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ePaper created 2015-12-01, 11:30:18 | version 1.43.00
akzente 1/15 21 IN FOCUS people make up a disproportionately large share of the population – as one of the causes of the protests. In the Maghreb countries, around two thirds of the population are under 30 years of age. In a prosperous country, a very young population can stimulate additional growth, but if training opportunities and jobs are in short supply or food is scarce, the ‘youth bulge’ can become a catalyst for social upheaval instead of boosting the economy. In the past 40 years, the populations of Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco have doubled, while Libya has experienced a staggering threefold increase in population numbers. Worldwide, 75 million young people are seeking work. According to a recent report by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the youth labour market for the 15 to 24 age group has worsened in almost every re- gion of the world, with young people three times more likely than adults to be unemployed in 2013. This situ- ation, ILO suggests, is partly a consequence of the eco- nomic and financial crisis. The rise in youth unemploy- ment is highest in the Middle East and North Africa, where around one in three young people are out of work. There are gender differences in the youth employment situation as well, with young females experiencing partic- ular difficulties compared with young males. Young wo- men who find employment tend to be concentrated in low-skilled, low-paid jobs. Around 5,000 young Spanish trainees in Germany In the European Union, too, the number of young people not in employment, education or training has recently increased. In May 2013, Germany and Spain therefore agreed to give 5,000 young Spaniards per year, over four successive years, the opportunity to undertake train- ing in Germany. Héctor is one of them. He found out about the programme, which is run by the German Fed- eral Employment Agency, on the internet. When his let- ter of acceptance dropped through the letterbox at his home in the Pyrenean village of Villanúa, his parents and friends celebrated with him. Around 500 people live here, at an altitude of almost 1,000 metres, earning a living from tourism and agriculture. Héctor’s mother manages a youth hostel; his father works for a municipal cleaning company. Héctor knew that as a chemical engineer, he had no future in Villanúa. Before leaving for Germany, he attend ed a three-month language course in Zaragoza. In paral- lel, he completed internships with a motor industry sup- plier, a sewage treatment plant and a research institute. He and four other Spaniards are now working for Merck. ‘We were given a very warm welcome,’ he says. For the first six months, the apprentices are living with Merck employees’ families, and have attended a four-week in- duction course to familiarise themselves with the com- pany. Héctor goes swimming every day or spends the evening playing volleyball with co-workers. He stays in contact with his friends and family via Skype and by email. ‘I don’t have time to be homesick!’ he says. He plans to use Darmstadt as a base from which to visit the European capital cities one by one, starting soon. He misses the mountains, but that’s all. After completing his training, he hopes to stay in Germany and work as an en- gineer. ‘I am happy to have this opportunity. There’s simply no work in Spain.’ hÉctor piedrafita (25) is a trainee chemical technician with Merck in Darmstadt. Focusing on the future: Héctor Piedrafita’s search for career prospects has taken him away from his home country to Germany. » 40%Young people accounted for 40% of the world’s 197 million unemployed in 2012. PHoto:DIRKOSTERMEIER(PAGE20) akzente 1/1521