people both from the EU and from the local and regional point of view. They assessed the state of play on the implementation of the Youth on the Move flagship, while regions and cities showcased best practices. The conclusions of the conference will feed into the CoR s contribution to the European Commission s mid-term evaluation of the 2020 strategy. The CoR contribution is to be adopted at the 2014 European Summit of Regions and Cities. CONTENTS Opening session 4 Session with Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth 8 Workshop 1: Improving youth employment at local level 10 Workshop 2: Education, training and apprenticeships: The role of regional and local authorities 12 Workshop 3: Youth mobility in education and the workplace 14 Closing session 16 3

4 Opening session 4 The opening session provided a first opportunity for political reaction from local and regional level to the Youth Employment Package, only a few days after its adoption by the European Commission, on 5 December Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso, president of the Committee of the Regions, László Andor, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Yves Leterme, deputy secretary-general of the OECD, in charge of Education, Social Affairs Governance and Entrepreneurship, and Michel Delebarre, CoR political coordinator on Europe 2020, addressed the audience and then took part in an interactive debate, moderated by Mark Rogerson from Consilia Ltd. Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso welcomed the audience to the first of seven events dedicated to the Europe 2020 flagship initiatives that are being organised by the CoR from now until November 2013 and explained the objectives involved. The whole idea is to show that Europe matters and that regions and cities matter for European integration in general, and for delivering results in the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy in particular. Opening the first event on the flagship initiative Youth on the Move, Mr Valcárcel outlined the current environment for young people today (5.5 million young people unemployed in the EU, 25% of whom are under 25 years old), emphasising that the support and expertise of local and regional authorities were crucial for the successful implementation of measures to combat youth unemployment. It will take time before some of the measures taken yield results, but the goal is clear: to give the younger generation an outlook for the future. The involvement of regional and local authorities is crucial because education and training is the numberone budget item for the sub-national public sector. Regional and local expenditure increased steadily since 2000 to reach nearly EUR 430 billion in 2010, but, against the background of the crisis, these budgets have been hit hard. These are budgets for investment needed to boost growth. It is also at the regional and local level that programmes need to be developed, because it is there that the most accurate information on skills and labour market challenges is to be found. Mr Valcárcel also stressed the need for increased interregional cooperation so that regions could work together on promoting the mobility of young people. This would also benefit the creation of a real sense of European citizenship, through the development of solidarity and tolerance among young people. He noted the successful example of the Erasmus programme, which not only helps spread knowledge, but also fosters a European mindset. Mr Valcárcel mentioned the favourable opinion expressed by the CoR on the Youth on the Move Flagship and concluded by highlighting four points: the governance gap of the Europe 2020 strategy and the lack of representation of regional and local authorities in the European Semester process when devising national employment plans; the need to regionalise 2020 headline targets as far as possible, as part of the EU cohesion policy programmes for ; the CoR call for a closer and more systematic coordination of policies in the field of education, training and youth (taking into account regional and local responsibilities),

