Brussels, 17/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - There has to be investment in skills in order to create new jobs, in particular for young people. That was the main message delivered by the European social partners at the informal meeting of EU employment ministers in Gödöllõ on Monday 17 January.
Investing in skills is crucial in tackling unemployment, said CEEP (European Centre of Employers and Enterprises providing Public services) General Secretary Ralf Resch. Services of general social interest have a key role to play in providing the current and future skills needed. CEEP members within education services are at the forefront of ensuring that supply matches demand in the labour market.
To tackle the issues of youth unemployment and labour market demand, a business-friendly environment, including labour market reforms and fiscal and public finance sustainability is necessary, argued UEAPME (European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) Secretary General Andrea Benassi. More particularly, Benassi is of the view that the “Youth on the Move” initiative is going in the right direction. “Combating youth unemployment should start with modernisation of education and training systems, high quality vocational education and training systems providing a better link between the world of education and the work of work, with a focus on apprenticeships and work-based learning, better permeability and flexibility within and between the education and training pathways, and more efficient guidance and counselling services”, he said.
For the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Confederal Secretary Jozef Niemiec applauded the “youth guarantee”, which seeks to ensure that, after a maximum period of six months, young people are offered (general or supplementary) training or a decent job. The ETUC calls on the European Commission to adopt a transversal approach to the issues of employment, education and vocational training in all its sectoral policies. “This means implementing programmes which anticipate the structural changes in employment patterns promote job creation and protect workers from the adverse economic and social effects of the transition towards a low-carbon economy,” Niemiec added. (G.B./transl.rt)