Youth on the Move: Boosting Educational Opportunities, Cooperation and Youth Employability in Europe

Key Speakers

	Mr. Georges Bingen, Head of Unit, People Programme, Marie-Curie Actions, DG Education and Culture, European Commission
	Ms. Emilie Turunen MEP, Vice Chair of the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance, European Parliament
	Mr. Jens Bjornavold, Senior Expert - Brussels Office, European Centre for Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop)

According to latest EU figures, “Five million young Europeans are looking for a job. Many of them will miss opportunities because they lack the right qualifications or experience”.

In response, the European Commission recently launched Youth on the Move, a new flagship initiative aimed at helping young people to “gain the knowledge, skills and experience they need to make their first job a reality”.

Over the years, despite some notable developments at EU levels and the introduction of effective mechanisms such as the open method for coordination, there still remain many challenges ahead to reduce the high numbers of young people not participating in education, training or employment. The economic downturn in 2008 also exerted an additional negative impact on young people, the long term impact of which will be difficult to reverse.

Recognising that education is by far the most important determinant of social and economic mobility, in order to prevent early school leaving, further active investment in education and training systems at EU and national levels is needed to encourage young people to be more actively engaged in the whole education and training cycle. Key to this process is enhancing the openness and relevance of the educational system in Europe in a way that not only appeals to young people but also meets the needs of the European labour market – furthermore, bringing young people into the labour market will require an integrated and holistic approach through guidance, counselling and apprenticeships.

As the EU seeks to deliver its Europe 2020 Strategy, this International Symposium will look at how we can build on current EU actions and existing educational cooperation initiatives, such as the Erasmus programme, through a wider framework that encourages more young people to participate in the full education cycle. The achievement of such a goal will empower young people to grasp better training and employment opportunities, encourage greater social cohesion and help to safeguard the future economic well-being within the European Union.

The Centre for Parliamentary Studies welcomes the participation of all key partners, responsible authorities and stakeholders. The Symposium will support the exchange of ideas and encourage delegates to engage in thought-provoking topical debate.

Programme