5 Youth Employment Package Youth Guarantee The communication reports on the implementation of the Youth Opportunities Initiative and provides an overall policy context for the one new legislative initiative related to youth employment: the Council recommendation on the Youth Guarantee, as requested by the European Council and European Parliament. The Commission s Youth Employment Package includes a proposed Recommendation to Member States on introducing the Youth Guarantee to ensure that all young people up to age 25 receive a quality offer of a job, continued education, an apprenticeship or a traineeship within four months of leaving formal education or becoming unemployed. The Commission recognises the fiscal cost this will have for Member States, but it also analyses and shows the higher cost of the inaction and points out toward the long-term gains. It will be financially supported by the European Social Fund (ESF) and is to be integrated into the employment policies of Member States, while a number of youth-targeted programmes are supported by other EU funds, such as the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). Commissioner Andor presented the proposed recommendation to the EU Council of Employment and Social Affairs Ministers on 6 December Negotiations in the Council working group will start immediately with a view to adoption of the proposal at the Council on 28 February The Commission will urge Members States to implement the Youth Guarantee as soon as possible, preferably from the start of the Multiannual Financial Framework. Quality framework for Traineeships The communication launches a second-stage consultation of European social partners on a quality framework for traineeships. The first-stage consultation showed that there was a consensus on the useful role of traineeships but there were problems of quality. It also showed diverging views about the scope and possible form of any action. For that, the Commission is now proposing three options for EU-level action: a Council recommendation for a quality framework (the Commission s favourite option, already announced in the Employment Package ); a voluntary quality label with similar quality requirements; or the creation of an information website. The Commission will continue to provide financial support though the ESF to Member States wishing to improve the employment situation for young people through traineeship schemes. The Commission will ask for the views of social partners on the EU-level proposal for a quality framework. They have six weeks to decide to enter into negotiation for this issue. If the social partners do not wish to enter into negotiations or, if they fail to reach an agreement, the Commission will decide whether to present its proposal in Youth on the Move On 5 December 2012, the European Commission adopted a package of measures to help Member States to tackle the high levels of youth The unemployment perspective and of social regional exclusion. and The local package authorities is composed of four initiatives (the Youth Guarantee plus three targeted initiatives on traineeships, apprenticeships and mobility) that address a number of problems affecting youth employment and propose remedies and EU-level actions: European Alliance for Apprenticeships Problem Possible remedy EU-level tools/actions Given the need to improve the quality and supply of Young people, particularly from Set up Youth Guarantee schemes;» The Commission is proposing apprenticeships and to promote national partnerships for disadvantaged groups, dropping out use ESF funding effectively in their a Council Recommendation on dual vocational training systems, the Commission will set of education or work; rising long-term implementation Establishing a Youth Guarantee up a European alliance for apprenticeships. This alliance unemployment and inactivity will bring together stakeholders from authorities, business Difficult school-to-work transitions Increase the supply of quality» The Commission is launching and social partners, vocational education and training traineeships and apprenticeships a second- stage social partner researchers and practitioners, and youth representatives. consultation on a quality framework It will pool the various streams of existing actions under a for Traineeships common umbrella and promote the benefits of successful apprenticeship schemes and ways to build them up.» The Commission will set up a European Alliance for Apprenticeships Company-based apprenticeship schemes (also known as dual or twin-track apprenticeships) enable a young person Substantial number of vacancies Reduce obstacles to mobility to» The Commission will develop an to gain work experience and practical skills through a workcontract in a company and to acquire theoretical knowledge, coexists with high unemployment allow companies to recruit workers, integrated mobility set for young rates, growing skills and geographical apprentices and trainees from other people (EURES) often through an educational institution. mismatches EU countries The alliance will also look at how national ESF allocations can be drawn upon in the design and implementation of dual-learning systems. As this initiative also requires the engagement of employers and looks to address the specific needs of SMEs, the ERDF support for SMEs can have a positive effect. Mobility for young people Intra-EU mobility can give young people access to more employment opportunities. Transnational traineeships and apprenticeships offer many advantages in this regard: the possibility of trying out working in another country without immediately committing to long-term employment. This will be part of the future EURES axis of the Programme for Social Change and Innovation, which would build on the lessons learnt with Your First EURES Job and those in the area of education (Erasmus and Leonardo da Vinci). The The Commission Commission will will build build on on earlier earlier steps steps by by launching launching an initiative on public employment services in 2013 to improve the functioning of the European labour market. Such services will play a greater role in exploiting all the job opportunities which can be created by intra-eu labour mobility. For more information: atid=1036&langid=en&newsid=1731&moredocuments=y es&tablename=news 5 and, lastly, better coordination of future EU mobility programmes. In Mr Valcárcel s view, demonstrating the success of mobility and the flagship initiative also means demonstrating that more Europe is the best way of guaranteeing a better future. László Andor agreed that the situation for Europe s young people was dramatic and that action was urgently needed, with more robust and better focused action. He drew attention to the Youth Employment Package. Youth employment represents a sound investment, a valuable source of economic growth. The lack of skills and the mismatch between supply and demand for specific skills are challenges common to all Member States, making an EU response essential. As youth issues fed into the European Semester process, Member States also received recommendations in The Youth Opportunities Initiative calls for increased partnerships and EU Structural Funds were used to provide increased support for young people (EUR 10 billion were reallocated to benefit young people as a result of guidance given to the most affected Member States on implementing this initiative). The package proposes new tools to address both short-term and structural problems. In order to facilitate the transition from school to work, a Youth Guarantee ensures that young people are offered a job or further training within four months of leaving school. This is already being applied in Finland and Austria. It would certainly come with a cost in the short run, but much lower than the cost of inaction in the long term. It constitutes an investment and should therefore be given priority. The Irish EU presidency will seek

6 Regional and local authorities assessing Youth on the Move Between 26 September and 5 November 2012, the CoR carried out a survey to assess to what extent the Europe 2020 flagship initiative Youth on the Move has provided the intended benefits to regions and cities across the EU. A total of 34 responses from 15 countries were received. The analysis of the 18 questions put forward in the survey led to a preliminary set of conclusions: Overall, Youth on the Move is seen as an important initiative to focus attention on education and youth employment. It raises awareness among the various stakeholders and provides a means of working together to tackle the issues. Youth on the Move also provides added value by addressing multiple, interrelated issues concurrently: higher education and vocational training, lifelong learning, mobility, employment and unemployment. The Youth on the Move initiative addresses key socioeconomic issues in the European Union: young people are important constituents and drivers of economic growth and are also an integral part of the social fabric. Their active participation in the education sector and labour market must be promoted, secured and rewarded. The ongoing economic crisis playing out throughout the EU but more critically in Greece, Spain and Portugal is having significant adverse effects on today s youth unemployment, which has risen in virtually all respondents localities. The peripheral regions, especially the islands, have suffered more than the central and more affluent regions. Globalisation and systemic changes in the labour market require a rethinking of education at secondary and tertiary levels, vocational training, and lifelong learning opportunities. In order to succeed, young people today must critically choose their field of study/work and be prepared to be flexible, motivated and active in continuing to build their knowledge and skill base. Mobility is an important means through which young people can broaden their skills and gather useful experiences. Migration for job reasons is more prevalent now than it has been in the recent past, although it can have negative effects for the regions losing skilled workers. Dropping out of school is one of the strongest inverse predictors for job prospects. Especially among disadvantaged young people, who experience additional forms of exclusion and discrimination, staying on at school is a critical step towards gaining successful entry into the job market. The initiative addresses the key problems and is seen as useful because it views the different aims and strategies in tandem and not as isolated policy measures. Indeed, the survey shows how interrelated the issues of education, youth employment, mobility and lifelong learning are. In the context of the actions and policies developed as part of the Youth on the Move initiative, cooperation between different tiers of government is critical because the EU and national governments can and should set the broader parameters of policy while the details of implementation and their adaptation to local circumstances is best done by local authorities. Conversely, the local and regional authorities need to report back to the national and EU levels about what works and what does not. Funding the actions under the Youth on the Move initiative is diverse but should continue to harness local, national and EU funds. The EU Structural Funds, and the European Social Fund in particular, are critical especially for resource-strapped countries and regions. Monitoring of the Youth on the Move initiative is important and the national targets are widely seen as appropriate with a few important exceptions: the outermost regions may require adjustments as may some rural areas that are hard hit by economic and systemic shifts in the types and availability of jobs as well as labour force. Read the full report: Documents/youth-on-the-move-survey.pdf 6 swift approval for the Youth Guarantee at the February Council for Social Affairs and Employment (EPSCO). He stressed the vital role of cities and regions in making this new scheme work. The proposal on a framework for quality traineeship received a wide public support during consultations. The package announces a European Alliance for Apprenticeships to improve the quality and supply of apprenticeships available by spreading successful apprenticeship schemes across the EU. Austria and Germany were mentioned as cases were vocational training worked well. Finally, Mr Andor mentioned another pilot project launched by the European Commission to help young people find a job in another EU country. Your first EURES job will serve as a testing ground for transforming EURES (the network of Member States employment services) into a pan-european employment service. Presenting the work of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in the field, Yves Leterme stressed that local and regional authorities should be involved in drawing up policies in the fields of youth, education and vocational training. We need European policies but also to make sure that these general measures are adapted on the ground, said Mr Leterme. The EU should address both parts of the problem: job creation as such and the needs of people facing unemployment. And there was scope to make a difference, as proven by the wide variation of labour market parameters. The underlying causes of the current critical situation, as identified by the OECD, were early drop-out from school and the lack of skills, and are thus consistent with the issues tackled by the Youth on the Move flagship initiative. He mentioned the PISA 2012 (Programme for International Student Assessment) - the fifth cycle of an OECD study measuring the achievement of 15-year-old students in nearly 70 countries around the world which is expected to foster the more effective management of education. According to Mr Leterme, vocational training has been under-evaluated and there should be more promotion of successful experience in this field. He also noted that quality apprenticeships have been cited by the G20 Task Force on Employment as one of

