The president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region announced this Monday, February 22, a series of measures to support students and work-study students whose pre-professional career is impacted by the Covid-19 crisis.
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“Covid cannot lead to a sacrificed generation.” Laurent Wauquiez, president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, announced a series of support measures for students and work-study students, in order to support them in their training and in the search for their first job.
Help work-study students
The region unblocks urgently a budget of 5 to 10 million euros, and could invest more if necessary, to finance many schemes for young people. First, the region takes over from the state to help work-study students who have not been able to find a job. Out of 36,000 apprentices in the region, 2,000 have not found a work-study position, and the state funding mechanism for their training ends at the end of February. The region will therefore in turn take over the financing of training and their social protection until the end of the school year. “The state has done part of the work, it’s up to us to ensure that no young people are by the side of the road”, comments Laurent Wauquiez. For the start of the September school year, the region has also decided to doubling its internship and work-study places in its structures. Laurent Wauquiez calls on each company or community to do the same, so that each young person finds an internship or a work-study place. “The objective, in April, is to get back 2,000 additional work-study places in the region, and 10,000 internship places to support our students.”
Laurent Wauquiez at the bedside of the students
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Other cascading measures
The region has 380,000 students, some in great pain. “We were all upset by the testimonies of students who expressed their distress during this period”, comments L. Wauquiez. “Our goal is to mobilize for a concrete response,” he explains. Thus, the region will financially support associations that distribute packages or meals to students. She sets up a psychological cell at their disposal, and offers to support the return in person of the students by making available to them thousands of antigen tests. Finally, to help them find a first job, the region is launching an internet platform called “Our talents, our jobs”, on which businesses and regional authorities offer job offers. The digital, personal assistance, construction, industry, agriculture and mountain sports sectors are in fact seriously lacking in manpower in the region. “Our students cannot be the adjustment variable”, concludes L. Wauquiez. “They need us: it’s their first job search, their first steps, it’s a terrible time to start, we have to be there. “
video duration: 00 min 49
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Digital platform
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