PROMOTING AN INCLUSIVE LABOUR MARKET AT LOCAL LEVEL SOCIAL INVESTMENT IN CITIES

Transcription

1 PROMOTING AN INCLUSIVE LABOUR MARKET AT LOCAL LEVEL SOCIAL INVESTMENT IN CITIES

2 3 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 3 BARCELONA THE LABORA PROGRAMME 8 ESSEN THE PROFESSOR EGGERS COURSE 10 GHENT LINK TO WORK 12 GOTHENBURG THE PUZZLE 14 HELSINKI CREATING EMPLOYMENT PATHWAYS FOR MIGRANTS 16 IZMIR IZMIR CITY COLLEGE PROJECT 18 MADRID THE NEIGHBOURHOOD EMPLOYMENT PLANS 20 NACKA VOUCHERS FOR JOBS 22 NEWCASTLE THE SKILL MILL 24 PRESTON THE CITIZENZONE PROJECT 26 TAMPERE SUPPORTED TRAINEESHIPS FOR MIGRANTS 28 TILBURG YOUTH WORK EXPERIENCE GRANT AND THE MASTER WORK EXPERIENCE GRANT 30 INTRODUCTION For several years job creaton and the fght aganst unemployment have been hgh on the agenda of the European nsttutons and the member states. Dfferent ntatves have been launched to promote smart, sustanable and nclusve growth, stmulate the economy and to create jobs. Nevertheless the employment stuaton n Europe contnues to reman crtcal and rsks becomng a structural problem. The challenges are well documented from low levels of growth and job creaton, to a msmatch of sklls to labour market needs. There has been hgh youth unemployment, a growng number of young people not n employment, educaton or tranng (NEET) and a rse n the numbers of long term unemployed and early school leavers. Barrers to labour market access persst for many groups. Even n parts of Europe where employment s ncreasng many people fnd themselves wthout adequate resources to lve. Inequalty and poverty, ncludng n-work poverty, are on the rse. In the EUROCITIES Declaraton on Work we make t clear that n order to effectvely tackle the challenge of worklessness n Europe and acheve long term sustanable employment a holstc approach s needed. Ths approach should recognse the role that ctes play n developng the nclusve labour market landscape. Even though ctes do not always have a formal leadng role or drect responsblty they do carry out ntatves that are crucal to boost employment and promote nclusve labour markets at local level. European ctes are commtted to provdng ntegrated and qualty socal servces to people to ensure ther actve ncluson n the labour market and socety and to foster socal coheson. They are frontlne provders of socal schemes and coordnate projects between dverse organsatons at local level. Ths contrbutes to the overall objectves of the European Commsson to modernse welfare systems and n partcular to mprove the effcency and effectveness of socal nterventon through affordable and qualty publc servces. 1 EUROCITIES, as the network of major European ctes, dentfes good practces from ctes, facltates mutual learnng, and rases awareness of these practces amongst regonal, natonal and European stakeholders through our actvtes. In March 2015 the Socal and Employment Councl 2 defned and hghlghted the mportance of nclusve labour market measures ncludng schemes and publc nterventons that am to ncrease the employablty and partcpaton of people that are far from the labour market. These people can be n dsadvantaged stuatons, at rsk of dscrmnaton, and face other specfc barrers when accessng the labour market. The good practces n ths publcaton help to dentfy some of the actons ctes take to support an effectve nclusve labour market at local level. October European Commsson, Communcaton from the Commsson to the European Parlament and the Councl, Towards Socal Investment for Growth and Coheson ncludng mplementng the European Socal Fund , 20 February 2013, COM(2013), avalable at: 2 Draft Councl Conclusons 6182/15 Movng towards more nclusve labour markets, March 2015