7 Youth on the Move The perspective of regional and local authorities the key policy tools to promote better school-to-work transitions. Unfortunately, many young people leave the school system unprepared for the labour market. Mr Leterme therefore underlined the importance of equipping young people with entrepreneurial skills (e.g. risk assessment, strategic thinking), which would help them to discover opportunities and create jobs themselves. Support for young entrepreneurship should come as an integrated package (including start-up support), which needs to be embedded in specific programmes. He referred to the US system of career cluster initiatives. Universities should be brought closer to the labour market and should align their study programmes with regional and local needs. Mr Leterme concluded that coordination at all levels was essential for the successful implementation of any measures outlined so far and all players needed to have the power to influence policies in the respective fields, with appropriate attention given to regional needs. Michel Delebarre revealed the results of the CoR survey on Youth on the Move, assessing the extent to which the flagship initiative has provided the intended benefits to cities and regions. (Such surveys will be conducted for each flagship initiative via the CoR Europe 2020 Platform.) The results show that, from a local and regional perspective, the initiative is providing added value by addressing multiple, interrelated issues (e.g. higher education and vocational training, lifelong learning, mobility and unemployment). There is broad consensus in the findings that, in times of economic recession, inequalities are deepening and the impact on the young generation is proportionally greater. Mr Delebarre was sceptical about achieving the target of reducing early school leavers given the current point of departure. He felt that we should perhaps should look beyond the formal education system and work to train people in any way possible, even if outside the standard educational framework. Young people can be motivated only if they can control part of the process and their identity should be respected. They should be able to choose their career paths in a more flexible manner. The survey also underlines that cooperation between the different levels of governance is critical because the EU and national governments set the broader parameters of policy while implementation details are best known by local and regional authorities. Mr Delebarre found it interesting to observe that the subsidiarity issue was not raised and nobody questioned the fact that the EU can play an important role. Structural Funds were perceived as vital support and the fact that the European Commission was taking on board youth and youth employment as key aspect, mainstreamed into other policies, was welcomed as a valuable approach. During the debate with the audience, one point of discussion was whether protective measures (such as a minimal wage for young people or the Youth Guarantee initiative) might endanger the creation of an entrepreneurial spirit in Europe. Should young people expect support or should the focus rather be on possibilities and conditions for self-employment? Finally would youth policies run the risk of locking this category into a bubble? Mr Leterme said there was a need to distinguish short-term objectives, such as stimulating demand on the labour market, from long-term objectives which should aim to foster social cohesion and sustainable development (a decent wage is important for social cohesion, and it should apply to all sectors of society). When it comes to inclusiveness, young people are more at risk of being left out and the real challenge for youth policies is to ensure that nobody was allowed to fall by the wayside. Mr Delebarre felt there was a need to re-examine the way scholarships work and perhaps discuss a minimal wage in apprenticeships. In general terms, he was convinced that there was a wealth of experiences out 7

