Getting Youth on Board
OBESSU’s VET Officer, Johanne Stenstrup, participated on the 24th January in the panel “Getting Youth on Board” along with the European Youth Forum, AEGEE-European Students’ Forum, Rural Youth Europe and others, in the conference “The economic Crisis, Education and the Labour Market” organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). The main points from the panel were that education should be for all and that students’ job chances increase through participation in non-formal learning. OBESSU also stated that in order to get youth on board you need education that is relevant, so young people can see the link between what they learn and what they need in their future job. Although education’s main aim is not the production of ‘workforce’, OBESSU believes that it is important for learners to have direct experience on the labour market and employment opportunities, for example through apprenticeships and dual system education.
The Danish Minister for Children and Education, Christine Antorini, who holds the EU presidency this spring, also attended the conference. The Minister spoke about the link between education and employability and the ability to adapt skills in a changing job market.
OBESSU was very happy to attend and as a result of her inputs, Johanne was contacted by several interested people working in the VET field. This is a very positive signal for upcoming OBESSU campaign called “Claim Your Voice – Stand up for Vocational Education and Training”. This campaign touches upon many current topics and 2012 will definitely be a good year to increase the focus on Vocational Education and Training.
Written by Johanne Stenstrup
