On 15th September 2010, the European Commission launched “Youth on the Move”, a new flagship initiative aimed at helping these young people to gain the knowledge, skills and experience they need to make their first job a reality. Part of the EU’s new Europe 2020 strategy, Youth on the Move proposes 28 key actions aimed at making education and training more relevant to young people's needs and encouraging more of them to take advantage of EU grants to study or train in another country. This should increase young people's employability and access to the labour market.
A growing number of young people are being moved onto (permanent) disability benefits. While some may not be able to work fully, even with suitably adapted workplaces, others could find a way back to the labour market through well designed activation policies.
According to the European Commission, Member States should in the framework of Europe 2020 and the European Employment Strategy, focus on:
• Ensuring that all young people are in a job, further education or activation measures within four months of leaving school and providing this as a “Youth Guarantee”. To this end, Member States are asked to identify and overcome the legal and administrative obstacles that might block access to these measures for young people who are inactive other than for reasons of education. This will often require extending the support of PES, using instruments adapted to the needs of young people.
• Offering a good balance between rights to benefits and targeted activation measures based upon mutual obligation, in order to avoid young people, especially the most vulnerable, falling outside any social protection system.
More information on: http://europa.eu/youthonthemove/europe2020_en.htm