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CLUSTER Virtual Launch Conference gathers regional stakeholders to explore the employment opportunities of young NEETs
On 16 November 2021, the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) hosted the CLUSTER Virtual Launch Conference, a high-level event strengthening networking and dialogue among relevant stakeholders, with the goal of taking a step towards the creation of a supportive regional environment for the employment of young NEETs, in particular women. The Conference results will be taken forward to shape the work of the project and will inform future policy and research debates. More specifically, it will contribute to the promotion of an integrated and multi-dimensional youth/women employment scheme.
On the occasion of the first annual celebration of the Day of the Mediterranean by the UfM, the Conference consisted of two panels with small interventions and an open discussion moderated by the CLUSTER Project Manager, Karina Melkonian. Representatives from the OECD, UfM, UNDP, the Government of Catalonia and many more joined to share their insights on employment promotion from a gender and sustainability perspective. The conference brought together 43 EU and national representatives from industry, civil society, public authorities, private sector, and project partners and associates, to first discuss the “youth labour market impact of the COVID-19 crisis along with gender disparities” (1st panel) and then to identify opportunities to “address labour demand-supply mismatch through sustainable economy sectors” (2nd panel).
The welcome and opening remarks were given by the Executive President of the IEMed, Mr Senén Florensa Palau, followed by the Keynote Address by Ms Joumana Sweiss, Programme Officer at ENI CBC Med, Branch office for the Western Mediterranean, Valencia, who shed light on the ENI CBC Med Programme and, in particular, the capitalisation function of CLUSTER.
"When we tackle providing NEETs and women with marketable skills, we don’t only want to focus on upskilling and reskilling, but most importantly providing a supportive environment for employment policies in the Mediterranean region."
Catch up on the Conference and watch it here!
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