The Germans lend a hand to Spain’s youngsters

Spain's youngsters are set to benefit from Germany's economic might

Germany’s thriving economy may have already tempted some young Spaniards to emigrate there in search of work, but now a new collaboration between the two countries’ governments looks set to provide a steady, official avenue for Spaniards to find work and opportunities in Germany…

Last week, Spain’s employment minister Fátima Báñez met with her counterpart in Germany, Ursula von der Leyen, to sign an unprecedented deal which sees Germany provide vocational training and jobs for young Spaniards struggling to find work or training in Spain.

“Each year nearly 5,000 young Spaniards will be able to benefit from vocational opportunities or even stable and skilled jobs in Germany,” Báñez said.

Details of the deal are yet to be fully formalised, but Báñez did reveal that it will offer “the determined and sincere support of all the public administrations in Germany to young people who want to train and have skilled work in the coming years.”

Spain’s unemployment rate is well-known throughout Europe, and is one of the highest in the EU, with the country’s youngsters particularly badly hit – unemployment stands at 57 per cent for those aged 16-24.

Conversely Germany, despite its robust economy, has an ageing population and an acute skills shortage in numerous professions. In other words, they are crying out for young talent, which Spain has by the bucketload.

“In Germany we have a shortage of qualified personnel,” Von der Leyen told a conference on youth employment in Madrid last week. “We have one million open jobs, desperately looking for people to fill them.”

Báñez has called the deal a big step forward “in supporting young people in Europe,” with Von der Leyen echoing those claims and calling for greater, pan-European unity and collaboration.

”I think we will need something like a pact in Europe,” she said. “Something like a public-private partnership, to offer a broad range of vocational training jobs.”

It’s an encouraging start, and one that may open the door of opportunity for thousands of young Spaniards starved of employment options.