A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE IN OUR HANDS - To Parent Directory

Social inclusionthemselves trapped in a vicious‘low pay – no pay’ circle. TheEU encourages countries to putmore apprenticeships in place,provide more support and activealternatives to people whoare going through a short spell of unemployment. These programmesoften focus on deprived areas.In a bid to make life easier for students, free movement aroundEurope for teachers and students and the recognition of qualificationsis a priority – programmes such as Socrates, Leonardo daVinci and Youth all work to help people get qualified.Everybody has the right to contribute. To make sure that thehandicapped are also fully engaged in Europe’s future, the actionplan Equal Opportunities for People with Disabilities (2004-2010)works to remove the environmental, technical and legal barriersfaced by disabled people. This it does through the ESF and theEuropean Employment Strategy. A specific guideline in the strategystates its aim: “To ensure inclusive labour markets, enhancework attractiveness and make work pay for job-seekers, includingdisadvantaged people, and the inactive.”© CorbisTo boost the full involvement of people with disabilities in our society,there is an EU-wide law, the Directive against Discrimination,which establishes a general framework for equal treatment inemployment and occupation.Making a differenceWhile governments and politicians can decide on priorities and setaside budgets to realise these, we can also do things to make oursociety fairer and help ourselves and those around us to becomemore involved.Remember that you can make yourself more employable andhave fun doing so. Evening classes are a way to pick up extraqualifications and meet people who share your interests. Learning059