European Union must improve young people’s qualification!

According to Barbara Fabian, expert for the European Union's (EU) education policy at the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), one of the reasons for the lack of perspective on part of many British young people lies in the absence of a good vocational training system in the United Kingdom.

The British education system with its poorly equipped schools and its "semi-skilled qualification" instead of a well-founded vocational training was not designed to provide a solid occupational education for the larger part of young people, says Fabian.

"The EU's challenge is to improve the qualification and employment situation of young people and to meet the demands from businesses and the market", the education expert states. This was the only way to provide employment perspectives for young people.

She named the dual vocational training system in Germany as a good example. It provided many advantages that this system allowed young people to learn both within the businesses and at a vocational school. The businesses were able to train their own specialist staff and get to know them well before hiring them permanently. The young people already earned money and had a clear view of their future perspectives. The education expert expressed her regret, that such a practice-oriented vocational training including good professional career perspectives was not prevalent amongst the European countries.

The system in the United Kingdom fails to function even more severely, if the employment market offers less and less jobs due to the financial crisis. Then the young people can neither learn, nor find temporary employment, says Fabian.