3 4 PROMOTING AN INCLUSIVE LABOUR MARKET AT LOCAL LEVEL SOCIAL INVESTMENT IN CITIES 5 CITIES AT WORK: KEY FINDINGS FROM THE GOOD PRACTICES From the very dfferent examples, t s possble to dentfy cty led actons and measures that promote an nclusve labour market and enhance the effectveness of other polcy nterventons taken at dfferent levels. 1. NEEDS ASSESSMENT: DEFINING THE TARGET GROUPS In all the practces people n dsadvantaged or vulnerable stuatons are the clear target groups. The target groups dentfed are: young people n vulnerable stuatons (short and long term unemployed, mgrants, young adults wth varous addctons, young people wth mental llness, ex offenders) long term unemployed ncludng people not accessng welfare benefts EU and non-eu mgrants people over 50 years old people wth dsabltes 2. HARNESSING CITIES KNOWLEDGE OF THE LOCAL LABOUR MARKET AND THE SKILLS NEEDED Ctes play a pvotal role n assessng labour market needs, n dentfyng pathways for sklls development, and n desgnng and mplementng talored employment servces adapted to the local communty. To do ths ctes promote: Upskllng Provson of VET courses talored to the needs of the local labour market and based on local economy analyss, ncludng key sector assessment and creaton of on the job tranng. Development of specfc methodologes to help vulnerable young people. For example young people wth mental llness, to get ther school certfcate and become rentegrated nto socety and the labour market. Provson of language courses ntegrated wth IT and VET courses. Provson of hghly personalsed support to unemployed people Offerng a personalsed servce under the gudance of employment coaches, medators and facltators. Specfc actons by neghbourhood employment facltators to reach out to people from dsadvantaged groups and motvatng them to partcpate n customsed labour nserton measures. Natve speakers, also known as anchors workng wthn the publc employment servce offces and gudng mgrant benefcares through the dfferent avalable servces. Provson of traneeshps and work placement A combnaton of work tral experence and subsdsed work system. Supportng mgrants nto the local labour market by provdng them wth work experence through a traneeshp, job tranngs and language courses. Indvdualsed approach: staff from the employment servce dentfy the best traneeshp opportuntes among publc offces, prvate companes, and assocatons. Traneeshps offered to younger and older workers: defnng a personalsed profle and provdng support throughout. Proflng job opportuntes and matchng them wth local labour market needs. Creatng an onlne platform whch allows traceablty of nformaton among socal servce and job placement professonals. Usng an onlne platform to create personalsed profles, undertakng onlne job searches, managng onlne clams and accessng job opportuntes. Implementng a competency assessment model: to enhance the sklls of people beyond ther prevous tranng and professonal experence. 3. WORKING IN PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER STAKEHOLDERS Ctes need to work n partnershp wth natonal authortes to get the rght degree of flexblty from natonal frameworks n order to adapt polces to local realtes such as the needs of the local labour market and the characterstcs of the target groups. Ctes can use soft power to help buld and lead partnershps to maxmse the use of local socal, human and economc captal. These partnershps can take dfferent forms from top down to horzontal wth the cty and other actors workng together. For example they can lead to the settng up of an ad hoc consultatve body or a new publc-prvate partnershp. Wth ctes leadng and supportng such partnershps t also ensures that the ntatve has the rght knowledge and expertse nvolved ncludng that comng from the thrd sector and the academc feld and that a strong lnk wth the local prvate sector s promoted. Close follow up by an occupatonal therapst that ensures both employers and the partcpants have constant support.

4 6 PROMOTING AN INCLUSIVE LABOUR MARKET AT LOCAL LEVEL SOCIAL INVESTMENT IN CITIES 7 Man types of partnershps promoted by ctes are: Cooperaton wth other levels of government (partnershp wth the natonal employment servce and wth relevant natonal mnstres such as educaton, labour, welfare, and justce). Cooperaton wth prvate employment agences. Cooperaton wth thrd sector assocatons (mgrants assocatons, youth organsatons, NGOs possessng specfc expertse n supportng vulnerable groups). Partnershp wth VET and formal educaton provders. Partnershp wth employers, prvate companes and busness assocatons. Partnershp wth trade unons. Partnershp between the cty responsble for coordnatng and evaluatng the actvtes and the prvate delvery enttes responsble for provdng the welfare servces. Partnershp between the cty and other dfferent publc and prvate actors to establsh non-proft socal enterprses. CONCLUSIONS As hghlghted n the EUROCITIES poston on the EU Urban Agenda, ctes are drvers of qualty jobs and sustanable growth. Ctes are major employers, procurers, socal servce provders, regulators and nvestors wth a strong role to play n supportng SMEs and entrepreneurs, and brokerng new partnershps. Ths publcaton shows how cty authortes can desgn effectve talor made and ntegrated servces to support those furthest from the labour market. The most effectve ntatves n ths feld are rooted n local communtes and have an advanced understandng of local condtons and the local labour market. Ctes are crucal n the fght aganst unemployment and socal excluson. They are pvotal actors n promotng better polces and more effectve nterventons that lead to sgnfcant outcomes, whch actvate the workforce, mprove employablty and provde jobs opportuntes. EUROCITIES beleves that polces and measures n ths feld must be ambtous, and that a stronger and more systematc role for local authortes wll strengthen ther overall mpact. Ths should be establshed through a specfc commtment from European and natonal bodes to nvolve ctes n the desgn, mplementaton and evaluaton of the measures needed to address the challenge of ncreased labour market excluson. 4. COORDINATION ACROSS CITY DEPARTMENTS AND SERVICES The coordnaton of dfferent departments and ntatves at cty level not only maxmses mpact and ncreases effcency but also leads to more accessble and user frendly servces. Examples nclude: The creaton of one-stop shops provdng both employment and socal servces, ncludng moble one-stop shops gong nto deprved urban areas to ncrease the outreach of the servces provded by ctes. Coordnaton between dfferent cty departments provdng employment and socal servces, targetng groups that have dffcultes n accessng those servces. Welfare counsellng used as an entry pont to other servces: for example benefcares are dentfed by welfare organsatons workng on parental support and then offered professonal tranng or employment opportuntes. Provson of ntegrated welfare programmes through unfed muncpal vouchers offerng a wde range of servces. For example language courses for mgrants, adult educaton courses, workplace tranng, and nternshps. Ths publcaton has receved fnancal support from the European Unon Programme for Employment and Socal Innovaton EaSI ( ). For further nformaton please consult: The nformaton contaned n ths publcaton does not necessarly reflect the offcal poston of the European Commsson.

