Resources

Under the Digital Decade commitment, the European Union aims for 80% of the population aged 16-74 to have at least basic digital skills by 2030. Not least highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, there are a number of deficiencies to improve the digital readiness of education and training systems in terms of resilience, accessibility, high-quality provision and inclusiveness.

This report summarises the state of play of European Social Fund (ESF) implementation in 2022 and with it sheds light on use of the Youth Employment Initiative, the financing tool behind the European Youth Guarantee.

During the past three decades, EU Cohesion Policy has played a pivotal role in fostering economic and social convergence across Europe, not least in view of the 2004 enlargement. Today, socio-economic disparities persist and a growing number of regions across Europe are facing new challenges. This report takes stock of achievements of EU Cohesion Policy but also look into ways it can be adapted to meet emerging challenges. 

This European Commission report reveals how the EU’s cohesion funds, namely  the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), as well as the Just Transition Fund (JTF) are investing in skills development. This overview report breaks down the share of planned funding for education, training, and skills, across relevant investment priorities, programmes, and Member States. 

There is a number of evidence suggesting that the labour market situation of Portuguese young people has improved in recent years: Unemployment rates have decreased, with long-term unemployment seeing a marked decline during the Youth Guarantee's implementation period. 

This report starts on the premise that the global labour market outlook for young people has improved over the last four years. However, the report warns that the number of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) remains concerning. 

This systematic review examines the factors contributing to youth becoming not in education, employment, or training (NEET). 

In the framework of the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan, the Commission proposes three EU headline targets to be achieved by the end of 2030 in the areas of employment, skills, and social protection. 

The European Commission’s 2024 Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) report provides a complete picture on EU labour market trends over the last year. Focusing on key topics such as boosting employment, social inclusion, competitiveness and economic growth, the report also sheds light on the topic of NEETs and early leaving from VET. 

This paper explores how different subgroups of young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) are conditioned by institutional configurations across 26 European countries. 

This paper furthers a better understanding of the group of NEETs. It investigates whether young people not in employment, education or training identify with the common label of NEETs, despite difference in terms of key characteristics such as educational levels, gender and/or age. 

This publication focuses on the topics of young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) in a rural setting, this edition brings together a number of articles dealing with this complex social challenge. Next to the economic dimension of the NEET issue, the authors investigate regional and partly bottom-up approaches involving local actors and their target populations.