Five characteristics of youth unemployment in Europe

Current levels of youth unemployment need to be understood in the context of increased labor market flexibility, an expansion of higher education, youth migration, and family legacies of long-term unemployment. Compared with previous recessions, European-wide policies and investments have significantly increased with attempts to support national policies. By mapping these developments and debates, we illustrate the different factors shaping the future of European labor markets. We argue that understanding youth unemployment requires a holistic approach that combines an analysis of changes in the economic sphere around labor market flexibility, skills attainment, and employer demand, as well as understanding the impact of family legacies affecting increasingly polarized trajectories for young people today. The success of EU policy initiatives and investments will be shaped by the ability of national actors to implement these effectively

To engage or not to engage : what can the national VET system offer enterprises?

One of the challenges facing industry in Australia is finding the best way to harness the opportunities offered by the national vocational education and training (VET) system. The VET system with its network of registered training organisations, and infrastructure of Training Packages and the VET Quality Framework, has the potential to assist organisations to develop approaches to training that are truly national in scope and focus. However there are significant barriers to realising this goal. This chapter outlines the architecture of the VET system, and then analyses the issues and challenges that industry faces in its efforts to work with the national training system, and the strategies and practices industry uses in addressing them to meet workforce development needs