Plans for Youth Guarantee scheme to be launched on Wednesday
Emer Costello, MEP, with Massi Mascherini of Irish-based EU agency Eurofound, and Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton at the Youth Guarantee conference in Liberty Hall, Dublin

Plans for Youth Guarantee scheme to be launched on Wednesday

3 Dec 2012

The European Commission is set to launch its initial plans for a Youth Guarantee scheme on Wednesday, 5 December, which would guarantee people aged 18 to 24 a job offer, apprenticeship, training or combined work and training within four months of becoming unemployed.

Ahead of this, a conference took place in Dublin’s Liberty Hall on Saturday to examine how such a scheme could be implemented in Ireland should the European Commission grant funding for a pilot scheme in Ballymun, Dublin, next year.

“No society can be vibrant, innovative and competitive if almost 30pc of its workforce is unemployed,” said Emer Costello, MEP at the conference.

“Now more than ever we must give young people hope for the future and the opportunity to play their role in developing society for the better. The core principle behind a Youth Guarantee is to identify and meet the individual needs of each unemployed young person taking part in a Youth Guarantee scheme.”

Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton, who was also present at the conference, said that building a strong Youth Guarantee framework will be at the heart of Irish efforts during Ireland’s presidency of the European Union.

“Getting European support through the ESF and other sources for this policy will be a key issue in Irish negotiations over the coming months,” said Burton.

Elaine Burke
By Elaine Burke

Elaine Burke was editor of Silicon Republic until 2023, and is now the host of For Tech’s Sake, a co-production from Silicon Republic and The HeadStuff Podcast Network. Elaine joined Silicon Republic in 2011 as a journalist covering gadgets, new media and tech jobs. She later served as managing editor before stepping up as editor in 2019. She comes from a background in publishing and is known for being particularly pernickety when it comes to spelling and grammar – earning her the nickname, Critical Red Pen.

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