9

A wide range of measures and programs have been set up to promote the chances of youths entering the job market. These schemes have slowly become a permanent feature of educational and employment policies. Resources allocated to furthering these policies are considerable. However, assessment of the impact of such programs, especially those designed to help the young unemployed youths, have shown that they have not been as effective in enabling access to permanent jobs as might be hoped for. Education et Sociétés considered the issue important enough to organize a discussion on the topic to highlight the main issues concerning the programs in support of young people integrating into the job market and to discuss the criteria by which these could be assessed. The contributors exchanged their viewpoints through interactive e-mails rather than in person. They focused principally on French programs in support of integration.