Continuing the Youth Guarantee

The Youth Guarantee is an initiative designed to achieve two fundamental objectives:

• helping combat youth unemployment and underemployment among those under 25 years of age;
• assisting young people in improving their skills (in a broad sense) to prepare for their (re)entry into the job market.

To make this initiative visible to young people, the goal is to:

• inform every young person under 25 who falls into the category of unqualified school leavers, within a month, about available services for assessing their situation; then guide them towards a quality job, internship, training, or resumption of studies within the next four months, including support for their social integration as a necessary step towards professional integration;
• assist every young person under 25 who registers as a jobseeker with Actiris within four months in finding a quality job, internship, training, resuming studies, and supporting their social integration if needed, as a necessary step towards professional integration.

In addition, every young person between the ages of 15 and 25 should have access to support and tools to stay in school or return to education

Shared priority

• Initiating Minister(s): Minister-President, Minister responsible for Employment
• Associated Minister(s): Ministers responsible for Education, Ministers responsible for Youth; Ministers responsible for Adult and Compulsory Education
• Partners who are part of the steering committee: Brupartners, Actiris, Bruxelles Formation, COCOF, VGC, Administrations of the French and Flemish Communities (adult education, youth, compulsory education), VDAB Brussels, Brulocalis, ESF Agency and Service, School Service of perspective.brussels, Infor Jeunes Bruxelles, D’Broej, FCJMP, Jeunes CSC, Jeunes FGTB, Jeunes CGSLB

Enhance the information, referral, and first-line advice for young people in Brussels, both quantitatively and qualitatively, to promote the transition from school to family to work (local reach of 25,000 young people per year).

Recovery and Redevelopment Plan (RHP): expand the existing network of local information and guidance platforms for young people by establishing two or three additional platforms (the first in 2020 and then two more in 2021) which facilitate easier contact with young people in underserved areas.

Continue efforts to eliminate the divisions between the services provided to enhance the efficiency and cohesion of the service delivery.

Leading authority: Infor Jeunes Bruxelles

Strengthen the guidance and offer of second-chance education so that more young people can obtain a certificate equivalent to at least upper secondary education level.

RHP: launch additional Individual Pedagogical Workshops (IPW) at Brussels Social Service Departments (OCMW) in 2021. Currently, five OCMWs organise such workshops.

Prevent and combat school absenteeism in young people aged 15 to 18.-

• RHP: Strengthen initiatives to combat early school dropout in young people aged 15 to 18 (expanded to young people under 21 in alternate education) to intensify existing initiatives for young people, particularly those pursuing vocational education, who have dropped out of school.
• This strengthening should be linked to the School Absenteeism Prevention Program coordinated by the School Service.
• Continue and develop personalised actions for and with young people in vulnerable situations to encourage them to develop a sustainable career plan.

Leading authority: School Service

Further strengthen and diversify the training offer (3,000 offers for 3,000 job seekers per year), ranging from language courses to job-oriented (qualifying) training and apprenticeships, including pedagogical aspects. RHP: Strengthen the training offer, including that tailored to young job seekers.

Leading authority: Bruxelles Formation, VDAB Brussels

Organise an offer of 2,000 quality supervised internships per year for 2,000 job seekers (On-the-Job Learning in the Company, internship at the end of qualifying training, European or international internship, First stage). These internships should be provided in both the private and public sectors, as well as in small and large companies. A joint framework will be established in line with the guidelines approved by Brupartners and the BHR.

Leading authority: Actiris, Bruxelles Formation, VDAB Brussels

Individually assist every job seeker under 25, regardless of how long they have been registered as unemployed.

Ensure 1,500 jobs (of at least 28 FTE days) per year through: the SBO-ION and SBO-JG systems; the integration contract; and filling regular job offers.

Support young people who want to start their own business or enter social or cooperative entrepreneurship.

Leading authority: Actiris, HUB (YET network)

Consider expanding the system to young people under 30 by the end of 2020, based on ongoing external evaluations and the update of the 2013 European recommendation regarding the Youth Guarantee.

Leading authority: Minister-President; Minister of Employment

• Update of the 2013 European Recommendation on the Youth Guarantee: the European Council has adopted a new recommendation titled 'Bridging to jobs – Strengthening the Youth Guarantee.' The primary goal is to better support youth employment throughout the EU, especially given the rapid rise in youth unemployment and the number of young people not in employment, education, or training (NEETs) in these COVID-19 times.
• The new Youth Guarantee confirms that EU member states want to ensure, through national arrangements, that young people can find a job, education, internship, or apprenticeship within 4 months after becoming unemployed or leaving regular education. Additionally, the age limit for the target group has been extended from 25 to 29 years, with more inclusion of vulnerable groups, such as NEETs, young women, and people with disabilities.
• The Youth Guarantee is implemented through supporting measures, considering the following guidelines:
  • Identification: mapping target groups, available services, required skills, and young people at risk of becoming NEETs
  • Outreach: targeted awareness campaigns among young people and focusing on NEETs
  • Preparation: improved profiling to align needs and solutions, advice and guidance, and improving digital and other essential skills
  • Offering: employment incentives, quality and equality, and post-placement support.