8 there, but we need to exchange and draw lessons from those experiences, with an open mind for non-traditional approaches. Mr Valcárcel also believed in existing good practice and instruments that encourage employment. He stated that Europeans had the cultural awareness to promote entrepreneurship, but that there would not be always sufficient resources at hand for such programmes. Better coordination among all levels of governance could compensate for the scarcity of resources, but there as a need to be more specific. Acknowledging the lack of coordination is not enough: the action required needs to be spelled out in detail. Commissioner Andor pointed out that entrepreneurship cannot be promoted by a top-down approach alone. It was not only about providing the necessary funding, but, just as importantly, also about shaping an appropriate supporting environment. In response to the risk of creating a bubble, he was aware of the disadvantages created by gaps in protection levels and segmentation of the labour market and these needed to be addressed. The European Commission draws on the European Semester to look at these divisions and propose reforms that might help overcome them. 8 Session with Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth After the lunch break Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Youth, Education, Multilingualism and Culture, gave a keynote a speech on the links between the Youth on the Move initiative and the EU programmes available to support education, training and mobility. She was welcomed by Mercedes Bresso, the first vicepresident of the Committee of the Regions. In her opening remarks, Ms Bresso highlighted the recent CoR opinion on the Commission s Youth Strategy, stating that in our ageing society, youth should be regarded as a precious and critical resource to society, which can and must be mobilised to achieve social and economic goals. Mobilising young people and making the most of the training and exchange programmes that exist go hand in hand with the need for the local and regional levels to create more projects of this kind. Ms Bresso added that mobility encouraged a deeper understanding of European identity and citizenship. Learning mobility should therefore be a permanent feature of the European identity and an opportunity for all young people in Europe. Education is even more important during times of economic crisis but Ms Bresso stressed that education was also a tool to stimulate individual development, both as a person, and as an employee. In her keynote speech Commissioner Vassiliou welcomed the event as an opportunity to take stock of where the Youth on the Move initiative had got to two years after its launch and to discuss the essential role that local and regional authorities play on the ground. She said that, in the face of recent dramatic figures of youth unemployment, EU support to the Member States can only be effective if everyone was on board including the regional and local level.

9 Youth on the Move The perspective of regional and local authorities With regard to Youth on the Move, she noted the core strands: first, actions to help reform education and training systems from pre-school to university level with a focus on developing the skills that are relevant to the knowledge-based society; second, specific measures to support transnational mobility as a means to gain valuable experience and cross-cutting skills; third, a range of measures to make it easier for young people to move into work. The Commission had integrated education more deeply into the EU s economic policymaking - a sure reflection of its growing strategic importance. It was in this respect, the Commissioner stressed, that Europe 2020 with its headline targets in education and its Youth on the Move strategy marked a significant change in European cooperation in education: from early childhood education and care, to early school leaving, cooperation in vocational training and the modernisation of higher education. Youth on the Move is certainly contributing to effective decisions on education and training policy and to investment at national, regional and local level Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Youth, Education, Multilingualism and Culture Commissioner Vassiliou also mentioned the European Semester process and the key role country-specific recommendations play in the field of education. In 2012, recommendations relating to education and training were adopted for 26 of the 27 Member States. The Commission was equally committed to strengthening the support we offer to actors at national level in addressing those country-specific recommendations and the broader education and training challenges they face. Examples included the new methods for assessing the performance of higher education institutions through the multi-dimensional ranking project. In light of the crucial role of the regional and local levels in the provision of education and training, their involvement in EU policy cooperation in education was essential and Commissioner Vassiliou said that this could even be improved. Turning to aspects of funding, she stressed the importance of Structural Funds as especially valuable in supporting the priorities of regions and cities. Ms Vassiliou mentioned in particular the Youth Opportunities Initiative, which had demonstrated in early 2012 how Structural Funds could be re-deployed quickly to tackle youth unemployment in eight priority Member States. For the next programming period 2014 to 2020 we want to allow even more education and training projects to be supported through the Union s cohesion policy. The Commissioner then turned to Erasmus for All, the future EU support programme for education, training and employment offering increased funding, a sharp focus on systemic impact and EU added value, while bringing simplification in procedures to beneficiaries and those who implement them. With a proposed budget of EUR 19 billion over seven years, Erasmus for All provides a clear framework, building an integrated programme around three key actions: (1) learning mobility; (2) cooperation and partnerships and (3) policy support and reform. It will bring innovation to EU policymaking and create a number of new tools to support Member States. Integrating main activities in the youth area under the new programme will build bridges between non-formal and informal learning and formal education, the Commissioner said. She reiterated the fact that, without the stakeholders at regional and local level, the new programme would never reach its full potential. Commissioner Vassiliou ended by thanking the Committee of the Regions for its consistent support for enhanced cooperation and investment in education, skills and employability. During the debate, three aspects were mentioned. First, on the question what the Commissioner would change as regards the flagship initiative, Ms Vassiliou answered that she would suggest a closer follow-up on the initiative s implementation. She underlined that, compared to the Lisbon strategy, some progress had already been achieved but closer observation on what happened in the Member States would be necessary. Second, on the notion of headline targets and whether these would be sufficient to look after increased quality in education, the Commissioner answered that this aspect would merit more attention and a recent initiative in the field of higher education would be dedicated to the quality of teachers education. A third question concerned funding of future exchanges in vocational training through Erasmus for All and the European Social Fund (ESF). New provisions would focus on grants from the ESF instead of Erasmus. Ms Vassiliou replied that excluding support from Erasmus for All would require careful monitoring as to whether similar levels of funding will be made available from the ESF. 9

