Bridgestone has reiterated its support for the European Pact for Youth at a meeting to mark the first anniversary of the programme, in Brussels on November 24.

The meeting of European and business leaders was co-chaired by Marianne Thyssen, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, and Viscount Etienne Davignon, Minister of State and President of CSR Europe, initiators of the programme.

The meeting published results and achievements of the first year’s activities, which included the creation of 15,000 business-education partnerships in Europe offering more than 84,000 apprenticeships, traineeships and entry-level jobs. Participants at the meeting committed to making business-education partnerships the “new normal” across Europe, both at an EU-level and nationally.