The non-profit trying to fix our broken education system

Schools around Europe are struggling and it will be the next generation who will suffer most. Salvatore Nigro, CEO of JA Europe, is determined to tackle youth unemployment. Martin Friel speaks to him

The company claims to have helped millions of students already (JA Europe)

Something appears to be badly wrong with our education system. In fact, something seems to be badly wrong with everyone’s education system. A recent Manpower Group survey of employers around the world found that 69 per cent are experiencing talent shortages and difficulty recruiting.

This shortage is happening at a time of persistently high youth unemployment with rates of 14.5 per cent in the UK and nearly 16 per cent in the EU. There are millions of posts available and millions without work so why is the square peg no longer fitting into the square hole?

While there are a multitude of contributing factors, Salvatore Nigro, CEO at JA Europe (Young Enterprise in the UK), a non-profit organisation dedicated to preparing youth for employment and entrepreneurialism, believes there is one key reason for this bizarre situation.