THEBUZZZ

Spring 2011

EDITO

EU IN FOCUS

GEF NEWS

KEY FIGURE & QUOTE

COMPETITIONS’ CORNER

PORTRAIT

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Green Entrepreneurship Forum: the Co-Creation Workshop Page 4

Jasmine Revolution: a social media-inspired youth revolt? Page 10

And the winner is... Page 6

Tapping the potential: Year of Youth Page 11

James Higgins, Policy Officer, European Youth Forum Page 8

GEF Ambassador keeps advertising in check Page 6

EU institutions take heed! Page 12

Youth entrepreneurship in Europe Page 13

All aboard the Unity Express Page 13

Azərbaycanda gənclər arasında ən populyar iş yerləri Page 14

Employing the NEXT Generation Page 7

A rallying call for interns Page 11

Finding the right resources Page 5

CONTENT

1Copyright © 2011 Generation Europe Foundation. All rights reserved.Publisher: THE BUZZZ is published by Generation Europe Foundation. We welcome your questions and suggestions on info@generation-europe.eu

Become a fan on facebook.com/generationeuropeFollow us on twitter.com/GenerationEurop

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Generation Europe Foundation.

Cover credit: JB London via flickr

There is something rotten in the state of employment.

We are the most educated, yet underqualified generation. Yes, some of us are guilty of seeking refuge in the halls of learning, delaying entry into the ‘real world’, but when we do venture forth, this much is true: we hold multiple degrees, we speak multiple languages, and we have travelled in multiple countries.

And yet that’s not good enough.

What more is expected from us? Critics are quick to point their fingers at the education system, arguing that schools are not preparing young people for today’s labour market. But before we overhaul the curriculum to suit the needs of business, we must be careful that legitimate criticism does not become an assault on liberal arts education, because there is value in studying history, in studying languages, in studying political science.

Perhaps that is something that employers don’t fully appreciate. We might not graduate as readymade worker bees (buzzz), but we have been taught how to learn - which is an often unrecognised skill - and how to think critically and analyse complex issues.

And perhaps that is also the source of our own restlessness. We don’t feel fulfilled by 9-to-5 office jobs and fear that our skills are underutilised, our education wasted. It is our season of discontent, and we are itching for change.

While many young people have become victims of spending cuts and corporate downsizing - the involuntarily unemployed - a growing number prefer the uncertainty of joblessness. They describe quitting (of their own volition) as the most liberating moment of their, admittedly short, professional lives.

It’s not simply a matter of the limited number of jobs available or the underwhelming skill set of recent graduates.

Some say that youth employment is in a state of crisis, but that’s an easy appraisal of a bewitchingly complex issue. There are a lot of different forces at work, which we try to examine in the following pages.

Enjoy the read! And don’t forget to share your thoughts with us!

Daniel, GEF Team (Editor-in-Buzz)

The Employment issue

EDITO

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Months of preparation came to a culmination in December 2010 at the Co-Creation Workshop, the first offline initiative of Generation Europe Foundation’s Forum on Green Entrepreneurship (GreEn). Twelve young leaders from around the world - all passionate about sustainable development, society and business - were selected from our online community to attend the three-day event at the Hub Brussels.

Arnoud Raskin, the social entrepreneur behind Mobile Schools/Streetwize, delivered an inspiring keynote speech to get the ball rolling. And then the real work began...

Together with representatives and practitioners from the private, public and social sectors, the youth participants elaborated a collective vision of the initiatives needed to promote a sustainable future. The whole process and story of the working sessions was captured visually by Nick Payne, who managed to represent the flow of ideas and the atmosphere in a series of drawings, which we have affectionately come to refer to as ‘the harvest’.

Young journalists from the European Youth Press were also present to report on the event. Their articles were published in an issue of Orange magazine dedicated to the GreEn Forum, which is available to read on our website.

What finally emerged from the workshop were six awareness-raising actions. United by the common mission to identify what young people need to become active in the field of green entrepreneurship, the youth participants catalysed initiatives to answer these needs and expand the network for GreEn through action, learning and peer-to-peer contact.

The good vibes reached a peak on the last day at the networking event, which was attended by around 60 guests who explored the harvest together with the participants and facilitators. Olivier Marquet, the Director General of Triodos Bank Belgium, gave the closing remarks.

