The European Union and the Youth

As a result of the fact that educational-, youth- and cultural policies belong to the national policies, the harmonization of the member states’ regulations is impossible. The European Committee has the right to make proposals on certain topics, then the European Council and the Parliament make recommendations and set goals that replies to social problems. The legal foundation of the European Union Youth policy is based on Article 165 and 166 of the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union. It represents the main goal of Youth Policy, which is to create programs that enhance the participation of the young generation in social engagement.

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Another perspective of the core values of the European Union is a balanced mix of human rights, solidarity, the rule of law, democracy, economic growth, cultural variety, traditions and progress. In order to meet these values and to increase the presence of young generations in the field of social engagement, the member states have established the so-called Strategic Cooperation Framework in 2001. The Youth Policy of the European Union has four main principles which are the following:

information, participation, volunteering and understanding the situation of the young generations. The European Union Youth Strategy has been established to support and to develop the four basic and fundamental elements previously mentioned. It focuses on eleven specific European Youth Goals (European Commission, 2018) that were created by collecting voices from young people and is relevant for the 2019-2027 period:

1. Connecting EU with Youth 2. Equality of All Genders 3. Inclusive Societies

4. Information & Constructive Dialogue 5. Mental Health & Wellbeing

6. Moving Rural Youth Forward

7. Quality Employment for All 8. Quality Learning

9. Space and Participation for All 10. Sustainable Green Europe

11. Youth Organizations & European Programmes

In this research the main focus will be the seventh and the eighth points which are: quality employment for All and quality learning (European Youth Goals, 2018).

2.1. Quality Employment for All

First of all, the ‘quality employment for All’ goal is based on the fact that the young generation’s education system is still based on the old methodologies, topics and the thematic does not focus on the skills that are currently necessary in the labour market. Nowadays suitable professional skills, such as language skills, leadership, entrepreneurship, communication, flexibility, managing own career path are inevitable when it comes to a job interview as many people have at least one diploma. The labour market is full of overqualified professionals who are lack of real-life experience and professional job-related skills (Kardos and Vilimi, 2014). Workplaces need to ensure that all young employees have the chance to gain practical experience in order to support the professional shift from the educational system to the actual labour market. Based on Moxon and Barta (2018) young job-seekers need access to information about the labour market such as to career centres, companies and career counselling as they cannot keep up with the new trends, positions and expectations (Dorkó, 2015). Through the European Youth Strategy programs students must be prepared to participate in internships, learning programs, volunteering and non-formal education as they create the opportunities to gain quality professional skills. Afterwards these skills build on the basis of recognition and validation of the holder of the relevant position. Last but not least, workplaces and the European Union (through the European Youth Strategy) must provide equal access to quality information and proper supporting systems to prepare young jobseekers and employees for the expectations of the changing labour market (Youth Conference - Quality Employment 2018).

Figure 1: Priorities for Young People in the Area of Work Preparation (Moxon and Barta, 2018)

165 2.2. Quality Learning

Second of all, goal of quality learning is based on the fact that the current education system must be changed in the sense of teaching relevant technical competencies for the students so they will be more prepared for the future labour market and gain useful practical skills, such as critical thinking or conflict management which will be inevitable in everyday work-life. Students, young jobseekers and employees think that educational thematic should reflect on the necessary job-related skills and competencies more by creating an environment where students have the chance to be creative, independent and to experience working conditions before the real workplace. Transferable skills and student-centeredness must be the key elements of reforming the educational systems so the European Union will be able to achieve truly equal access to quality learning. Professional soft skills are essential such as open-mindedness, interpersonal and intercultural skills which must be taught and developed constantly.

Create and implement more personalized, participative, and cooperative learner-centric methods in every step of the education process. Students should connect with organizations, companies and other institutions where they can experience the real working culture. They must be committed to have the equal opportunity to participate in volunteering, international exchange and extracurricular activities (Youth Conference – Quality Learning 2018).

Figure 2: Priorities for Young People in the Area of Education (Moxon and Barta, 2018) 3. Labor market and the different mobility programs

Nowadays, young jobseekers face a lot of challenges and one of them is finding a job and entering the labour market. On the one hand, many young people study at universities so the learning period takes more time and they are not able to work while studying. On the other hand, companies prefer fresh graduates with actual professional experience.

