EU Youth ministers want to strengthen digital youth work as well as education and training for youth workers.
EU youth ministers adopted conclusions on digital youth work (12681/19 + COR 1) with the aim to lay the ground for the upcoming work to close the digital gap among young people. The conclusions invite member states and the European Commission (EC) to implement measures to make better use of digital technologies, such as SALTO, in the area of youth work and to help youth workers in their activities. This includes using Erasmus+ and improving digital competences through non-formal learning and training, taking into account the updating process of the Digital Education Action Plan (under Mariya Gabriel, the new Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth) in view of extending it to youth work.
The EU youth ministers also adopted conclusions on education and training of youth workers, stressing that there is a shared understanding as regards the educational and training needs of youth workers in the EU while respecting the members states individual conditions. The text invites the EC and member states to further explore how to improve the current youth work education and training systems in Europe. The EC is invited to explore the options, by the end of 2021, for further developing the education and training of youth workers, including the preparation of a Council Recommendation on this topic.
In addition, ministers held a debate – based on a discussion paper prepared by the Finnish presidency – on how youth work can integrate the current main concerns of young people. Ministers e.g. agreed that high-level education and training on environmental issues and sustainable development had to be provided to all youth workers. They also stressed the importance of using more digital tools, providing funding for non-formal education schemes, including environmental issues in education at all levels and supporting mobility programmes.
The meeting of the EU education ministers took place on 8 November (see SwissCore article).