1. Youth employment and “Youth on the Move” ETUC Youth Committee meeting Brussels 14 June 2011 Christiane Westphal Poliy co-ordinator Youth European Commission, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

2. Youth employment policies: what can the EU do? Design and implementation of policies is first and foremost Member States’ competence EU has mainly a policy coordination role: setting common priorities monitoring of progress recommendations to individual Member States Promote mutual learning and best practice exchange

3. Europe 2020: 5 EU headline targets By 2020 75 % employment rate (% of population aged 20-64 years) 3% investment in R&D (% of EU’s GDP) “20/20/20” climate/energy targets met (incl. 30% emissions reduction if conditions are right) < 10% early school leavers & min. 40% hold tertiary degree 20 million less people should be at risk of poverty

4. Youth on the move http://europa.eu/youthonthemove/ http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=951&langId=en

5. 3 strands of key actions Improve education and training systems: lifelong learning, higher education, VET Facilitate EU mobility for learning purposes and on the labour market Policy framework to improve youth employment

6. 1. Actions to support education and training Re-launched cooperation on vocational education and training Modernise universities Quality framework for traineeships

7. 2. Support for learning and job mobility Access to job opportunities in the wider EU labour market through new scheme: Your first EURES job A European Vacancy Monitor to increase transparency Ensure free movement of young workers and monitor the application of EU legislation to ensure that mobile workers enjoy the same rights are « home » young workers Remove obstacles and increase opportunities: proposal for a Council Recommendation on promoting learning mobility

8. For all young, graduates from VET, graduates from HE, vulnerable groups (NEETs, low-skilled, women, migrants, disabled) Focus on: transitions, fighting segmentation, provide adequate safety nets, encourage entrepreneurship 3. A framework for youth employment

9. How can we improve transitions? - Guidance and support during and after finishing education - Skills development at labour market entry (vocational training, apprenticeships) - Early contact with labour market during studies (traineeships, internships) - Institutionalised « Youth Guarantee »

10. How can we tackle segmentation? Commission proposal: in segmented labour markets introducing an open-ended « single open- ended contract »  Under discussion with Member States

11. Strengthen social safety nets for young Offering a good balance between rights to benefits and targeted activation measures based upon mutual obligation; in order to avoid that young people fall outside any social protection system and to avoid benefit traps Modernising social security systems to take account of specific situation of young people, especially their increased risk of precariousness

12. Support entrepreneurship and self-employment European Progress Microfinance Facility – how to get financial support to set up one’s own business http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=836&langId=en Erasmus for young Entrepreneurs – business exchange programme http://www.erasmus-entrepreneurs.eu/

13. Youth@Work Youth@Work will build contacts between young people and small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) - to encourage demand among SME employers for young people and, in turn, to promote working in SMEs to young people Youth@Work will also offer information and advice to would-be young entrepreneurs to help them develop entrepreneurial skills and mindsets job fairs – mentoring – networking recruitment

14. Thank you!