Startup Europe Awards

The Finnova Foundation reiterates its commitment to young Europeans with the event “Next Talent Generation EU: COVID 19 Challenge, training in European Affairs for young people abroad”

 

Next Talent Generation EU

  • This webinar was a follow-up to the event “Youth mobility: the role of municipalities and provinces in youth training mobility“, held during the European Week for Vocational Training

  • One of the challenges of the initiative has been to focus special attention on young Europeans who are already in an EU Member State different from their own due to their particularly vulnerable situation

  • Thanks to the Finnova Foundation, more than 400 young people have been able to improve their professional skills and receive training in European Affairs benefiting from European funds

  • During the event, various speakers specialised in this sector intervened, among them Romy Karier, from the Committee of the Regions’ Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research and Culture, and Andrés Muñoz, Coordinator of the Eurodisea Programme

Brussels, 18/12/2020– On the occasion of its 10th anniversary, the Finnova Foundation has reaffirmed its commitment to young Europeans through the event “Next Talent Generation EU: COVID Challenge 19, training in European Affairs for young people abroad“. Under this theme, the webinar addressed the challenges that the current crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic poses to the normal course of European mobility programmes, which are so beneficial for the education and training of young professionals. The role of these projects as channels through which young European students and recent graduates achieve better integration into the labour market is unquestionable. Therefore, the Finnova Foundation has made it clear how necessary it is to bring this issue to the agenda in order to discuss the challenges and opportunities that the current situation presents in this field.

 

During the online conference it was highlighted that, in the framework of the European Week of Vocational Skills, launched by the European Commission from 9 to 13 November, the Finnova Foundation held the webinar “Youth mobility: the role of municipalities and provinces in youth training mobility“, where this issue was raised. Thanks to the success of the programme and given the relevance of the issue, this second webinar was held, the aim of which is to focus particular attention on young Europeans who are already in an EU Member State different from their own due to their particularly vulnerable situation.

There are currently 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 15 and 35 in the world, the largest population in history. Due to the health crisis, 25 million jobs are expected to be lost, with this third of the world’s population being the most vulnerable and economically affected. In particular, countries like Spain have not taken advantage of the 14 billion euros of European funds from 2014-2020 aimed at social integration and work for young people under 30 within the Youth Guarantee System, making it the worst EU country to absorb these funds.

Due to the aforementioned, the Finnova Foundation has made it clear during the virtual event that, in response to the exceptional situation we are facing, solutions must be implemented so that young Europeans who are in another EU country can continue to receive quality training and develop their potential, which is so necessary in our society. Young talent is needed: dedicated people who are well aware of the EU institutional framework and the possibilities offered by the EU in many areas. The response to the crisis must be a better knowledge of European policies, legislation and values; in short, more Europe.

This is why the Finnova Foundation has trained more than 400 young people in European Affairs for the last ten years, and today, with even greater reason, it places emphasis on international training programmes that would facilitate their incorporation into the labour market. They provide mentored internships in European funding systems and in the presentation of projects, which include European Commission programmes such as LIFE (focused on climate change).

Among other programmes, it is worth underlining the implementation of the Next Generation recovery funds, agreed in July of this year. Next Generation EU (NGEU), the recovery fund designed by the EU to deal with the crisis caused by the pandemic, is a Marshall Plan made in Europe with a budget of €750 billion. This programme is the strongest demonstration of pan-European solidarity in the history of the Union. To ensure the resources needed for its implementation, and on an exceptional basis, the Commission will issue bonds on the international financial markets on behalf of the EU. The money resulting from this plan will thus be used to provide transfers (390 billion) and credits (360 billion) to the Member States.

In this way, the event “Next Talent Generation EU: COVID 19 Challenge, training in European Affairs for young people abroad” sought to bring together the views and contributions of representatives of public administrations, those responsible for youth matters, training in European Affairs and professionals in charge of mobility programmes so that they could meet and share their proposals, experiences and good practices.

  • If you did not attend the “Next Talent Generation EU” webinar, you can watch it by clicking on this link.

Following this objective, the webinar consisted of four parts: Opening; Block 1 – Mobility and training challenges in the era of COVID 19 and the EU economic recovery programmes 2021-2027; Block 2 – The vision of the different European mobility programmes and how to face the new normal; Block 3 – Success stories and personal experiences.

Among the attendees who participated, it is worth mentioning the presence of personalities with extensive experience in the field of youth mobility such as Juanma Revuelta, Director of the Finnova Foundation or Alberto Navarro, Head of Training and Employment of the Finnova Foundation, both moderators of the virtual conference.

In addition, there were presentations from speakers such as Sara Corres Armendáriz, Deputy Director General of Legal System of the Spanish Government’s Directorate General for Migration, who stated that “Over the last few years, important steps have been taken towards the consolidation of a European labour market” and César Plá, Head of Service of the Public Function Department of the Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Union, who, in relation to the current pandemic situation, highlighted that “Despite the current situation, employment expectations in the European institutions will return, along with windows of employment opportunities for young people“. Among other participants, it is also worth highlighting the participation of David Lafuente Durán, Deputy Director General of the Spanish Youth Institute (INJUVE), as he indicated that “At INJUVE we manage two fundamental programmes: Erasmus + and the European Solidarity Corps Programme, both of which seek the mobility of young people“.

The event was closed with the launch of the Next Talent Generation EU website, which was designed to create a European alliance bringing together a variety of organisations (non-profit organisations, companies, universities, European institutions, national administrative authorities, etc.). The idea is that this network of entities shares experiences and provide solutions within the possibilities of each one of them to welcome and promote young talent.

Today, political and social responsibility on the part of young people is more than ever a necessity where dialogue is the main protagonist. Therefore, within the European context, the creation of awareness and sensitisation of the civil population, especially young Eurosceptics, is promoted, encouraging strategic commitment to the media, thus helping to make the voice of the citizens heard beyond the votes. In fact, according to official data from a Eurobarometer survey, youth participation has increased by 50% more than in 2014, when only 28% participated.

From the Finnova Foundation, the enrichment of these practices becomes a reality thanks to the participation and innovation created during the search for new social projects. All of this is made possible by people who are willing to contribute to the creation of better formulated and more sustainable policies, thus achieving a joint collaboration that defends the importance of international cooperation.

At Finnova we currently offer the possibility of training stays in all EU countries through the National Youth Guarantee System Programme with the aim of promoting transnational mobility and improving the level of employability. If you have any doubts, you can request information on the website.

 

About the Finnova Foundation

European Foundation for the Financing of Innovation. It is a European foundation based in Brussels whose objectives are to promote public-private cooperation through innovation to address social challenges such as employment, training, entrepreneurship, UN SDGs, the circular economy, etc. Finnova organises the Startup Europe Awards, an initiative of the European Commission and the Finnova Foundation, to recognise the best European startups in the social field. http://finnova.eu/