Based on the findings of the ERASMUS+ Impact study (European Commission, 2014) delivered by the European Commission and with the assistance of independent experts, students who have received any types of ERASMUS+ scholarships are in a better position by 50% on the labour market than those who have never participated in any exchange programs abroad. They are also more likely to be able to meet the requirements of the labour market and they have better job and career opportunities too (Aktan, Sari and Kaymak, 2010).

The Youth Guarantee Program tries to provide a financial solution for the situation described above (in the first paragraph) by providing the opportunity to participate in further educational programs. In other cases, the program offers solutions to start over after the graduation or after termination by professionally supporting their job-seeking process.

The ERASMUS+ mobility program ahead of the problem of unemployment is aimed at helping students before their graduation to gain professional experience, skills and competencies. Based on The Professional Value of ERASMUS+ Mobility survey (European Commission - Janson, Schomburg and Teichler, 2009) shows that students who have participated in the ERASMUS+ mobility program, are more likely to receive a job offer sooner than their classmates (who did not gain international experience). They also tend to receive a better offer with a higher salary and to find the right position sooner. Many employers, academic teachers and professionals conclude that students who have participated in any mobility programs, are higher qualified and more experienced than those who have not gained experience abroad (Cushner and Mahon 2002).

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ERASMUS+ has been shaped several times since the creation of the mobility program and today it offers different opportunities for different applicants. In the next paragraphs the different mobility programs that are available in Hungary will be demonstrated by different levels (starting with the high school, continuing with the university and finishing with the internships) (Európai Bizottság, 2014).

I. Opportunities for high school students

Students, who are not 18 years old yet, are already able to gain educational and professional experience abroad for a short period of time (usually 1-2 weeks). Schools have the chance to participate in international collaborations with other educational institutions so they can organize project works for students. They provide the opportunity for students to travel, to experience group work, to network, to practice languages and to try themselves individually (Európai Bizottság, 2009).

Another ERASMUS+ mobility opportunity for undergraduate students is the Youth Exchange Program, which is organized by non-governmental but non-profit organizations. The thematic is similar to the previous one, students work together on a specific project and they can meet other students with other nationalities for 1-2 weeks.

High school students even have the opportunity to gain professional experience at a given company, institution or organization for a couple of weeks abroad in case their schools have applied for this specific ERASMUS+ mobility program. This program is very popular in vocational schools as their curriculum includes practical experience and by this program, they are able to fulfil these requirements abroad. In this case, a mentor is responsible for the students from their arrival until their leave and this person helps the students along their stay (Erasmus+ diákoknak leporello, 2019).

Another program which is based on the high school application is the so-called Long-term Student Mobility Strategic Partnerships for Education. This program provides the opportunity for students to live abroad for at least two months or for a maximum of one year, so their travel and living costs are supported by the national government.

As it was highlighted in the introduction section, enhancing social engagement and volunteering are the key elements of the European Union’s mobility programs. This is why the European Solidarity Corps is organizing a charity work for students who are already 18 years old and would like to experience volunteering. Students can choose from various institutions from animal protection-related organizations to nursery schools. Travel, accommodation, meals, everyday expenses and insurance are all included in the financial support (Cairns, 2017).

II. Opportunities for university students

Probably the learning ERASMUS+ program is the most widely known activity among the university students in Europe. The goal of the program is to provide the opportunity for university students to gain cultural, language and educational experience at universities which are located in other member states of the European Union. It lasts from a minimum of 3 months to a maximum of 12 months and aims to develop the personal and educational skills of the relevant applicants.

The other opportunity for university students is the ERASMUS+ internship which lasts for 2 or 12 months. This can be combined with the previously mentioned learning program or can be fulfilled individually. It means that students can work at a small business, multinational company or non-profit organization (except national and European Union institutions) in order to gain professional work experience abroad. They are able to gain professional and necessary job-related skills and to understand other countries’ economy, social aspects and cultural features (Csernovitz and Szegedi, 2012).

III. Opportunities for fresh graduates

Fortunately, fresh graduates can participate in the ERASMUS+ internship however their applications must be submitted during their last semester. Otherwise the same conditions apply for them as for the non-fresh-graduate students.

