The European Commission presented a package of measures, among which it is the introducing the Youth Guarantee, addressed to the member states to help them tackle unacceptable levels of youth unemployment and social exclusion.

The new package of measures presented by the European Commission intends to help Member States tackle unacceptable levels of youth unemployment and social exclusion by giving young people offers of jobs, education and training. The packages includes a proposed Recommendation to Member States on introducing the Youth Guarantee to ensure that all young people up to age 25 receive a quality offer of a job, continued education, an apprenticeship or a traineeship within four months of leaving formal education or becoming unemployed. In April 2012, the Employment Committee in the EP already proposed the Youth Guarantee.

The package also launches a consultation of European social partners on a Quality Framework for Traineeships so as to enable young people to acquire high-quality work experience under safe conditions. Furthermore, it announces a European Alliance for Apprenticeships to improve the quality and supply of apprenticeships available by spreading successful apprenticeship schemes across the Member States and outlines ways to reduce obstacles to mobility for young people.

The proposed measures in the Youth Employment Package build on the actions of the 'Youth Opportunities Initiative', launched in December 2011. Some 5.5 million young people on the labour market (more than 1 in 5) cannot find a job, and 7.5 million young people aged 15-24 are NEETs - not in employment, education or training.