10 Workshop 1: Improving youth employment at local level 10 The unemployment rate of young people (aged 15 to 24) rose sharply to an unprecedented 22.6% in June 2012, an increase of 50% in four years. Among these, more than 30% have been without a job for one year, which often results in social exclusion and poverty. This workshop presented initiatives and experiences at local, regional and EU level for tackling the important social challenge. The workshop was chaired and moderated by Simone Beissel, municipal councillor of the City of Luxembourg and chair of the CoR Commission for Economic and Social Policy. To introduce the workshop Max Uebe, head of the Unit for Youth Employment, Entrepreneurship and Microfinance Facility (DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) presented the European Commission s Youth Employment Package. Case studies from the local level were presented by Shilpi Akbar, Assistant Director for Employment at Birmingham City Council (United Kingdom), Matti Mäkelä, Project Manager at the City of Turku (Finland) and Karolina Horbaczewska from the Brussels Office of the Opolskie region (Poland). Massimiliano Mascherini, expert from the European Foundation for the Improvement of Working and Living Conditions, concluded the workshop. Simone Beissel opened the workshop by stressing the need to act. Last year saw an increase of in youth unemployment. In Spain and Greece youth unemployment rose to more than 50%. The European Commission has made a number of proposals, including, for instance, the recent communication on moving youth into employment, but, so far, delivery has been distinctly lacking. Local and regional actors should be engaged more actively and should take up their role in combating school drop-out rates, promoting entrepreneurial education, etc. Max Uebe stressed that youth unemployment is a longterm, structural problem, made even more visible by the ongoing economic crisis. EU youth unemployment rates are more than twice as high as the general unemployment rate, and a growing number of young people are overrepresented in temporary and part-time work. The Youth Employment Package, adopted on 5 December 2012, Change of youth unemployment rates at regional level, >= < 9.8 EuroGeographics Association for the administrative boundaries Between 2008 and 2011, the unemplyoment rate of young people aged increased by 5.8 percentage points to 21.4% for EU 27. At regional level, it only fell in 15% of the 271 NUTS 2 regions. With more than 20 percentage points of increase, the most significant impact could be observed in eleven Spanish and five Greek regions. Increases of more than 10 percentage points were recorded in regions in 14 member states. More: Eurostat (2012). Statistics in focus No. 54 (21 December 2012). offers a set of remedies to fight the key problems. The Youth Guarantee Schemes, to be implemented by the Member States, ensure that all young people up to 25 receive a good-quality offer of employment, continued education, an apprenticeship or a traineeship within four months of becoming unemployed or leaving formal education. This Youth Guarantee would involve a major investment of about 0.45% of GDP, but this is far less than the current cost of the non-employed young generation, estimated at 1.21% of GDP. Other proposals include the launch of a quality framework for Traineeships and a European Alliance for Apprenticeships. The Commission will also take measures to promote labour mobility for young people through the further development of the European Employment Services network (EURES) and a more focused use of the Structural Funds in the new programming period. Since there is no one size fits all approach, the EU prefers to play a supportive and stimulating role, giving primary responsibility for employment and education to the Member States. Shilpi Akbar presented the EUROCITIES programme Cities for Active Inclusion, in which the city of Birmingham had a leading role, together with 19 other European cities. The programme focused on the creation of inclusive Simone Beissel Max Uebe Shilpi Akbar

11 Youth on the Move The perspective of regional and local authorities labour markets, guaranteed access to quality social services and the support of a minimum income. A very successful part of the programme was the Birmingham Apprenticeship Scheme in 2010 and The approach combined partly subsidised apprentice contracts with vocational training and workplace coaching and mentoring. The programme required investment both from the city administration and from the employers, who were initially rather reluctant to step in, due to the current economic situation and the competition from the older and more skilled unemployed. The approach proved to be very successful: a majority of the 166 apprentices on the programme remained with their employer or found another place in employment or study. Though the project has ended, Birmingham wants to keep the model alive on a smaller scale. It has also inspired the new action plan by the city s Commission on Youth Unemployment Commitments, which includes the goal of making the Birmingham Baccalaureates ready for the labour market. Matti Mäkelä discussed the Youth Guarantee programme by stressing the importance of equal opportunities in the Finnish education model. The new Youth Guarantee will start on the 1 January 2013 and builds on the experiences of the earlier training guarantee initiatives. Its ambitions are legally defined: any unemployed person younger than 25 without vocational qualifications, and any unemployed person under 30 with secondary-level qualification, are to be offered work, training or study or a similar position serving their needs within three months of becoming unemployed. A whole set of measures has been developed to put this guarantee into practice: flexible and supporting programmes for basic education, cooperation with the young people s parents and guidance at the transition between basic and secondary school, and between school and work. Specific attention was given to the most vulnerable groups: pupils requiring special education and young immigrants. The regional actions in Turku already had practical results: school dropout rates dropped significantly and the training guarantee rate rose to 98.1% in 2012 (from 93.9% in 2004). The Turku Vocational Institute, as one of the many examples, saw its graduation rate rise from 63% in 2004 to 75% in 2010, which led to important direct and indirect savings for local society of several million euros. In addition to the budget impact, Matti Mäkelä also stressed the importance of the training guarantee as an individual s basic right in a democratic society. entrepreneurial perspective in education and raising public awareness. The focus of the programme was on the development of entrepreneurial spirit among students from primary and secondary schools and mainly focus on evolvement of personal skills and qualities, such as creativity, business competencies and a risktaking attitude. A Best Practice Guide was developed, based on the results of regional and interregional mappings and the collection of good practices. An important finding in their analysis was the difference among the stakeholders in their view and appreciation of entrepreneurship education. The analysis resulted in a set of recommendations for the development of youth entrepreneurship education in Europe, advocating stronger political commitment, more support to teachers, the creation of networks and exchange of experiences, etc. Opolskie specifically focused its regional action plan on raising collective and individual awareness of the importance of entrepreneurship education of pupils from primary and secondary schools. The main challenge is to get the youngsters out of their comfort zone and to encourage them to take creative risks and set up business or become entrepreneurs in future, through adequate curriculum focused on EE. Massimiliano Mascherini concluded the workshop with some eye-opening facts and figures about NEETs (young people not in education, employment, or training) in Europe. All young people in Europe are hit by the crisis and there is no longer a shield effect from tertiary education. The NEETs in Europe are a very heterogeneous population, but, as a whole, they form a major problem for societies and economies. In 2011 alone, the cost of the NEETs in the EU rose to about EUR 153 billion. Even more worrying is the cost to society: NEETs are likely to opt out from democratic and civic engagement. In the short term, policy makers in Europe should focus on solving the employment mismatches geographically and in terms of skills and on involving young people in job creation. In the long term, the EU Youth Guarantee strategy may offer new perspectives, and more efforts need to be made in the field of apprenticeships and vocational education and training. Europe cannot afford to waste the potential of a whole generation, so coordinated and diversified actions are needed. 11 Karolina Horbaczewska presented the Youth Entrepreneurship Strategies (YES) project, an INTERREG IVC programme between 2010 and 2012 from the Opolskie region and seven other EU regions. The overall objective was to increase the number of entrepreneurs and boost European competitiveness, by integrating an Matti Mäkelä Karolina Horbaczewska Massimiliano Mascherini