The Co-Creation Workshop was made possible by the generous support of our numerous partners and sponsors, notably including the Belgian Presidency of the EU and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry. We are always looking for new partners to help grow our initiative. If you are interested in green entrepreneurship, then one thing is for sure: the GreEn Forum is the place for you to discover and co-create!

www.generation-europe.eu/forum

Green Entrepreneurship (GreEn) An Introduction

Green entrepreneurship is not primarily about

starting a business but about taking responsibility

for your life choices. Once you feel responsible for

your environment, who you are and what you do,

you might discover an opportunity or an opening in

a market or you might just find a more sustainable

process at work. It is this attitude of positive action

that defines entrepreneurship to us.

the Co-Creation Workshop

17 practitioners and stakeholders

12 young GreEn Forum representatives

3 days of idea sharing, co-creation and partnership building

1 common goal

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GEF NEWSGreen Entrepreneurship Forum:

"A big part of finding the right resources is knowing what to look for and what to avoid."-Matthew Lesko

In my opinion, my life experience and the environment I have grown up in are the most valuable resources that have developed my entrepreneurial spirit and have made me greener.

I live in Moldova, the poorest country in Europe. Living in this period of transition from communism to democracy, I was taught to face all kinds of changes, from political to cultural.

I have learned to survive and to develop myself with limited finances. I was taught by life to be patient and tolerant and to fight for my rights in this corrupt system, even when I was disappointed by the situation in my country.

I lived in the countryside, and thanks to this fact I am more open to the idea of living green.

My father is a beekeeper, and our bees were our source of livelihood for more than 20 years. Is this not an example of sustainability?

I decided to study economics as I knew early on that I wanted to run my own business; I never saw myself working for somebody else.

I have attended several trainings that have helped me: Business for Youth 2010, to name one, which was my first business plan contest. Then I participated in Social Innovation Camp, where we searched for online solutions to solve offline youth problems.

During these trainings, I got to know a lot of young people - I would say the most active in my country. I have a lot to learn

from them, and maybe some of them will help me with my future business.

Last but not least is being a GEF online community member. I have learned a lot of new things about sustainability, and I have interacted with other members all around the world. Before joining this platform, I was thinking only about business. Now, I have replaced the word ‘business’ with the expression ‘green business’.

I am young. I have my life in my hands right now. I am ready to invest my time, my energy, my knowledge, my network, everything I have. I am going to pursue my dream, my wish, my plan, my green business.

Elizaveta Mamaliga, GreEn Forum Representative from Moldova

Finding the right resources

In the lead up to the Co-Creation Workshop in December, members of the online community were asked to blog about resources that have enabled them to be greener or more entrepreneurial. All of the submissions are filed under the ‘My Exceptional Resource’ category on the website. Featured below, the best blog post.

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We received nearly two thousand submissions - a record number - in the fourth annual Europa Diary cover competition. Our jury had the mammoth task of narrowing down the field to ten finalists, but given the high level of quality and creativity on display, the jury in the end settled on eleven designs, which were submitted to a public vote via our new Facebook application.

After tallying the votes, we are pleased to announce that the 2011-2012 Europa Diary will feature the artwork of Adelina-Ioana Ardelean from Romania. She is a third-year student in product design at the West University of Timisoara. In addition to having her design printed on over four million copies of the diary, Adelina was awarded a €1000 cash prize.

Congratulations also to the four runners-up: Irena Toshkova (Bulgaria), Daniel Draganov (Bulgaria), Julie Marion (Belgium) and Vlad Elian Duca (Romania). The cover competition was once again a resounding success this year. Thanks to everybody who participated!

The Europa Diary is a European Commission-funded project. The diary appears in 29 different editions and is distributed free-of-charge to all secondary schools in the EU which request it. The 2011-2012 Europa Diary will be used by 4.3 million secondary or high school students in the 27 Member States. Generation Europe Foundation is the Commission’s contractor. National partners in each Member State work with us to adapt and localise the diary for their country.

www.europadiary.eu

facebook.com/europadiary

After successfully competing in the essay competition which we organised in conjunction with our review of the European Advertising Standards Alliance’s report on digital marketing of alcohol, Marcin Senderski, the GEF Ambassador in Poland, was invited to attend a workshop in Stockholm in October 2009. There, he met representatives from industry and the self-regulatory organisations...

