EU Affairs Committee calls for enhanced Youth Guarantee scheme

The Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Union Affairs this morning called for the European Commission, Council and Parliament to increase the total available funds for the Youth Guarantee.

4 July 2013

At last week’s European Council summit, it was agreed to earmark €8 billion for the scheme in the six countries worst effected by youth unemployment. However, the Committee believes that the scheme as outlined is insufficient to deal with the scale of the Europe’s youth unemployment crisis.

The recommendation forms part of the Committee’s ‘Guaranteeing our Future: Report on the need for a Youth Guarantee’, which was launched in Leinster House this morning. Other recommendations include:

• That the Irish Government should design, fund and implement a Youth Guarantee scheme as a matter of urgency and that this process involve a wide range of opinion including Government departments, employment services, educational and training bodies, employers, youth services, youth advocacy organisations and young people;
• That the scheme should in particular focus its attention on the long term youth unemployed, those with low skills levels and those not currently engaging with employment services or formal training and education, and
• That the scheme should be based on international best practice and learn from both the positives and negatives in existing national Youth Guarantee schemes. Examples such as the Swedish Youth Guarantee which costs approximately €6,600 per participant, should be considered.

The need for on-going monitoring and evaluation of such a scheme was highlighted. The Committee also believes that the next Government Action Plan on Jobs should include a dedicated section on the issue of youth unemployment including the details of a state wide youth guarantee scheme.

Committee Chair Dominic Hannigan says: “Youth Unemployment is one of the biggest challenges facing the European Union today. As the proposal for a Youth Guarantee was initiated by the European Commission and agreed to by Council, the European Affairs Committee felt it appropriate to consider this issue. As the experience of a significant number of other EU member states shows, Youth Guarantees can play an important part in addressing youth unemployment. If properly focused and resourced they can also have a positive impact in reducing the number of young people not in employment, education or training. On behalf of Committee Members, I wish to acknowledge the work of Senator Kathryn Reilly as report Rapporteur, as well as all those organisations that contributed to this valuable report.”

Report Rapporteur Senator Kathryn Reilly says: “This report makes a number of practical recommendations for policy makers both on a pan-European level and within Ireland on how an effective, meaningful and robust Youth Guarantee can be realised. On its own a Youth Guarantee will not address the growing percentage of under 25s unable to find work, not in education or training or disengaged from employment services. However, a high quality scheme that receives adequate investment, is accessible to all, targets those in greatest need and works in the interests of young people can help address youth unemployment and in turn boost social and economic recovery. The report outlines the practical steps required for an intervention that could improve the opportunities and quality of life for a very large number of young people.

Download report: Guaranteeing our Future: a report on the need for a Youth Guarantee.

Access video clip of Senator Reilly introducing the report.

Media enquiries to:

Paul Hand,
Communications Unit,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 4484
M: +353 87 694 9926

Committee Membership
Deputies
Dominic Hannigan, TD (Chairman)
Paschal Donohoe, TD (Vice-Chairman)
Eric Byrne, TD
Seán Crowe, TD
Timmy Dooley, TD
Bernard J Durkan, TD
John Halligan, TD
Seán Kyne, TD
Joe O’Reilly, TD

Senators
Colm Burke,
Fidelma Healy Eames,
James Heffernan,
Terry Leyden,
Kathryn Reilly