Youth Guarantee: Commission reviews 18 pilot projects

© auremar / Shutterstock

The European Commission is meeting with the coordinators of 18 Youth Guarantee pilot projects at a seminar in Brussels today. The meeting will review achievements and lessons learned.

The pilot projects represent concrete ways of putting the Youth Guarantee into practice by for example reinforcing links between employers and schools and by upgrading support to young people from public employment services.

18 Youth Guarantee pilot projects were launched between August and December 2013 and each run for around 12 months.

These projects are currently being implemented in seven countries:

• - 

  Ireland,
• - 

  Italy,
• - 

  Lithuania,
• - 

  Poland,
• - 

  Romania,
• - 

  Spain and
• - 

  the United Kingdom.

The aim of the projects is to provide Member States with practical relevant experience for implementing their national Youth Guarantee schemes and for related actions using the European Social Fund and Youth Employment Initiative.

A Youth Guarantee Recommendation was formally adopted by the EU's Council of Ministers on 22 April 2013 on the basis of a proposal made by the Commission in December 2012 and was endorsed by the June 2013 European Council.

Under the Youth Guarantee Member States should ensure that, within four months of leaving school or losing a job, young people can either

• - 

  find a job suited to their education, skills and experience or
• - 

  acquire the education, skills and experience required to find a job in the future.

All 28 Member States have submitted Youth Guarantee Implementation Plans and are taking steps to set up their Youth Guarantee schemes. The 18 pilot Youth Guarantee projects were set up following a request in 2012 from the European Parliament.