Fast forward almost a year, and this experience has proven to be unexpectedly fruitful for Marcin.

The Union of Brewing Industry Employers in Poland (UBIEP) has nominated him as its representative to the Union of Associations Advertising Council (PL Rada Reklamy), the national self-regulatory organisation. The Council has its own Commission of Ethics in Advertising, which handles B2B and consumer complaints. Marcin will be in charge of resolving all possible claims, not only those related to breweries.

Each company which signs the license agreement with the Council and agrees to respect the Code of Ethics receives a

certificate of ‘ethical advertising’. The Commission of Ethics in Advertising is responsible for adjudicating breaches of the code; the judges are experts in the field of advertising and marketing communication and remain independent of the industry.

GEF Ambassador

keeps advertising in check

Food Monitoring Workshop

Generation Europe Foundation gave the closing remarks at the 2010 Food Monitoring Workshop organised by the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) and the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA). GEF acted as the independent reviewer of the food and beverage industries’ compliance with self-regulation of online advertising. It was found that food advertisers by and large abide by self-imposed rules.

And the winner is…

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Employing The Next GenerationA report by Generation Europe Foundation and The FutureWork Forum

Part 2 : The Right Skills in the Right Place at the Right Time 2010

At the end of last year, Generation Europe Foundation and the FutureWork Forum (FWF) published the second report in the ‘Employing the NEXT Generation’ series, based on data gathered from more than 7,000 young people. The results were presented at the Employment Week Forum in November.

Youth unemployment cannot simply be explained by the financial crisis. What are the real causes of the problem? Why are young people so vulnerable? GEF and the FWF put these questions directly to young people and also asked them to identify potential solutions. What we found is that the reasons are manifold and interrelated, yet can roughly be summarised as: ‘No experience = No job. No job = No experience’.

The next generation knows it is in trouble - and they are unmistakable in their message to employers, educators, decision-makers and stakeholders that the current status quo just won’t cut it. A fundamental mindshift is called for. Educators and policy-makers in the field of education are criticised for their inability to anticipate and adapt to changes in job requirements and requisite skills. As a result of this failure, a lot of highly educated young people enter the job market, equipped with an array of diplomas but utterly unprepared for the jobs they are hoping to land.

Another criticism levelled at educators is their failure to provide useful career advice. As many young people leave the school or university benches, they join others in the difficult - and often fruitless - struggle for a desired career. As it turns out, they were never properly informed of the nature of jobs out there… The lack of communication between the private sector and the public education systems results in universities being increasingly out-of-touch with the latest employment trends.

In short, the next generation calls for an urgent and fundamental reassessment of career counselling, a realisation from the private sector that it would benefit employers and employees alike to hire inexperienced graduates, and a thorough revision of educational curricula. Last but not least, better support and training should be available for those young people who choose to become entrepreneurs as a serious alternative to traditional employment.

Arnaud, GEF Team

The full report can be downloaded from our website at

www.generation-europe.eu.

Hard copies of the report can be ordered at the price of €25 ea.

www.futureworkforum.com

Employing the NEXT Generation

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What is Youth Employment Action?

Youth Employment Action (YEA) is a project that was established in September 2009 by a consortium of European Youth Forum (YFJ) Member Organisations. It aims to improve the situation of young people by providing practical training and projects at local and European levels, exchanging best practices and advocating for constructive action to be taken to ensure adequate and fair employment opportunities for youth.

Participants in the project are very aware of the youth employment situation as they are young people themselves. They come from various regions and backgrounds and both embody the differences and similarities with regard to the youth employment situation in Europe.

It’s hard not to notice a contradiction: there are high levels of unemployment, while at the same time we hear about large numbers of unfilled vacancies in certain sectors of the economy. Is there a skills mismatch? Is the education system failing to prepare graduates for the labour market?

