April 2017

Current schooling systems are badly equipped to deal with rapid technological innovation and changing work patterns such as the sharing economy and the rise of portfolio careers. This is particularly true of southern European countries where centralisation has restricted educational freedom and has led to weaker student performance and persistently high rates of youth unemployment.

In these countries, national governments should work more closely with the private sector in order to connect education and employment. At the same time, they should grant local schools more autonomy, freedom and responsibility.

By following the example of Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands, European countries currently grappling with high rates of structural and youth joblessness and poor student outcomes will be able to reverse the status quo.