At the beginning of April 2010, the OCD published a new study in which the organisation warns that, due to the current financial crisis, the chances of young people on the labour market would be drastically decreasing considerably.
The OECD even speaks about a lost generation, because the blocked way into the job market will also lead to considerable long-term consequences.
As surveys of former economic crises have already shown that youth unemployment often leads to long-term unemployment and much lower incomes later in life. Although the chances of young people in Germany are still relatively good, the situation elsewhere in Europe is desolate. Nearly 15 million young people in Europe are unemployed; in France and Italy for example 25 % of young adults neither have a job nor an apprenticeship. In Spain youth unemployment has even risen up to 40 %. In addition to that in more than 2 /3 of the OECD states young school leavers are not entitled to unemployment benefits. In France, Luxemburg and Spain you have to be at least 23 years old.
In Germany in the near future they will have regulations, that each youth how applies for state benefits has to have either an apprenticeship, is forced to finish school, vocational training, or has to fight other problems, for example drug addiction. The aim is to prevent young people to becoming used to be unemployed. Although those “duties” are in a way positive, it is also evident, that due to the global crises the chances of labour policies for low skilled people will be in future even more limited than in the past.
The internationalisation and globalisation of training and labour markets can not be reversed; the question is more the consequences for the people affected by it.
Educational policy within the framework of the Lissabon strategy contains three main goals which should have been reached by 2010:
the improvement of the quality and efficiency of the EU educational – systems
guaranty of education for everyone
the global opening of the European educational systems.
Until 201o the 27 EU member states should have reached the following five benchmarks:
The amount of 15-year olds with significant reading deficits should be reduced by at least 20 %.
The amount of school dropouts is supposed to be reduced to not more than 10 %
At least 85 % of 22-year olds should have finished secondary education.
The amount of university degrees in maths, natural science and technology should be increased by at least 15 % and amount of female students in the about mentioned subjects shall be increased as well.
At least 12,5 % of the EU citizens are supposed to do life long learning.
The fact is that at the moment only very few member states have already reached goals by now. Only Finland and Sweden have been considerably successful.
It is obvious that - the current educational systems as well as for non academic-trained and for academically trained young people and the demographic development in Germany and other EU countries are facing gigantic challenges. Educational policy is not at all a national task anymore. – PISA
What is more it would be careless to ignore that state and public resources are limited and under further strain.
It is a nearly Herculean task to prevent the following generations from those beaded perspectives within increasingly desecrations society – maybe it is possible to alleviate the problems.
Social political and educational offers for the current risk groups are optional. The tragedy of poor education even allows the right to ignorance, low qualification and rejection of self-discipline and the right to any kind of welfare.
If you try find – against cynical, neo-liberal and cultural pessimist perspectives – which educational and social political opportunities might work in the increasingly fierce of fight against blithe of large parts of a whole generation. At first you encounter a seemingly banal task, namely to reach a heterogeneous clientele, where they stand.
In connection with this it is necessary to work on learning processes, training courses, modules, and other ways of schooling with the aim to reach the next possible degree and at the same time opens the chances to reach other further aims (degrees). Subject based, ongoing counselling is also necessary….
Education is not only about providing the necessary highly qualified workforce but is a good protection against unemployment. In edition to that it is although a basis for social integration. The best possible education for all people is an elementary instrument to enable all people who live in Europe and will live in Europe now and in the future to an equal share of income and lifestyle.
All this requires information and knowledge about the given educational opportunities within the European community not only concerning the universities but especially concerning the branches of vocational and professional related school qualification.
In this context the EU introduced in 2009 a new strategic framework for the European cooperation on the field of general and vocational education und the title “education and training 2020”.
Let’s ask in form of a “future-workshop-company” what a young adult in 2010 needs in order to live a reasonably independent life. What he should take with him to work in Europe and who he acquires the necessary knowledge ore qualification. More than on solution is possible.
As a special ICT project the AIR project team of Westfalen-Kolleg in Dortmund/Germany tried successfully to photograph the International Space Station (ISS) in front of the sun.
