AIESEC Europe Youth to Business Forum, 7 April 2014, Warsaw, Poland What are the skills and competencies needed from a young person to be successful in finding a job? This was among the key questions during the Europe Youth to Business Forum: Flipping the Switch to Solve Youth Unemployment in Europe, organized by AIESEC on 7 April 2014 in Warsaw, Poland. The forum, attended by over 250 young people and experts, aimed at bringing business, government, educators and youth together for a day of conversation, understanding and idea generation to come up with collaborative solutions to solving youth unemployment in this region.

Ms Katerina Ananaidou, Programme Specialist at UNESCO-UNEVOC, participated in the forum and spoke on a panel discussion on current efforts towards solving unemployment issue in Europe. The discussion focused on some of the following questions: what are the reasons for youth unemployment and how does it differ from instances of youth unemployment in the past; how can employers be encouraged to hire and youth to seek and create opportunities, for example of self-employment? What is the role and impact of the education system?

Panel participants discussed skills mismatches as a cause for persistent youth unemployment and the role of education institutions in addressing this, for example through the fostering of entrepreneurial skills in young people and encouraging international mobility.

AIESEC is a global, non-political, not-for-profit organization run by students and recent graduates with an interest in global issues, leadership and management. The Youth to Business Forum is an event that takes place in many locations around the world, bringing young leaders together with business leaders and experts for a dialogue on pressing global issues.