12 Workshop 2: Education, training and apprenticeships: The role of regional and local authorities 12 Reducing the rate of early school leavers and increasing the share of young people with tertiary education or equivalent are headline targets of the Youth on the Move flagship initiative. During the workshop, preventive measures against early school leaving and the role of local and regional authorities in education and training was discussed. (Education and training are the numberone budget item for the sub-national public sector.) Since 2000, sub-national spending on education has increased steadily an average of 3% per year to reach nearly EUR 430 billion in 2010, i.e. 20.6% of sub-national budgets). The workshop was chaired by Jean-François Istasse, member of the Parliament of the French-speaking Community in Belgium and member of the Committee of the Regions. The presentations were given by Pavel Trantina, European Economic and Social Committee on the main ideas of his EESC opinion on Youth on the Move; Risto Raivio, European Commission, DG Education and Culture, head of sector; Ulrike Wisser, Youth for Europe, National Contact Point, Bonn, Germany, presented youth projects/social work off the beaten track of school education; Eleonora Schmid, senior expert, Cedefop, European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training on recent Cedefop reports on education and training and Lucy Pyne on the OECD LEED Programme. The moderator, Jean-François Istasse welcomed the speakers and participants. He opened the workshop with a short summary on the Committee of the Regions opinions which include an opinion on the Erasmus for All programme and on the reform of higher education. Pavel Trantina presented the EESC opinions and events linked to the Youth on the Move initiative, including the outcomes of the Round Table on youth employment organised by the EESC. The Round Table had highlighted the need to give more visibility to social issues, to involve the social partners in the development of vocational training and to engage young people as social partners, including in trade unions. Moreover, it had emphasised the need to improve foreign language skills and career guidance and to give more financial support to startups for self-employment. Mr Trantina then raised the question on how to boost the impact of flexible learning pathways and learning outcomes rather than curricula and how to recognise different qualifications at European level. An increase in mobility would be possible through improved recognition of non-formal learning, which is backed at the moment by the European Skills Passport and Europass. The national qualification frameworks could give added value to employability. Risto Raivio from the European Commission focused on the theme of vocational education and training (VET), and on its underexploited potential to support growth and innovation. For example, work-based learning (dual, in a company, or in projects and demonstrations) contributes to both employability and inclusion, notably when the learning takes place in a company, as happens with apprenticeships. All parties benefit, beginning with the learner, the company and the VET school. Workbased learning teaches the right skills for learners as it is job-specific and cross-sectoral and can provide an alternative way of learning to the school-based model, sometimes providing an interesting option for early school leavers. Furthermore, it supplies the right skills for companies, helps recruitment and retention and promotes staff development, as they mentor younger colleagues. Work-based learning also means more relevant and inclusive VET-systems, by cost sharing and by contributing to relevance, innovation and creativity. Mr Raivio then summarised the three success factors of successful work-based learning: 1) Governance, consisting of an effective regulatory framework; integration into the education system and the involvement of social partners and incentives for companies; 2) Quality, consisting of a standard with wide skills profiles, clear learning objectives, support for learners and professional development of trainers; 3) Partnerships at system level, including VET in economic development; school-company partnerships and college networks. Jean-François Istasse Pavel Trantina Risto Raivio

13 Youth on the Move The perspective of regional and local authorities Ulrike Wisser presented youth projects in alternative learning settings in Germany, where youth work is about to profile as education and learning sector of its own right and where the regions have an important political say in developing alternative cross sectoral learning settings. Many of the projects are ESF-funded, and include initiatives such as a federal second-chance programme to prevent school drop-out through a combined case management approach, and the AjuMA-project in Hesse, which guides young migrant men through the vocational education scheme. These empowering activities are mostly self-managed, co-managed or managed under educational guidance by either professional or voluntary youth workers, and adapt quickly to social changes. Ms Wisser draw attention to the fact that alternative learning settings complement the curricula of formal system with methods and instruments of non-formal and informal learning and need recognition by the formal educational sector. Furthermore, it is vital to receive the recognition of competences and skills by employers and the recognition of the empowerment dimension of youth work by all actors. Structural and financial support for youth work at local level is necessary. Eleonora Schmid elaborated further on the advantages of work-based learning and on the role of regional authorities in education, training and apprenticeships in providing for the future skills needs. Although the Europe 2020 strategy highlights the need for higher qualification levels, there is still a high demand for medium level qualifications. In number of jobs, the highest demand is for technicians and professionals, both in 2010 and in the forecasts for Work-based training provides efficiently for skilled professionals and raises awareness among young people of the realities of working life. Its also provides meaningful learning that helps improve both occupational and generic skills and allows young people to experiment with different learning methods. Employers benefit from the possibility to locate potential employees and to build up their skills, thus better matching the skills to the jobs available. However, it is important to have the qualifications embedded in the system in a formal way. Ms Schmidt concluded by stressing the importance of the role the regional and local authorities play in supporting cooperation among different players in the economical, employment, social and educational fields and among youth people themselves. Furthermore, they can provide incentives to VET providers, employers and young people and support VET teachers. They can help feed labour market information into VET and provide quality career guidance. It is important to consider VET across all regional policies as part of development and innovation strategies. Lucy Pyne emphasised the importance of having the right governance mechanisms at national and local level. The right structures include strong collaboration and broad partnerships across public and private sectors. Flexibility and accountability in the design and implementation of educational policy is key in building skills and capacities. In terms of measures designed to prevent early school leaving, Ms Pyne proposed investing in the early years of education and to raise aspirations and school performance. Mentoring and positive role models, as well as en exposure to post-secondary education, can be important preventive measures. Possibilities to gain work experience early on helps to form realistic expectations and to establish connections to working life and therefore to ease school-to-work transition. This can be promoted by work placements, apprenticeships, internships, vocational training etc. However, tailored measures are sometimes needed for those most likely to disengage, and also to re-engage those who have already dropped out of the educational system. Ms Pyne concluded by listing positive factors in improving employability, including the development of soft skills and contacts to employers, the promotion of apprenticeships which develop new skills and contribute to better skills and jobs match; early and tailored career guidance, where local, regional and national skills needs are analysed and effective career pathways put in place; the recognition of non-formal education; and the importance of support mechanisms for the transitions stage, linking school, training and work. Ulrike Wisser Eleonora Schmid Lucy Pyne 13