There does seem to be a skills mismatch in Europe with regard to certain sectors. It is recognised in both the ‘New Skills for New Jobs’ and the ‘Youth on the Move’ initiatives. The European economy has changed radically, and this poses a challenge to education providers. In many areas, a more career-orientated approach is required in education. However, an issue of concern is that the focus is entirely on how some young people do not have the skills for the labour market, rather than on how the labour market is failing to accommodate the needs of young people.

The current generation of young people is the most educated ever. They are driven, informed and have unrivalled knowledge of communications and digital technologies. Yet, the youth unemployment rate in Europe is more than double the overall average. Many businesses are failing to invest in young people.

James HigginsPolicy Officer,

European Youth Forum

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PORTRAIT

In order to tackle these issues and build an economically sustainable Europe, the focus needs to shift from solely being on the obligations of young people to the need to reform the labour market, the education system, employment practices and overcome discrimination based on age. Only through a holistic approach, which recognises the value of non-formal education, can these issues be fully addressed.

Young people are voicing their complaints about the prevalence of part-time and temporary contracts. It seems expectations are hitting up against the changing nature of work, but do you see an upside to this trend?

Young people are vastly over-represented in temporary jobs. Over 40% of people working in temporary jobs in Europe are under the age of 25. On the one hand, it is true to say that young people are drawn to temporary and part-time work as it allows them to study at the same time. But it is also clear that many graduates and young people not in education are also in temporary jobs. Flexibility must be compensated with security. A lack of job security is not only detrimental to a young person’s economic situation, but also potentially their mental and physical health.

It is much too easy to assume that employment practices are changing and young people should accept that. The rights of workers, and particularly young workers, need to be safeguarded. The preconception that young people are simply on the labour market to absorb the growing number of temporary and part-time jobs amounts to discrimination on the ground of age, and this needs to be recognised by employers and policy-makers alike.

Instead of counting on governments and other public bodies to solve the employment crisis, how can young people help themselves?

I think that young people today are very independent, dynamic and creative. They certainly do not simply wait for governments to solve the employment crisis. What they do need, however, is the same opportunities that are provided to the rest of the population. Some European governments and institutions need to realise that, with an ageing population, the economic sustainability of Europe and the future of the European social model relies on this generation of young people. If the youth of today are allowed to drift into long-term unemployment, then this could have irreparable damage for communities as well as the future competitiveness of the European economy.

On a practical level, I think that young people can benefit from volunteering and participating in youth organisations. Not only is it personally enriching, but it helps to enhance a wide range of skills and build up contacts that may be useful in the future. It shows to prospective employers that, even in difficult economic times, you want to keep active and to continue learning.

Young people are also beginning to consider other options such as entrepreneurship, and a new generation of determined and focused young entrepreneurs may emerge from this period. But starting your own business can be daunting. More should be done to reduce the bureaucracy for young people and make micro-finance available to help them make their ideas a reality.

Do you have any other advice for young jobseekers?

It is a very tough time for young people on the labour market. I would encourage young people to make use of all the services that are available to them. Organisations in the YEA project have arranged various workshops and trainings, from how to make your CV better to talks from successful entrepreneurs. I think these are great initiatives and can really benefit young people.

For young people that are still in education, I would advise them to keep in mind what sort of career they would like to have in the future and to make their subject and university choices accordingly. Education doesn’t end at 16, 18, 21 or 25. Young people today need to keep learning new skills in order to be competitive, so it is important to value education, both formal and non-formal, and to get the best out of it.

On a personal note, I would like to say to all young jobseekers to try to keep positive and motivated, even if you suffer setbacks. Finding stable employment is more difficult than ever, but it is important not to lose heart. There is always a solution to every problem and anything can be overcome with the support of your friends and family.

www.youthemploymentaction.org @YFJ_Employment

Read the complete interview with James on our website at www.generation-europe.eu.

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Mohammad Bouazizi’s self-immolation on 17 December 2010 was the spark that ignited the powder keg, firing up crowds across the Arab world. Who could have foreseen that the chain of events started by the tragic suicide of a 26-year-old fruit vendor in Tunis would bring down deeply entrenched regimes in Tunisia and Egypt and trigger a full-blown insurrection aimed at toppling Colonel Gaddafi in Libya?

A lot has been made by the international press of the role of social media and the young people who are masters of these technologies. While these tools certainly facilitated communication, can it really be said that these revolutions would not have taken place or would not have been as successful were it not for Twitter and Facebook?

