The Employment Launch Pad programme was presented as an innovative measure against youth unemployment in Spain.

Last week, an event titled “Tackling Youth Employability through Innovative Projects” was held in Brussels. Sponsored by the European Commission, the connecting element of the event were initiatives that, financed by the European Social Fund, have proved their capability to combat youth unemployment.

On this occasion, the EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, Marianne Thyssen, opened the event, which brought together representatives of European institutions, the private sector, and civil society to address the challenges and possible innovative solutions aimed at promoting youth employment.

A Spanish delegation consisting of the Telefónica Foundation and the Santa María la Real Foundation went to Brussels. Both introduced their Employment Launch Pads as examples of success and innovation to combat youth unemployment in Spain. When their turn came, they explained how the programme worked: teams of unemployed people are formed and, under the guidance of an expert, spend five months in intensive training to enable them to recover their motivation and change their attitude towards finding jobs, while also strengthening cross-cutting skills, learning new digital tools, contacting companies, extending professional networks, and improving their level of employability.

After these presentations, a European level discussion panel took place to try to mitigate the situation of so many unemployed young Europeans.