14 Workshop 3: Youth Mobility in education and the workplace 14 The objective of this workshop was to discuss in particular Youth on the Move and its local impact, ways in which to promote mobility on local and regional levels as well as to enhance graduate employment on the local and regional levels. The workshop was chaired by Marc Schaefer, Member of Vianden Municipal Council, Luxembourg, CoR rapporteur Youth on the Move. The following speakers participated: Filip Van Depoele, European Commission, DG Education and Culture; Mariachiara Esposito, Policy Officer Tuscany regional office in Brussels, Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR); Peter Matjašič, President of the European Youth Forum. Marc Schaefer welcomed the participants and began by saying a few words about the Opinion of the CoR on Youth on the Move, which highlighted the link between the socially disadvantaged and so-called NEETs (those not in education, employment, or training). Since the adoption of the Opinion in early 2011, there has been soaring unemployment and education needs to be at the heart of youth mobility. He stressed the importance of language learning and how this greatly facilitates sending people abroad. Regarding the Youth Employment Package adopted in December 2012, he underlined the need for the full involvement of local and regional authorities. Filip Van Depoele introduced the Erasmus for All programme, which is the European Commission s proposal for the next generation of funding for educational programmes in the period Erasmus for All reflects the need for greater simplification and streamlining of sector specific educational programmes. By gathering existing programmes such as Grundtvig, Erasmus, Leonardo, Comenius, and Erasmus Mundus into a single integrated programme, Erasmus for All aims to be more coherent, efficient and accessible. It also shows greater EU value for money. Under the new programme, there will be three key actions. First, the learning mobility Marc Schaefer Filip Van Depoele Mariachiara Esposito

15 Youth on the Move The perspective of regional and local authorities of individuals will ensure greater mobility of students and staff. One million teachers, trainers, school leaders and youth workers will teach and learn abroad and nearly three million higher education and vocational students will get support. Second, cooperation for innovation and good practices will encourage strategic partnerships between educational institutions and local and regional authorities, as well as businesses, in order to ensure relevant skills are developed and to facilitate the transition between education and the labour market. The last element will provide support for policy reform and encourage policy dialogue with stakeholders, to include an international dimension. Mariachiara Esposito introduced the Giovanisì project of the Tuscan regional government. Its main objective is to invest in the future independence, entrepreneurship and leadership of this region s young people. The project concentrates on three main areas. First, the problem of NEETs calls for schools to establish pathways for greater integration. Second, funds are made available to facilitate youth entrepreneurship. Third, business grants are allocated to young people who are already involved in agriculture and who intend to establish a new farming enterprise. Under the initiative, there is an emphasis on high quality work placements and 1,000,000 in additional funds will be allocated from 2013 to promote greater international mobility. She mentioned pioneering regions within the CPMR, which will encourage greater maritime mobility. She spoke of the importance of maritime mobility and that blue growth is an essential component of the Europe 2020 strategy. Peter Matjašič began by emphasising the importance of investing in youth. This means having an adequate EU budget in order to help young people and encourage their mobility. Instead of Erasmus for All, Mr. Matjašič would prefer Mobility for all. This is because if one is not a student, there are often difficulties in moving around. For example, while Bulgarian and Romanian people cannot work in the EU during the transitional period, he believes that non EU citizens, who are nevertheless Europeans, should have mobility. Those who create the opportunities, such as teachers in education and youth organisations, need support and resources. There are also obstacles to mobility such as the issue of residence permits and a lack of recognition of skills. Mr. Matjašič referred to a holistic approach to education, which should include soft skills and informal learning. With regard to the Youth Employment Package, he said it had everything that was requested. However, it applies only to people up to the age of 25 and this is a problem. He suggested it should be revised to include those up to 30 years of age. He stressed the importance of recognising quality traineeships and there should be a greater focus on the transition from education to the labour market. Responding to questions from the floor, Mr. Matjašič pointed out resources don t just include money, but voluntary time contributions can also be used as a type of co-funding. Marc Schaefer rounded up the workshop inviting all participants to join the closing session. 15 Peter Matjašič Participants

