A recent Opinion Paper by the PES Network highlights the key role of public employment services in delivering the Youth Guarantee and provides practical suggestions for reinforcing this approach.

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The paper highlights the major role of PES in implementing the Youth Guarantee (YG), which commits Member States to providing young people with a ‘good quality offer’ of employment, continued education, apprenticeship or traineeship within four months.

PES provide valuable services that serve to implement the YG, and in many cases have overall responsibility for coordinating their country’s scheme.

On the basis of the shared experience of its members, the PES Network highlights that, for specific vulnerable target groups, a longer activation period and more preparatory support can lead to better labour market outcomes.

Moreover, the Network recommends extending the upper age limit from 24 to 29, reinforcing the role of the formal education sector in providing essential skills, and establishing broader partnerships to meet the diverse needs of young people not in education, employment or training.

The Network also calls for a political and financial commitment that allows PES across Europe to successfully implement a reinforced Youth Guarantee.

The Opinion Paper was offered as a contribution to the European Commission’s reflections on reinforcing the YG. The Youth Guarantee remains an important focus of the EU agenda and proposals for the new REACT-EU initiative include the use of Cohesion Policy programmes to support youth employment measures.