91997E3126

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3126/97 by Gerardo Fernández-Albor (PPE) to the Commission (13 October 1997)

Subject: Encouragement of youth exchanges between businesses in the various Member States

In recent years there has been a significant increase in youth exchanges. This helps young people to gain experience of the world outside their own countries.

However, it appears that the area which has been least explored is that of youth exchanges between businesses in the various Member States. Such exchanges would enable young people to swap their usual job on a temporary basis for another, similar one in some other Community country. The young people involved in such an exchange would all benefit from the experience.

Could the Commission say what experience it has in this matter and what projects and other initiatives it intends to launch in order to encourage young people to exchange jobs with a view to gaining experience of other countries and other ways of working, with due regard to the legal provisions which would have to be coordinated for the purpose?

Answer given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission (25 November 1997)

Under the Leonardo da Vinci programme, the Commission organises several types of placements and exchanges in the area of vocational training for young people across Europe.

Since the programme began in 1995, more than 15 200 young workers have had placements in businesses or training bodies in the different participating countries, some 32 000 young people in initial training have done work placements, often in businesses, and almost 6 400 trainers have taken part in exchanges within the Community.

In addition, since 1995 almost 22 600 students and new graduates have had placements in businesses in the different countries taking part in the programme.

Furthermore, the Commission has initiated a wide-ranging debate with both the Member States and the organisations concerned on the lines of action identified in its Green Paper on the obstacles to transnational mobility for young people in training ((Doc. COM(96) 462. )). It is now preparing to take a whole series of measures which, in accordance with the feedback received, should encourage mobility by the different target groups identified in the Green Paper, especially students, apprentices, voluntary workers and researchers. The first of these measures could be to prepare a draft Community instrument aimed at promoting transnational mobility through European pathways for work-linked training and apprenticeship.