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Friday, May 13, 2011

Brussels, 13 May 2011 Half of young Europeans ready to work abroad

According to the latest Eurobarometer survey, 53% of young people in Europe are willing or keen to work in another European country, but lack of cash discourages many of them from taking a first step towards this by spending part of their education abroad. "The survey shows that young people are keen and willing to work abroad. That's good news for Europe; unfortunately they still face too many obstacles. We need to make it easier for them to study, train or work abroad and to raise awareness of the financial support available through EU schemes like Erasmus which can give them a first taste of living outside their home country. Two of the biggest challenges we face today are youth unemployment and low economic growth: a more mobile student and workforce population is part of the solution," said Androulla Vassiliou, the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth.

Studies show that students who spend part of their studies or training outside their home country boost their employability and are more likely to work abroad later in life. Employers value the skills they gain such as the ability to speak a foreign language, adaptability and interpersonal competences.

The survey shows that only one in seven (14%) young Europeans have been abroad for education or training. Lack of funding prevents many from doing so. Of those who said they had wanted to go abroad, 33% said they couldn't afford it; nearly two-thirds (63%) of those who did had to rely on private funding or savings. "This finding underlines the need to strengthen our mobility programmes, which provide excellent value for money," added Commissioner Vassiliou

Source  Press room - European Commission

More information  Press room - European Commission

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