16 Closing session 16 The Youth on the Move conference closing session began with remarks by the first vice-president of the Committee of the Regions, Mercedes Bresso, who stressed that the Europe 2020 strategy is a means to help local and regional representatives increase the levels of youth employment in Europe. She said that this problem needs to be approached from a wide and long-term perspective. The future of Europe depends on its young people, and we cannot hope to find a quick and easy solution: By focusing on education, training, mobility, and employment, Europe 2020, and more specifically Youth on the Move, targets young people s particular needs by providing support that is as wide-ranging and inclusive as possible. She referred to Commissioner Vassiliou when saying that not only EU but also national programmes are needed to get young people onto the labour market and that there are even big differences in terms of unemployment within the Member States. Our role as local and regional representatives is to use our skills and experience to support this and our associations are best placed to monitor the situation of young people, she said. It is the local and regional authorities, who, more often than not, implement the measures financed by the European Social Fund. This was highlighted by the recent CoR opinion on the Commission s European Youth Strategy the overarching EU youth policy for 2010 to 2018 of which Youth on the Move is a part. Mercedes Bresso said that she is convinced that the success of the Europe 2020 strategy depends on its ownership by regional and local authorities. That is also the reason why the CoR is organising this series of conferences on the strategy s seven flagship initiatives from now until November Mercedes Bresso announced that the next one will be on 28 February/1 March 2013 in Dublin and will focus on An agenda for new skills and jobs. It will consider the

17 Youth on the Move The perspective of regional and local authorities main priorities of the flagship initiative: the reform of the labour market, the increase of skills levels (in particular among young people), job growth and job quality. After this introduction, Ms Bresso gave the floor to the chairs of the three workshops and asked them to briefly report on their deliberations. On workshop 1, Simone Beissel proposed strengthening Public Private Partner-ships (PPP) with the aim of boosting employment. She also noted that better education prepares for better work. She then referred to the Cities for Active Inclusion, taking Birmingham as an example, where the city itself pays the first year s salary of many young people - with good results. The idea is to get as many young people into work as possible instead of paying them unemployment benefit, she said. Simone Beissel went on to set out the good examples of Youth Guarantees that had been given from Finland and the Yes project, represen ted by a Polish region, before referring to the Eurofound s presentation of NEETs and the social problems of young people without training or employment. practices of the Giovannisí programme, in which young people took part in Tuscany. Mr Schaefer repeated the criticism voiced by the president of the European Youth Forum, Peter Matjašič, about too much red tape for young people looking for jobs in other countries. He therefore called for a better mutual recognition of diplomas. Marc Schaefer concluded: We have to have a practical approach and also listen more to the proposals and needs of young people. Mercedes Bresso officially closed the conference thanking the participants, moderators and speakers for their participation. Jean-François Istasse reported from workshop 2 and started with the European Economic and Social Committee s opinion on Youth on the Move, presented by rapporteur Pavel Trantina. The chair then mentioned the proposal from the European Commission representative to take into account non-traditional approaches via local and regional initiatives. Jean-François Istasse also reiterated Ulrike Wisser s call for non-formal education to give young people the opportunity to make their own choices and take responsibility for themselves. The aim is to reduce school drop-out rates to under 10% in German regions and cities. During the workshop, the Cedefop speaker, Eleonora Schmid, had also underlined the need for stronger cooperation with businesses in order to find jobs for young people. Lucy Pyne had reported from the OECD LEED Programme. 17 Marc Schaefer reported from workshop 3 and mentioned the various measures taken under the Erasmus for All scheme, from which 3 million students benefit and under which up to one million teachers are able to teach abroad. He also quoted the innovative

18 Follow-up Following the conference, the participants were asked to evaluate the workshops and the conference organisation. In general, the participants gave very positive feedback on the conference content, its organisation, and the exhibition. They appreciated the direct contact with Commissioners, CoR members, and OECD and said they came to learn about the political context and strategy of youth policy at European level. On a critical note some mentioned that they heard little new during the conference and that the workshops rather seemed to be panel discussions instead of debates. One participant said: I thought it would be more interactive with the audience in a small working group, where we could really discuss and summarise our suggestions. All these elements will be food for thought and taken into account for the preparation of future conferences. On 16 January 2013, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on youth guarantee schemes emphasising that for their effective implementation close cooperation between the Commission and the Member States and, at national level, among (sectoral) social partners, local and regional authorities, public and private employment services and local and regional education and training institutes is essential. During its plenary session on 31 January/1 February 2013, the Committee of the Regions plans to adopt a resolution on youth employment. In this resolution, the CoR will highlight the need to implement Youth Guarantee Schemes, to involve regional and local authorities in policy-making at EU level, and encourage inter-regional exchange on best practices. 18

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20 On 13 December 2012, the Committee of the Regions organised a conference on Youth on the Move: The perspective of regional and local authorities, which brought together 300 representatives from EU institutions, regions, cities and associations. A few days after the adoption of the Youth Employment Package by the European Commission, the audience was addressed by Committee of the Regions' President Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso, László Andor, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, and Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Youth, Education, Multilingualism and Culture and other renowned speakers. The event was the first in a series of seven CoR conferences in 2012/13 on the seven flagship initiatives, which are part of the Europe 2020 strategy. Participants discussed the issues of employment, apprenticeships, training and mobility of young people both from the EU and from the local and regional point of view. They assessed the state of play on the implementation of the Youth on the Move flagship, while regions and cities showcased best practices. More information at: January 2013 Edited by the Directorate for Communication, Press and Events of the Committee of the Regions Rue Belliard/Belliardstraat 101, 1040 Bruxelles/Brussel BELGIQUE/BELGIË Tel , Fax