5 9 BARCELONA 2,621 PEOPLE WERE SERVED JOBS AVAILABLE ON THE PLATFORM 132 INSERTIONS INTO EMPLOYMENT ACHIEVED THE LABORA PROGRAMME The LABORA programme s promoted by the local government, mplemented by socal servces, and desgned and managed n cooperaton wth the thrd sector. Its man objectve s to create a protected labour market enrched wth job opportuntes for the most at rsk. Partcular attenton s pad to matchng specfc labour market opportuntes wth the personal profles of benefcares. The man target groups dentfed are: young people between years old who are long term unemployed, young mgrants, and young adults years old wth varous addctons long term unemployed ncludng specfc profles such as women wthout benefts mgrants people over 55 years old ELADI TORRES MANAGEMENT ADVISOR, AREA OF QUALITY OF LIFE, EQUALITY AND SPORTS ETORRESG@BCN.CAT THE LABORA PROGRAMME A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP PROMOTED BY THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT FOR UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE ESPECIALLY AT RISK OF SOCIAL EXCLUSION. Barcelona s currently mmersed n an economc and socal crss. Accordng to data from the Catalan Government, n December 2014 Barcelona had 99,056 regstered unemployed ctzens. There s also an ncrease n long term unemployment and of people experencng or at rsk of socal excluson. At the same tme the Barcelona Cty Councl launched the LABORA programme, whch ams to promote specfc measures for those unemployed people especally at rsk of socal excluson. LABORA s a partnershp between the Catalan Enttes for Socal Acton, the Federaton of Inserton Companes of Catalona, the Red Cross and around 140 busnesses. It brngs together ther knowhow to defne a model for employment promoton and placement for the most vulnerable people n the cty. The key features of the LABORA programme are: A one-stop shop for ctzens accessng the 40 Cty Centres of Socal Servces (CSS) n search of answers to ther employment and socal needs. For example support to school drop outs, protecton aganst volence, etc. A protected labour market for people wth dffcultes ntegratng nto the manstream labour market and dentfyng publc and prvate job offers for benefcares. A personalsed servce under the gudance of an employment coach who performs a soco-demographc proflng partnershp to assess the benefcares socal needs and employablty. Implementaton of a competency assessment model to enhance the sklls of people beyond ther tranng and professonal experence, and gve them a customsed employment plan. A comprehensve ndvdualsed model that responds to the socal and labour needs of the people accessng the socal servces centres n the cty. An onlne platform whch allows for the traceablty of nformaton among socal servces and job placement professonals, creatng personalsed profles and matchng job seekers to job opportuntes. Access for benefcares to a wder range of servces ncludng professonal tranng programmes already promoted by the cty. SUCCESS FACTORS AND RESULTS Snce t was started n December 2014, the LABORA programme has delvered tmely results thanks to a team of 8 job placement professonals and 23 mentors dstrbuted across the cty, wth more beng placed n areas wth hgher volumes of people at rsk of socal excluson. The programme provdes a comprehensve response to unemployment of vulnerable groups through the coordnaton of several CSS and networkng wth thrd sector organsatons who provde human resources, expertse and specfc knowhow n the feld of employment of vulnerable groups. The programme s lnked to the leadng prvate employment agences n the cty and to more than 40 prvate busnesses. From 1 December 2014 to 15 Aprl 2015: 3,929 people accessed the Centres for Socal Servces 2,621 people were served 1,263 companes were contacted 200 jobs were made avalable through the programme 132 nsertons nto employment were acheved The man nnovaton of LABORA s the partnershp between the local admnstraton of Barcelona Cty Councl, thrd sector socal organsatons (both NGOs and socal enterprses), prvate companes and prvate employment agences to provde employment pathways specfc to the target groups. The programme also ams to establsh a local labour market observatory, by commssonng sectoral studes and analysng user data, n order to specfcally observe the trends of the CHALLENGES, LESSONS LEARNED AND RECOMMENDATIONS One of the man challenges was settng up the publc-prvate partnershp, whch s the core of the programme. Even though the mplementaton of the programme started very well, t remans challengng to nvolve so many dfferent partes n the day to day operatons of the programme. The defnton of a comprehensve model based on a onestop shop requres a tremendous effort n dentfyng and coordnatng the dfferent servces and resources of the cty. Some of these challenges were solved through establshng workng groups composed of representatves from the dfferent partes nvolved. local economy and address the sklls msmatch. The onlne platform provdes a constant montorng of the programme ncludng actons carred out and users served, whch can be consulted by all stakeholders. The platform also serves as a database of user profles and job offers, matchng job seekers to job opportuntes avalable n the prvate sector, the thrd sector and the local admnstraton. These workng groups are organsed around the major tasks of the programme (competency model settng, dentfcaton and coordnaton of resources, etc.) and meet regularly to dscuss progress. Even though t s a relatvely new programme, LABORA has become the recognsed employment servce for people wth dffcultes n accessng the labour market and at rsk of socal excluson n the cty. LABORA ams to coordnate and readapt the exstng employment and socal servces n order to respond to the needs of the target groups.

