With support from the Youth Guarantee scheme, many young people in Europe have managed to find a job or follow a course which gives their career a boost. This is André's story, from Portugal.

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Through the Youth Guarantee, André secured a paid traineeship as a computer technician with a company he knew and admired. He was offered a job with the company after just eight months – before he had even finished the traineeship! He has been working for his new employer for almost two years on a contract that runs until July 2016.

Three months before he started the traineeship he had registered with the scheme and took part in a follow-up meeting with his local employment office to talk about his goals and ambitions. André had studied computing and was keen to pursue a career in this growing economic sector. Now, André is engaged in the area he likes best – Information Technology – and feels fulfilled.

André came across the Youth Guarantee on the Internet when his contract of an unfulfilling job was ending. He found out more about the scheme by contacting the Institute that manages the Youth Guarantee in Portugal (Institute for Employment and Professional Training - IEFP).

Key facts

• In Portugal, the unemployment rate for people under 25 stood at 31% in December 2015.
• The Youth Guarantee promises that people under 30 should be provided with a traineeship, work experience or employment within four months of registering with the scheme.
• In Portugal, a young person can register through the Youth Guarantee website. In some circumstances, an individual can also be identified by the Youth Guarantee team, which, with the proper consent, will record their details on the website. Those in need of assistance will then be contacted via email or by phone to start the Youth Guarantee guidance process.

Background

The EU countries endorsed the principle of the Youth Guarantee in April 2013. The EU financially supports the set-up and implementation of Youth Guarantee Schemes through the European Social Fund and the Youth Employment Initiative. It also provides opportunities to learn from each other, and monitors the implementation in the context of the European Semester. The results of these efforts contribute to providing youngsters a better career future.