Youth & the European Financial Crisis

"From the School Bench to the Labour Market"

(German Parliament, Panel Discussion, August 22nd, 2012)

Youth & the European Financial Crisis

"From the School Bench to the Labour Market"

(German Parliament, Panel Discussion, August 22nd, 2012)
The panel discussion will take place from 17:00-19:00 on August 22nd in the German Parliament in Berlin and will be moderated by Mark Donfried. The audience consists of a diverse group of students, graduates, young professionals and academics.

Discussion Themes:

The following discussion themes will be addressed in the course of the discussion:

The European Labour Market: discrimination (gender & origin), employability, and mobility - an examination of the above variables in terms of access to job opportunities.

Student Immigration: A movement from the periphery towards the centre: an examination of the positive and the negative aspects of the inflow of students to European countries and the young graduates’ settlement.  Are foreign students (EU and non-EU) overlooked by employers in favour of home students (discrimination?). Rise of nationalism?

Graduate Unemployment: Demand for jobs overwhelms the supply. Graduates settling for lower skilled jobs or remaining unemployed (wasted skill-set).What is the private sector/government/education sector doing to help ease the problem?

Budget Cuts in Education: The effects of austerity measures on the quality of education and opportunities for young people in an already crisis-struck environment.

Vocational Training: Reinventing professional training.

Integration through Education: Reducing the integration gaps in immigrant communities in Europe.