Youth guarantee needs to have real solutions

This week the Taoiseach will travel to Berlin to meet with EU leaders to discuss the issue of encouraging youth employment. This follows on from a number of major steps taken on youth employment under the Irish Presidency including providing a €8 billion EU fund for youth employment. This gathering is set to tackle youth unemployment and begin the implementation of the Youth Guarantee which was agreed under the Irish Presidency in February. 

The youth guarantee is a significant decision taken under the Irish Presidency and is great step forward for Ireland, however it is important that it is put into action as soon as possible. It must have real tangible proposals to address the issue of unemployment.

Once implemented, the Guarantee is set to insure that young people under the age of 25 have quality opportunities at their disposal within four months of becoming unemployed, these opportunities should include an offer of employment, continued education, an apprenticeship or a traineeship.

Ireland has spearheaded this initiative throughout its Presidency and it is encouraging that the issue is now at the top of the EU agenda. For the 5.5 million young people who are without a job it is essential we act quickly to put this guarantee in place.

Young people are the future of our economy and it is in Ireland’s long term best interests to provide young people with avenues to reap the benefits of education, work, internships or other substantial opportunities.

The Youth Guarantee is a real response to a growing problem, and I hope that Council and Member States will live up to the commitments made to make sure we cherish new talent.

Working is intrinsically linked to a person’s sense of worth and confidence, if a young person if unemployed for a long period of time this could have lasting negative effects on their life.

One in five in the labour market aged between 15 and 24 are unemployed, this shocking figure is evidence of how sorely needed this Youth guarantee is.