How can (Junior) Entrepreneurs help with job retention across Europe
The Just Transition Mechanism – EU Green Deal
We want to bring you closer to European policies and easily explain why this is relevant for you, Junior Entrepreneurs. The purpose is to have short materials, explaining complex policies that can have an impact on your JE and market in the future.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, reminds that to be climate-neutral by 2050, there is a need to act on fossil fuels that release a considerable amount of greenhouse gases. Indeed, they contribute to more than half of the global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. It seems obvious that action must be taken. However, with a policy/principle of “no one left behind”, the people and the regions who work and rely on this sector must be taken into consideration. To facilitate the transition, the European Commission presented the Just Transition Mechanism.
At least €100 billion will be mobilised for financial support, transition plans, attractive conditions and technical assistance. This includes, for instance, delivering reskilling opportunities to the workers and the generations concerned, offering job openings in cleaner sectors for people but also supporting carbon-intensive industries in their transition such as moving to low-carbon technologies, having access to financial support or else, sharing relevant knowledge that Member states and regions could need through the Just Transition Platform. These are only a few examples of what is planned by the European Commission. The mission is massive but so are the resources provided.
The new President of Junior Enterprises Europe, Julius Stoerrle, commented on the Just Transition Mechanism. He said:
“In the next few years, transitioning to a more sustainable economy will be one of the major challenges for our society. As a Network rooted in entrepreneurial education, we welcome the push to a more innovative energy sector, with additional support for SMEs, start-ups and research. Junior Enterprises Europe considers promoting an innovation-driven culture as one of the key paths for the European Union to accelerate. The transition will not be easy, but we believe that it is important to grow together, fostering synergies by working together in diverse teams. Reskilling citizens will not just make sure we leave no one behind, but may also increase innovation through more diverse teams. We consider strengthening a European mindset as an important step for the European Union. Building connections within Europe, whether through a more sustainable transport or an enhanced digital infrastructure, will be one of the key needs for a stronger Europe.”
The Just Transition Mechanism is the last chapter of our EU Green Deal related articles. The financial help from the European Union will aid all Member States, and especially the ones where CO2 emissions are massive and where people work in fossil fuels. Junior Enterprises will support their initiative and we believe that our knowledge and experience in training, management and strategy are valuable assets to help not only workers, but also companies and regions in their transition.
Reskilling includes Training
JEs are used to deliver training and workshops about subjects that their audience can be unfamiliar with. JEs have the expertise and the ability to provide reskilling training to people in need. The themes can be diverse: from management to marketing, from soft skills to hard skills. Also, Junior Enterprises are committed to give everyone a chance in order to unleash their potential. Every Junior Enterprise has its own strengths and the Just Transition Mechanism is a chance to build upon them.
Transition needs Strategy
Workers are not the only ones to be affected by this transition. The companies and regions who rely on this energy will also require change and will have to adapt their way of running and thinking. They might need advice on this subject, a subject that JEs are able to tackle. The role of the Network here will be to aid SMEs in the energy field by strategic support and by taking advantage of bigger opportunities when reskilling is not enough.
Change requires Management
Changes are difficult, to be successful they need to be carefully planned and accompanied. The innovative thinking that Junior Entrepreneurs bring to the table, can make the small difference for a successful change management project. Junior Enterprises can take this increased need for change management as an opportunity to train their consultants on this topic and offer their support in this matter to companies and SMEs in their region. A great opportunity to enter this market is to collaborate with other Junior Enterprises to combine your strengths or to work other consultancies. In these cases, your Junior Enterprise can focus on just one topic, like organising workshops.
If you would like to share your opinion with us, please send us an email to publicaffairs@juniorenterprises.eu. We would love to hear more about this from you. Junior Enterprises Europe has a dedicated department towards the work with public institutions and is willing to share its knowledge and opinion.
