Young people and the search for decent work
On 20th of March 2012, SOLIDAR – the network of NGOs working to advance social justice – hosted a round table meeting in the European Parliament for participants from different European organisations and stakeholders to discuss youth unemployment and young people’s transition from education to work. OBESSU Secretary General Viviana Galli and Vocational Education & Training Officer Tiia Meuronen were there to follow the discussion.Since long, these topics have generated many discussions all over Europe. This round table meeting gathered experiences from those who are involved in the political decision making process and those who work in the field and have the perspective of reality: what it really is like to be a young adult and try to find quality employment. These organisations present were Eurofound, European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), European Youth Forum (YFJ) and Johannes Mihkelson Center (Estonia). The discussion was hosted by Emilie Turunen, Member of European Parliament and Alejandro Cercas, Member of European Parliament, gave his response to the panel discussion.
During the presentations and discussions it came clear that the common understanding is that Europe needs quality education and quality apprenticeships amongst other actions to decrease youth unemployment and most importantly: to get young people quality employment, not just any short-term, low-salary job.
Written by Tiia Meuronen