Let’s not forget the hype surrounding the role of Twitter in the protests following the Iranian elections in June 2009. In hindsight, it seems much of the activity on the social network was generated by people outside the country sending messages of support, while protestors in Tehran were more likely to rely on text messaging or word-of-mouth.

The success factor and rapid spread of revolutions is notoriously difficult to

explain. Why do some revolts acquire unstoppable momentum bringing about dramatic changes while others are snipped in the bud? An important factor is obviously the determination of the protesters to achieve change - even in the face of force. A cause that finds widespread support will spread across the population with or without social media.

Another important factor is the involvement of youth, whose future is at stake and who, in general, have less to lose. Throughout modern history, young people and students have often played an important role as instigators, catalysts or supporters of revolutions and uprisings. Think of the student revolts at the beginning of the 19th century in Germany, the student uprisings in 1968, the rebellions in Soweto, South Africa in 1976... These events had a lasting impact on the political systems in their respective countries and beyond.

Young people being young, they can be relied upon to make themselves heard when in disagreement with this, that or the other. It is fairly common to hear critics wondering why anyone should listen to these youngsters who, in any case, have no idea of how the world functions, have never held a real

job (never mind the problem of youth

unemployment) and don’t have a family

to feed. To many people, ‘revolutionary’

students appear smug, conceited and

self-congratulatory, as if they were

the only ones to feel indignant about

inequality in the world. Others level

criticism at the fact that most student

protests are self-interested, dealing with

issues that concern only them.

As the so-called Jasmine Revolution

began to spread across North Africa and

the Middle East, it was hailed as a youth

revolt. These revolutions enjoy a large

degree of popular and political support

around the world, and the usual critics

appear silent. Perhaps these revolutions

will be judged more mildly since there’s

much more at stake this time around

than slightly expensive student fees. And

Twitter? Well, it’s something new, but

revolutionaries will always use the tools

at their disposal...

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVEJasmine Revolution: a social media-inspired youth revolt?

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Tapping the potential: Year of Youth

Young people today expect more from their

internships. They certainly aren’t looking to

pad their CVs with meaningless experience:

the menial tasks that used to be standard

fare - for example, making coffee, which

only really serves to prepare for a career

as a barista - are no longer acceptable.

Internships should be stepping stones

between education and employment,

a chance to get an inside glimpse of an

industry and begin to learn the ropes.

But young people also want their rights

to be respected. As interns have been

given more responsibilities, there is

a growing feeling that they are being

exploited by employers. Many companies

seem to believe that internships fall in

a legal grey area outside labour law and

the more formal structures of vocational

training. And so, in these times of crisis,

many companies view internships as a

cost-saving measure. Why hire a regular

employee when you can get away with

paying interns a pittance - or nothing at

all! - for the same work?

Not only is this unfair and potentially

illegal, but it also exacerbates socio-

economic divisions. Who but the well-

heeled can afford to work for months on

end without a decent wage?

A number of organisations and

campaigns, such as Génération Précaire

in France and Internocracy in the United

Kingdom, have sprung up to tackle these

issues. They want interns to be protected

from abuse and to make clear that

interning is not the same as volunteering.

Too many young people are rationalising

their bad treatment, happy to have their

foot in the door. But now is the time to

stand up for our rights!

www.generation-precaire.org

www.internocracy.org

A rallying call for interns

Thematic years have tended toward the quaint, generating some press at launch and perhaps eliciting a few grins. Who recalls the noble effort to elevate the status of the humble tuber in 2008, the International Year of the Potato? But this time around, the subject matter is nearer and dearer to us. The International Year of Youth (IYY) is now halfway over, having kicked off, appropriately enough, on International Youth Day, 12 August last year.

2010 marked the 25th anniversary of the first International Year of Youth in 1985, but the context in which young people find themselves has changed dramatically since then: 81 million people under the age of 25 were unemployed in 2009, the most ever. Indeed, employment is one key issue brought into focus by the IYY. And yet with the overarching theme

‘Dialogue and Mutual Understanding’, the year is about much more.

