OECD LEED Seminar: Fulfilling promise – improving employment outcomes for ethnic minority and immigrant youth

Young people from ethnic minority and immigrant backgrounds have been hit harder than most by the economic downturn, with the risk that this group suffers long lasting 'scarring effects' which could create a lost generation.
Minority youth face what has been termed the 'double disadvantage' of being both inexperienced in the labour market and coming from an ethnic minority, with minorities still suffering from discrimination in the labour market in many OECD countries. However, the experiences and outcomes of minority youth in the labour market are far from homogeneous, and this group offers important social, cultural and economic assets which are increasingly important in today’s globalised world.This seminar will analyse how policy makers can ensure that all young people from ethnic minorities achieve their true potential in the labour market and develop good quality careers.

A number of international case studies and learning models have been commissioned as part of the Fulfilling Promise project, the findings from which will be discussed at the seminar. Each study focuses on a locality which has experienced labour market exclusion among ethnic minority youth and established a locally based approach to tackle this problem.

Specifically, the seminar will contribute to:

• Sharing of experiences by debating and exploring the interventions  and themes highlighted in the studies;
• Drawing out key themes such as discrimination, sectoral specialisation, the value of targeted interventions, measuring outcomes and community characteristics;
• Improving knowledge of various policy responses and programme interventions worldwide, which have attempted to improve labour market outcomes for the youth;
• Creating a learning manual to assist policy makers in developing policy which is informed, targeted and effective.

The event will be chaired by Professor Roger Waldinger (UCLA), an expert on international migration and its social, political, and economic consequences.

Participants at the seminar will include OECD experts, the Cities of Migration network, national governments, researchers and local and regional practitioners.

Click here to register. Registration deadline: 11 October 2010!


Read more:

• OECD LEED - website