Brussels, 12 April 2013 – A stronger emphasis on soft skills, a greater role for mentorships and the addition of entrepreneurship education to the standard curriculum are needed for Europe’s youth to succeed in 21st century jobs. Bringing entrepreneurship education inside the vocational schools classroom was also in the spotlight during the ‘Skills for the Future’ panel debate that took place on Wednesday, April 10, at the European Parliament.
The ‘Skills for the Future’ panel debate included panellists Director General of DG Employment, Koos Richelle; Deputy Director General of DG Education, Xavier Prats Monne; Senior Vice President and COO of Hyundai Motor Europe, Allan Rushforth; Head of Enterprise and Entrepreneurship of ETF, Anthony Gribben and the Chairman of JA-YE Europe and Partner at Clifford Chance, Michael Bray. The debate was moderated by Madi Sharma, Entrepreneur, UK Member, European Economic and Social Committee Employer’s Group. Together with an audience of educators the following actionable solutions were identified:
‘Skills for the Future’ – an initiative organised by Junior Achievement-Young Enterprise (JA-YE) Europe and Hyundai Motor Europe – saw two intense days of workshops where educators, policymakers and industry leaders exchanged ideas and shared best practices to bridge the skills gap.
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About Skills for the Future
Skills for the Future is organised by Junior Achievement-Young Enterprise (JA-YE) Europe in partnership with Hyundai Motor Europe. The event is a part of the broader Skills for the Future programme that aims to improve youth employability. During the 3-year initiative, 10,000 young people between the ages of 15 and 18 in 15 European countries will have the opportunity to try their hand at enterprise, learn valuable STEM skills and apply their knowledge in new ways.
About Junior Achievement-Young Enterprise Europe
JA-YE Europe (www.ja-ye.org [1]) is Europe’s largest provider of entrepreneurship education programmes, reaching 3.1 million students in 37 countries in 2012. Funded by businesses, institutions, foundations and individuals, JA-YE brings the public and private sectors together to provide young people in primary and secondary schools and early university with experiences that promote the skills, understanding and perspective that they will need to succeed in a global economy. The JA-YE Company Programme is recognised by the European Commission Enterprise Directorate General as a ‘Best Practice in Entrepreneurship Education’. JA-YE Europe is the European Regional Operating Center for JA Worldwide®
For more information please contact
Elina Konstantinou
JA-YE Europe Communications Manager
elina.konstantinou@ja-ye.org [2]
+32 2 735 9720
About Hyundai Motor Europe
The company designs, engineers and manufactures cars in Europe, specifically for European consumers. In 2012, Hyundai achieved European sales of 444.000 units, taking a new-car market share of 3,5%. Almost 95% of the vehicles Hyundai sells in the region are designed, engineered and tested in Europe. And more than 70% are built at its two local factories (Czech Republic and Turkey), including New Generation i30, which is shortlisted for Europe’s 2013 Car of the Year award. Hyundai sells cars in 28 European countries across 2.500 outlets.
Hyundai offers its unique, Europe-only, Five Year Triple Care warranty package with all new cars sold in the region, providing customers with a five-year warranty with no mileage limit, five years of roadside assistance and five years of vehicle health checks.
More information about Hyundai Motor Europe and its products is available at www.hyundai.com/eu [3]
Links:
[1] http://www.ja-ye.org
[2] mailto:elina.konstantinou@ja-ye.org
[3] http://www.hyundai.com/eu
[4] http://pr.euractiv.com/sites/default/files/pr/PRESS%20RELEASE_Skills%20for%20the%20Future%20breaks%20silos%20between%20industry%20policy%20and%20education.pdf