In the face of current challenges, the IYY is delivering the message that young people have something important to contribute: ‘their energy, enthusiasm and creativity’. They can make a difference not only tomorrow, but also today. And that’s why the year is really a call to invest in our youth, to engage them in the decision-making process and to support youth-led initiatives.

As is usual for thematic years, the International Year of Youth is the banner for a mix of local events and online discussions. Check them out!

http://social.un.org/youthyear

facebook.com/UNyouthyear

@UNyouthyear

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Youth onthe Move

Education and employment across Europe

The youth employment crisis has hardly escaped the notice of the EU institutions. There has been a flurry of recent activity, as the Council, the Parliament and the Commission have all responded in turn.

The Belgian Presidency (we are now halfway down the rocky road of the Hungarian Presidency) kicked off the debate with the first European Youth Work Convention in July, followed by the EU Youth Conference on Youth Employment in October. The convention broadly examined the main issues, including the link between youth work and youth policy, while the conference formulated a list of specific recommendations, all fairly standard.

Also last summer, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on youth employment drafted by rapporteur Emilie Turunen, who, at the tender age of 26, is currently the youngest serving parliamentarian. The report is particularly concerned with the precarious situation of interns: the quality of traineeships, the working conditions of trainees, the prospect of

employment after the training period. But the most radical proposal in the report is probably the ‘European Youth Guarantee’, which would ensure young people have something - a job or training course, for example - after four months of unemployment. A good idea in theory, but the messy details of how such a scheme would work in practice were naturally left out.

And in September, the European Commission launched ‘Youth on the Move’ (YOM), one of the flagship initiatives of EU 2020, the successor to the Lisbon Strategy. There has been a lot of talk about education, mobility and employment, but as yet there is little substance beyond a new website.

Perhaps more than anything, YOM is a collective rebranding of existing youth programmes. The only new funding is being channelled to young entrepreneurs through local banks and lending institutions in the form of microloans of up to €25,000.

With the risk of a ‘lost generation’, the youth employment crisis is a test for Brussels: can it deliver results or is this just another topic to be mulled over by the talk shop?

EU institutions take heed!

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EU IN FOCUS

www.youth-eutrio.be

http://europa.eu/youthonthemove/

Youth onthe Move

Education and employment across Europe

We’ve done what we were told to do to ‘succeed’ in life. We’ve studied hard and earned good marks in order to be accepted at a respectable university, got a degree which we were told would ease the path into employment and a stable and well-paid job. But somebody changed the rules in the middle of the game...

Now we’re told the old model has broken down and can’t be fixed. Young people will have to adapt to the new context. In the years ahead, we will be called upon to create our own meaningful and productive employment, to become entrepreneurs. But how will this shift be facilitated?

Last November, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) hosted the second Young European Entrepreneurs’ Summit to examine questions of culture and institutional support for entrepreneurship. The conference brought together representatives from the EU institutions, the business sector and youth organisations, including Generation Europe Foundation.

In three workshops, the participants approached the issue from different angles, and over the course of two days hashed out eight specific recommendations. Many of the proposals resonated with the conclusions that came out of the

conference GEF organised last year as part of SME Week:

− the entrepreneurial mindset must be stimulated from an early age through education,

− basic business training should be added to the curriculum,

− and entrepreneurship has to be promoted as a viable career choice.

With such a clear outline of the path ahead, perhaps a more appropriate question is: are young people ready?

www.eesc.europa.eu

www.youtube.com/user/EurEcoSocCommittee

Youth entrepreneurship in Europe

Worries that Europe is losing its traditional identity have been fuelling anti-immigrant sentiment across the EU. Who remembers the expulsion of Roma from France last summer? In difficult economic times, it is a time-honoured tradition for politicians to exploit such feelings and whip up popular support by targeting easy scapegoats.

Rather than sitting idly by while politicians quietly bring the idea of multiculturalism to an end, the organisers of the Unity Express plan to illustrate the merits of a multicultural society.

The Unity Express will depart from Amsterdam on 7 July 2012 on a journey across Europe and return four weeks

later. At any given time, there will be more than 400 people onboard the train which will call at 22 cities and roll through 24 countries. Passengers from different backgrounds will eat, sleep, party and engage in a range of learning activities.

