“With most European countries experiencing a sustained period of slow growth, it’s clear that the scarring effects of the global crisis have left their deepest mark on the young. In Mediterranean countries in particular, it is reported that youth unemployment rates exceed 50%. There is talk of a ‘lost generation’ of jobless people – lacking opportunity and hope for a productive and meaningful future. 70% of these young people live in cities. This is why URBACT chose to focus on this theme with its workstream ‘Job generation for a jobless generation’ in 2014/2015.”
- What can cities do to better understand the youth employment challenge?
- What can cities do to more effectively engage employers in the youth employment agenda?
“What is clear overall is that youth employment is an important priority at all levels and no more so than in Europe’ s cities which surely have a responsibility to grow jobs for their young people. The two issues set out here are, we believe, at the heart of this agenda. More can, and should, be done on them”, states Alison.
Job Generation for a Jobless Generation: engaging employers
“It is employers who create jobs. If cities are to help young people to get the jobs they need, then engaging with employers is pivotal to success. Success requires the creation of more and better jobs for young people to do. It means employers, large and small, public and private, from local start-ups and microbusinesses to national and international corporations with branches in the city, recruiting more young people, retaining them, developing them and providing opportunities for them. So, employer engagement needs to be at the heart of city action to meet the youth employment challenge.” So Mike Campbell, in the article he contributed the publication.
This thematic video, focused on Leeds, gives first insights about the employers-led approach to jobs creation, linking the employability and growth agenda, with examples from Igualada in Spain andThessaloniki’s creativity platform.
