WRITTEN QUESTION E-0783/96 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission (1 April 1996)

Subject: Youth unemployment

A number of areas may be identified as being of common interest to all the Member States, such as: environmental protection, urban and rural renewal, restoring their cultural heritage, social services, care and the inadequate provision of services on the present labour market. Efforts should be made to integrate unemployed youngsters in a specific, visible European Community programme aimed at these areas.

Does the Commission agree that it would be both useful and possible to set up an action programme on Jobs in Europe? This new European labour market policy initiative would offer young people, while they are preparing for a profession, during their vocational training or after they have qualified, if they do not go on to a job, the opportunity of an apprenticeship in an EU firm, lasting at least three months and leading to a qualification.

In implementing the action programme on Jobs in Europe, the necessary links would have to be established with the Leonardo programme, particularly with regard to moving from country to country, and these programmes would have to be followed in conjunction with one another.

Answer given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission (10 June 1996)

The successful integration of young people into working life is a priority for the Community. This commitment is highlighted by the Commission's activities in various fields and programmes.

The European social fund (ESF) plays an important role in the fight against youth unemployment, both within its mainstream programmes and through the Youthstart strand of the Employment Community initiative.

A total of around 3 900 MECU under objective 3 is specifically targeted to measures promoting the occupational integration of young people, accounting for 35% of total objective 3 funding. A wide range of actions are supported, including apprenticeship training, and initial training, 'second chance' education, work experience, job subsidies, guidance and counselling. Within objective 1 regions of the Community, activities related to education and training systems for young people are supported by more than 10 000 MECU of ESF funding. The ESF is financing measures to develop the quality and content of curricula and the training of teachers and other staff, as well as links between training centres and enterprises.

Youthstart projects financed across the Member States put emphasis on the search for new methods of promoting the employability of young people in all the fields described above. Moreover, Youthstart fosters transnational cooperation across the Community. Projects can include transnational placements of young people, as well as of those working directly with them and who can benefit from valuable experience about how other Member States deal with youth specific issues.

The Commission's white paper on education and training 'Teaching and learning: towards the learning society' ((COM(95) 590 final )) the need to bring schools and the business sector closer together as a major objective of education and training policy at European level. In this context, the white paper proposed the setting up of European apprenticeship and trainee schemes. These would aim to improve opportunities for young people by providing them with vocational and educational experience in various cultural and company environments and would include a period of training or work experience in another Member State. To support this proposal, the white paper also advocated the creation of a network of apprenticeship and trainee centres covering various European countries and an apprentice and trainee charter to foster mobility of young people in training.

Against the background of the European year of lifelong learning, the Commission has launched a debate within the institutions, governments, social partners and organizations involved in training policy and practice, on how to take forward the proposals in the white paper, including those concerning young people. In addition, the Leonardo da Vinci vocational training programme will be used to support a number of experimental projects and exchanges to test the ideas for young people in the white paper. It has also been agreed that a priority for the Leonardo da Vinci programme in 1996 is to support projects to improve the accessibility and quality of vocational training and exchange and placement programmes in the areas of the environment, new information and communication technologies, health, community care, national heritage, security, tourism and the creation of enterprises, all of which are seen as areas of job growth.