Youth unemployment has been a problem in recent years and a new measure drafted by the labour and education ministries is aimed at guaranteeing that those 25 years-old or younger have guaranteed access to higher education, vocational preparation and/or internships within four months of losing a job or finishing school.
The measure was acknowledged by the government on February 5 as part of a nation-wide implementation programme called “Guarantees for the Young in Slovakia”. The proposal counts on financial resources of €72.2 million from EU funds – from the Youth Employment Initiative. Approximately the same amount will also be allocated to the programme from the European Social Fund, the TASR newswire wrote.
The ministries want to use the financial resources for counselling services within vocation and job selection, practical education and preparation for the labour market, practice for those completing education and demand-oriented projects.
The proposal foresees a deadline of four months for the labour offices to offer a job, a re-qualification or some kind of training to youths.
The biggest Slovak job website Profesia.sk Ivana Molnárová considers the measures too vague. She told the Sme daily that the best solution would be if the state covered the companies’ costs of training new young staffers.
(Source: TASR, Sme)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
