Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, was in Germany on 27-28 June for a series of project visits and events. The Commissioner travelled first to Bremen where he visited a European Social Fund (ESF) supported organisation for job-seekers 'Waller Beschäftigungs- und Qualifizierungsgesellschaft ('WaBeQ')' – a non-profit organisation for employment and qualification.
Commenting on his visit to WaBeQ, Commissioner Schmit said: ‘We must give everyone a chance to get into the job market - and sometimes a second chance too. The WaBeQ project, funded by the EU Social Fund, does exactly that.’
The Commissioner then travelled to Nienburg where he visited the ESF-funded youth workshops project Die Jugendwerkstatt Nienburg. The visit, along with Daniela Behrens, Lower Saxony’s Minister for social affairs, health and equality and the District Councillor Detlev Kohlmeier, highlighted the importance of ESF funding in aiding young people in gaining important job experience.
Youth Workshops
The EU is dedicated to providing young people the best possible opportunities to enter the job market – particularly for those who have not completed higher education or are disadvantaged. Youth workshops are one of the ways EU-funded projects and programmes seek to even the playing field for young workers. The projects provide disadvantaged young people under the age of 25 who have completed their compulsory schooling and are unemployed an introduction to training or employment through recognised qualification schemes – implemented through a partnered company in the private sector.
Nienburg’s ‘Youth Workshops’ are delivering on the promises of the EU’s Youth Guarantee. Participants are disadvantaged by living situation, migration, living environment, lack of school qualifications, personal handicaps and other factors. They are supported holistically through the project. Staff provide support across a variety of areas, including life and career planning, solving personal problems and conflicts, dealing with school deficits and acquiring manual and creative skills.
The workshops also give opportunities for participants to gain real-life, on-the-job work experience. Practical professional skills are imparted through ‘learning by doing’, across the fields of gardening and landscaping, social services and metal/vehicle technology.
Importance of continued funding for youth
2022 is the European Year of Youth shining a light on the importance of European youth to build a better future – greener, more inclusive and digital. But youth unemployment is an entrenched problem, one that continues to make it difficult for young people to take their first steps into a career. Though youth unemployment decreased in the EU to below pre-pandemic levels, it is still more than double the general unemployment rate. During the new funding period (2021-2027), the ESF+ will continue to support youth workshops. Projects such as the ones in Bremen and Nienburg are vital to ensuring disadvantaged youth are not left behind and get the necessary support to develop their future.
