On July 15, we celebrated the World Youth Skills Day. According to Eurostat data from 2017, 38 million people aged 18-24 live in the European Union. On average 10.6% of young people completed their education prematurely. The highest rate of such people can be observed in Malta (18.6%); on the other side of the scale, there is Croatia with 3.1%, in Poland it was 5%. In the era we live in, which is marked by multiple changes, the implementation of innovations and the constant increase of incertitude of the labor market, an extremely important challenge is to not only ensure the inclusiveness of the labor market but also to prevent premature completion of the education.
Young people are almost three times more likely to be unemployed than adults. Young people are constantly exposed to lower quality jobs and greater inequalities in the labor market (under-employment, fixed-term contracts and under-wage).
This data clearly shows how important it is to develop systemic solutions for education and the labor market. In the era of digitization, the implementation of industry 4.0 the Internet of Things, education and training are extraordinarily important because they will provide young people with a set of skills that will become the key to the future labor market.
That is why we have decided that the slogan of this year's Economic Forum of Young Leaders will be “Future Skills for Future Leaders” The subject matter of the meetings and debates will focus on the following areas such as: education and how innovative the young generation is, new technologies in information, communication and culture, business – new digital skills and tools, leadership – new opportunities and skills, education in the contemporary labor market and the role of young people in the construction of the future of Europe.
During our Forum, taking place in Nowy Sącz and Krynica Zdrój from 2nd to 6th September current year. Young participants will have the opportunity to participate in networking sessions, workshops devoted to the development of practical skills, discussion panels and meetings with experts. The participants will also be able to collaborate in the creation of the Forum and gain experience in the field of self-presentation and public speaking by moderating expert panels with the representatives of the world of politics, business and NGOs.
We wish to actively participate in the process of shaping solutions for young people sharing experiences and good practices with others, so in consequence young people full of new and valuable experiences, necessary contacts and friendships will enter the modern labor market and effectively develop their careers.
Mariusz Bednarz
Source: Eurostat 2017