By creating a miniature society onboard the Unity Express, the organisers aim to show how a multicultural society can flourish and how a greater understanding and respect of each other’s cultures can come about. You won’t be able to buy tickets at the station for this train -

you’ll have to apply with your own project for the journey, be nominated as a representative of an organisation with likeminded goals, or win a country lottery. All aboard!

http://unityexpress.eu

facebook.com/unityexpress

@unityexpress

All aboard the Unity ExpressJust as unity has no respect for

borders, neither does the Unity

Express.…

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Azerbaijan, an oil-rich country in the eastern neighbourhood of the European Union, remains one

of the fastest growing economies of the world... The oil boom has changed Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, into a city of business, where people move in search of jobs not only from various parts of Azerbaijan, but also from other countries.

Nowadays, the most popular jobs among young people in Azerbaijan are related to social sciences: international relations, political science and languages. A majority of young people aspire to become diplomats, politicians and government officers...

However, it is important to also note that the most unpopular jobs among young people in Azerbaijan are related to technical fields such as engineering, programming and quality inspection, according to the results of the survey...

Starting their own business and becoming an entrepreneur is not popular for many young Azerbaijanis living in Baku, because financially speaking, not many young people can afford to create their own company... In contrast to Baku, the most popular occupation among young people in the small towns of Azerbaijan is related to creating their own business or doing small business in the local market...

For the future, young people in Azerbaijan should focus on careers relating to economics, engineering and technical fields, as the growing economic capacity of the country will increase the demand for professional and technical workers in various fields as well as engineers.

Avropa İttifaqının şərq qonşuluğunda yerləşən zəngin neft ölkəsi Azərbaycan dünyanın ən sürətli inkişaf edən iqtisadiyyatlarından biridir. Sürətli inkişaf edən ölkə gənclər üçün enerji, hökümət, bank, biznes və vətəndaş cəmiyyəti sektorlarında çalışmaq üçün bir sıra karyera imkanları yaradır. 2010-cu ildə rəsmi statistikaya görə, işsizlik səviyyəsi ölkədə 6% düşüb və belə vəziyyət gənclərə imkan yaradır ki, öz gələcək karyeralarını ölkədə qursunlar. Neft partlayışı ölkənin paytaxtı Bakı şəhərini biznes şəhərinə çevirmişdir və Azərbaycanın müxtəlif yerlərindən olan gənclər paytaxta işləməyə gəlir.

Bu gün Azərbaycanda gənclər arasında ən populyar iş yerləri beynəlxalq münasibət, siyasi elm və dillər ilə əlaqəlidir. Gənclərin çoxu siyasətçi, diplomat və dövlət məmurları olmaq istəyir. Bundan başqa, parlaq gələcək əldə etmək istəyən gənclər beynəlxalq və vətəndaş cəmiyyəti təşkilatlarında işləməyi üstün tutur. Gənclər üçün vətəndaş cəmiyyəti təşkilatlarında işləmək çox maraqlıdır, çünki bu onlar üçün səyahət etməyə, təcrübə qazanmağa və yaradıcı ideyalarını həyata keçirməyə imkan yaradır. Bundan başqa, ilkin təcrübəni ictimai təşkilatlarda başlamaq o qədər də çətin deyil, çünki dövlət və biznes sektorunda işlər çoxlu təcrübə və bacarıqlar tələb edir.

2010-cu ilin noyabr ayında tanınmış internet portal olan www.resurs.az saytında aparılan sorğu nəticələri göstərir ki, gənclər arasında ən populyar iş xarici dillər ilə əlaqəlidir, çoxlu insan xarici dil müəllimi və tərcüməçi işləmək istəyir. Sorğunun nəticələrinə görə, bank sektorunda olan işlər əhəmiyyətli yer tutur. Lakin, sorğu nəticələri göstərir ki, texniki sahələrdə işləmək istəyən gənclər azdır. Ən uğurlu Azərbaycanlı gənclərin karyera tarixlərini araşdıran zaman aydın olur ki, onların çoxları ictimai təşkilatların yetirmələridir.