3.1. Comparison of different mobility programs and the accessible competencies

ERASMUS+ was created as a result of a massive merge of different mobility and experience-gaining programs. It is based on the fundamental elements of youth, education and international co-operational dimensions. The following programs are the ancestors of the global mobility ERASMUS+ program:

1. ERASMUS Individual part-time learning program and internship (higher education)

167 2. ERASMUS Educational mobility (only for teachers) 3. ERASMUS Mundus Common Master trainings 4. European Voluntary Service

5. Youth in Action (Informal learning) 6. Comenius (Public education)

7. Leonardo da Vinci (Professional training) 8. Jean Monnet (European Union-related trainings) 9. Grundtvig (Training for adults)

10. Sport activities

This shows that the previously various programs have been merged as one mobility institution and similar goals have been set for the three main levels of the ERASMUS+ program. This ‘umbrella’

institution (the ERASMUS+ mobility program) reflects on the targets of the Europe 2020 Strategy, more precisely the participants gain relevant professional job-related experience that they will be able to use in the actual labour market so sustainable and adaptive growth can be measured. Another common goal of the currently existing mobility programs is the maintenance and modernization of education and employment. New methods and equipments are used such as digital learning tools and flexible learning programs. Based on the official statement of the European Committee all of the ERASMUS+ mobility programs are more and more popular among the students: in the last 30 years already 9 million participants were registered whilst at the very beginning only 32000 and 94% of them concluded that the project was useful, so it was positively effective in their professional career. Currently 33 official member states accept students from other European Union countries completed with for example Lichtenstein, Iceland and Turkey (Európai Bizottság, 2017).

ERAMUS + mobility program 5. European Solidarity Corps – charity

work

X

6. Learning ERASMUS+ X

7. Internship X

Table 1: Comparison of the skills that students can gain during the different mobility programs

Table 1 shows a comparison of different mobility programs grouped by the different types of competences that students can gain during their time spent abroad. As it is showed, the fundamental elements of the comparison are the soft, the professional (or hard) and both types of skills. Soft skills such as communication, teamwork, cooperativeness, innovative-, creative- and strategic way of thinking are inevitable already during a job interview and later on during the actual workdays and project works too. Already the fact that students need to use another language on a daily basis rather than their mother-tongue, extremely enhances the level of their language knowledge and the level of their confidence, as they are improving themselves by practicing that chosen language day by day. Also, their problem-solving competences are highly experimented and improved by facing situations when the students must thrive alone. Problems and situations will appear that must be solved by themselves without any physical help of their families, friends or teachers. The programs, besides the language skills, enhance some types of personal skills too, such as tolerance, self-esteem, problem-solving, curiosity, decisiveness, awareness of ones’ own strengths and weaknesses (Európai Bizottság, 2014).

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Referring to the research about the hidden competences (Centre for International Mobility survey 2014 – Figure 3) many necessary skills that could have been acquired through mobility programs abroad are not highlighted during the theoretical part of the different levels of the (secondary and university) studies despite of the fact that these are necessary assets on the labour market. International mobility programs provide the opportunity for students to develop and improve the previously referred competences that the employers are actually seeking during the job interviews (such as tolerance, individuality or language skills). For students participating in any kind of international mobility programs are an effective way of developing themselves personally and professionally while improving their employability (Kocs, 2015).

Figure 3: Competences developed through international experiences (CIMO 2014)

It is clear that learning-related programs (International collaboration, Youth Exchange and Learning ERASMUS+) are highly supporting the improvement of soft skills however it does not mean that in the meantime students cannot gain hard skills too. Projects and group works can also effectively challenge students by taking examples from their academic and practical studies so that they can develop the necessary skills by working together (Vörös, 2015).

Many professions require practical experience before students complete their studies. ERASMUS+

Mobility, European Solidarity Corps – charity work and Internship programs tend to fulfil the students’

needs by providing them the opportunity to gain professional experience abroad while meeting their studies’ requirements too (Bryła, 2015). Charity works level up these professional experience gaining periods by offering the opportunity to give back something to the society, to support regions and the people who need it the most. As one the goal of the European Youth Strategy mobility program is to

‘Moving Rural Youth Forward’, charity and social works are highly supported and developed by the mobility (especially by the ERASMUS+) programs in the 2019-2027 period Arevalo, Pelkonen and Tahvanainen, 2008).

It is also clear that both of the skills types (soft and hard) can be improved during the experience gaining period abroad however students should decide which one is more important for them. There are several ways of self-knowledge such as carrying out individually or with the help of a professional

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expert (Nyári, 2017). Also, many ERASMUS+ institutions and researchers, who are involved in any types of mobility programs, have already developed tests and exercises that can help students know their (improvable) capabilities better (but this topic is not part of this research). If they cannot decide whether their soft or hard skills must be developed, they still have the chance to apply for the Long-term Student Mobility Strategic Partnerships for Education program which aims to fulfil both (Európai Bizottság, without a date).