C 184/10
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
25.5.2023
4.4.
Provisions on scholarships and trusts are welcome, but we need to pay attention to selection issues and ensure the involvement of CSOs.
It is important that transparent, fair and inclusive procedures for the selection of participants in academic programmes are defined when establishing these opportunities, prioritising access to individuals with fewer opportunities.
4.5.
Maximising the value of human capital is vital to increasing competitiveness and to tackling unemployment, while respecting sustainable development.
This requires a workforce that is equipped with a range of transversal skills and a capacity to adapt.
Education and training policy must be developed and delivered in close cooperation with the social partners and focus more on competences than qualifications.
This will help reduce the skills mismatch gap.
Youth organisations 4.6.
There are several fora and bodies to engage young people set out in the communication.
The Platform in the Policy Forum on Development is welcomed, as long as it ensures grassroots connections with youth organisations, which are independent, self-organised and ideally youth led.
4.7.
There is a welcome mention and reference to involving youth organisations in the communication.
The roll-out of the YAP would benefit from engagement in the diverse models of youth work practice present in the EU.
This practice can be as relevant as young people’s voices, as it builds capacity amongst all young people at local level and in turn gives rise to youth leaders grounded in local experience.
Considerable evidence and models are available through the EU/Council of Europe Partnership and the voluntary youth sector.
4.8.
Youth organisations can be a tremendous resource in the delivery of the plan.
EU Member States should be encouraged to involve their youth sector in this field with national action plans.
We should prioritise good models and work from EU youth organisations in development, conflict, and human rights work ahead of, for example, US ‘youth development’ models which are often used ‘off the shelf’ in developing countries and other regions, and are often not rooted in the same values.
This would work well with the commitment to have tailor-made solutions for particular regions.
4.9.
The roll out of commitments on education should also engage in informal and non-formal systems in communities, CSOs and youth work organisations.
The Unesco and Council of Europe definitions provide good guidance here along with work in the Erasmus+ youth chapter.
We need to recognise the immense benefits of learning outside the school setting for all which is lifelong and life-wide.
4.10.
Political dialogue is important and the goals in the YAP are ambitious, but we should not neglect youth policies in each country and the responsibilities of governments, as well as the need for a true voluntary sector and civil society.
The roll out of the YAP also needs to support youth work policy development, the development of national youth councils or similar bodies, and approaches like the EU youth test and others.
4.11.
Youth organisations already have links around the globe, as illustrated by the work of the World’s Big 6 Youth Organisations, and the roll out of the plan should involve them, build on the pre-existing work and be a model for more initiatives.
We should also be careful about being too restrictive on the issues of participation.
It is unclear if participative processes were utilised in selecting the issues for the Youth Empowerment Fund.
Young people may not always select the issues others see as important particularly in the developing world or in fragile states where more practical considerations may be more important.
4.12.
Provisions on capacity building for youth organisations are most welcome and should be accompanied by effective support to start grassroots movements in partner countries in which EU delegations can play a crucial role around the world.
Partnerships should be offered here, where appropriate, with EU organisations and the work must be monitored.
It is important to facilitate the creation and strengthening of networks with both EU and non-EU organisations.