Bakıda biznes qurmaq gənclər arasında o qədər də populyar deyil, çünki bunun üçün çoxlu maliyyə tələb olunur. Paytaxdan fərqli olaraq, Azərbaycanın digər rayonlarında populyar iş kiçik bizneslə məşğul olmaq sayılır. Göyçay Regional İnkişaf Mərkəzinin 2010-cu il sentyabr ayında apardığı sorğuya görə Azərbaycanın mərkəzi rayonlarında gənclər əsasən kiçik biznes ilə məşqul olur.

Gələcəkdə Azərbaycanda gənclər iqtisadiyyat, mühəndislik və texniki sahələr ilə bağlı işlərdə çalışmağa yönlənməlidirlər, çünki ölkənin güclənən iqtisadatı üçün müxtəlif texniki işçilər və mühəndislər lazım olacaq.

Bahruz Babayev, GEF Ambassador in Azerbaijan

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“Azərbaycanda gənclər arasında ən populyar iş yerləri

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Azerbaijan

The youth unemployment rate in the eurozone in January 2011, only slightly lower than the average in the EU as a whole. There are disparities between countries - from an enviable low of 6.5% in Germany to a troubling high of 42.8% in Spain - but the general prognosis remains bleak.

Young people, defined for statistical purposes as those under the age of 25, have been one of the hardest hit segments of the population during the current economic crisis. The youth unemployment rate has risen dramatically since the first quarter of 2008, although it started to level out last year. And that’s not to mention the large number of young people who have been forced by circumstance into part-time or low-paid jobs.

Despite the gloom and doom, there are two important caveats to bear in mind: many young people are outside the labour market, because they are studying full-time and are therefore not included in these calculations. And even in good times, the youth unemployment rate is generally higher than the overall unemployment rate.

Wikileaks, the whistleblower website, made big waves with the publication of the Iraq and Afghanistan War Logs, which revealed uncomfortable new facts about the handling of those conflicts. But that was only the prelude. The organisation then dropped a bombshell in the form of a huge cache of US diplomatic cables, the official correspondence between Washington and its outposts.

The carefully choreographed release of those documents catapulted Wikileaks and Assange to worldwide attention - and into the centre of a spirited debate about transparency and state secrets. Assange advocates so-called ‘scientific journalism’ which would make the primary sources, the raw data behind news articles available to readers, so they could make their own judgement of the facts and of journalists’ objectivity.

These recent leaks have been embarrassing to say the least, but the story has changed. It has become less about the cables and more about Assange, his outsized personality, his sexual encounters. For governments, it almost seems like a well-executed example of the old adage: if you don’t like what people are saying about you, change the conversation.

As for the diplomatic cables, they are still being digested by the media, but the stories are no longer grabbing frontpage headlines. Wikileaks is meanwhile teasing its next big release; this time they claim to have the dirt on a large US bank.

“You have to start with the truth.”Julian Assange, Editor-in-Chief of Wikileaks

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Credit: espenmoe via flickr

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COMPETITIONS'CORNER

What? A photo competition

We cherish our family pets, but we don’t often give thought to the doctors who look after our animals’ health and wellbeing. To help mark the 250th anniversary of veterinary education, professional and amateur photographers worldwide are invited to visualise and interpret the theme ‘vets in your daily life’. For whom? Anybody, regardless of age or nationality.

Until when? Photos can be uploaded until 31 March 2011.

Prizes: The five winners will be invited to the EU Veterinary Week conference in Brussels where they will be presented with €1000 of photographic equipment, while the top winner will also be invited to the OIE General Session in Paris and receive some additional gear.

Organised by: European Commission, Directorate-General for Health and Consumers, and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)

More info:

www.vetsinyourdailylife.org

www.vet2011.org

World Veterinary Year 2011

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What? A video competition

Our drive towards a more sustainable future will depend on a number of ecological innovations, which professional and amateur videographers alike are invited to explore throughout the year in short, two-minute films. The subject of the competition will change each calendar quarter: water & waste, energy, construction & home, nutrition & health.

For whom? Anybody over the age of 18!

Until when? The deadline for the first category is the beginning of March.

Prizes: The winner in each category will receive the Blue Moves Award and a $2000 cash prize, while all participants will get an electronic copy of the book ‘Zen and the Art of Blue’ by Gunter Pauli.

Organised by: The Blue Economy

More info:

www.blueeconomy.de

facebook.com/blueeconomy

@Blue_Economy

Blue Moves