Page 7 - Guiding-at-risk-youth-through-learning-to-work-Lessons-from-across-Europe

Guiding at-risk youth through learning to work
Lessons from across Europe

Foreword

This Cedefop study is placed in the context of the European economy gradually
starting to recover in 2010 from the deepest recession since the 1930s. To
overcome the crisis and to stimulate the economy, the EU budget 2010 provides
funds to boost the recovery, to improve labour market activity and to increase
overall EU competitiveness. However, parallel to the recovering economy,
Europe will have to deal with the consequences of the crisis, such as an
increased level of youth unemployment as well as the subsequent difficulties
young people face in entering a labour market that remains somewhat unstable
and turbulent.
Statistics suggest that national labour markets are not easily accessible for
young people/youth at risk. Since the first quarter of 2008, in the wake of the
global economic crisis, unemployment – especially for young people – has
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increased sharply in the EU. In November 2009 ( ), youth unemployment
(under-25s) was 21.4 % in the EU-27 compared to 16.6 % a year earlier
(November 2008). At the same time, the level of early school leavers remains
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high (15.2 % in 2007) ( ).
It is clear that no country can respond to the crisis in isolation as even the
best national policies are likely to prove less effective without policy coordination
and cooperation between countries. Young people should be an integral element
in national and European education, training, employment and social policies. It
is not only justified but also efficient to invest in young people in order to support
their social inclusion, active participation in lifelong learning and smooth
integration into working life.
In response to this crisis situation, policy-makers should utilise targeted
interventions that provide support for young people to complete their education
and training and to become easily integrated into the labour market. Work
towards developing more open and flexible lifelong learning systems that engage
all youngsters in formal, non-formal and informal settings should be fostered to

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( ) Eurostat Newsrelease 5/2010 (8.1.2010):
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_PUBLIC/3-08012010-AP/EN/3-
08012010-AP-EN.PDF
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( ) EU labour force survey (the latest EU-level statistical data on early school leavers is from
2007):
http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/userfiles/115_Early%20school%20leavers_2009-07-
20.xls

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