6 11 ESSEN YOUNG PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS ARE ABLE TO OBTAIN THEIR SCHOOL CERTIFICATION OF THE BENEFICIARIES WENT ON TO OBTAIN A FURTHER SCHOOL CERTIFICATION HEIKE HURLIN HEAD OF THE SECOND CHANCE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HEIKE.HURLIN@VHS.ESSEN.DE EGGERS/ THE PROFESSOR EGGERS COURSE A PROGRAMME ASSISTING YOUNG ADULTS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS TO OBTAIN A SCHOOL CERTIFICATE TO IMPROVE THEIR EMPLOYABILITY AND AUTONOMY. Experencng mental llness durng chldhood can mean spendng tme n clncal therapy nstead of gong to school. Ths can result n young people leavng school wthout any certfcate or chance of ntegraton nto the labour market. About 300 young people leave school wthout any certfcate every year n Essen and wthout any prospect of ntegraton nto the labour market. About 4,000 young people under 25 years old are unemployed and lve on welfare; one quarter of these are sngle parents. In the framework of ts screenng project Support 25, whch ran from , the job centre n Essen found out that nearly all of ther 300 clents under 25 had been dagnosed wth a mental health ssue (post-traumatc and stress dsorder, depresson, borderlne dsorder and others). At the same tme n 2006 the Professor Eggers Foundaton and the Volkshochschule, started a partnershp to offer courses devoted to young people wth mental llness. constant ndvdual feedback gven to the students specfc evaluaton of all courses gven Specfc attenton s pad to the preparaton of the transton from school lfe durng the course to workng and socal lfe, n partcular through: SUCCESS FACTORS The results acheved so far are much better than expected and show that young people wth mental llness are able to obtan ther school certfcaton f they are supported n a dedcated way. tranng to wrte CVs and prepare applcatons tranng n publc speakng and communcaton tranng n IT a two week nternshp attendng a seres of events that advocate the ntegraton of young After two years, over 70% of the benefcares went on to obtan a further school certfcaton wth eght of them ether achevng a qualfcaton to attend hgher secondary educaton or recevng the hghest German school certfcaton. people wth mental llness n an entertanng way theatre projects photo exhbtons a jont ntatve wth the local rotary club to restore and preserve hstorcal publc sgns The ndvdual and personal development of the benefcares was mpressve wth an evdent mprovement n ther self confdence and socal and communcaton sklls. THE PROFESSOR EGGERS COURSE Started n 2006 the course s a jont project between the Department for Second Chance Educaton at Volkshochschule and the Professor Eggers Foundaton. It helps young adults wth mental llnesses lke schzophrena, depresson and socal phobas to obtan school certfcates whch they ddn t receve durng ther compulsory The Professor Eggers Foundaton specalses n soco-psychatrc and rehabltatve lvng and housng models for young people sufferng from schzophrena or other mental llnesses. The Volkshochschule s an adult educaton centre wth a Department for Second Chance Educaton. educaton because of ther llness and hosptal stays. The specfc features of the course are: a quet learnng envronment n small groups psychosocal accompanment by an experenced psychologst experenced teachers provdng ndvdual learnng models addtonal support from a theatre pedagogue competence orentaton a strct weekly montorng of each student s progress A specfc methodology was dentfed to help young people wth mental llness get ther school certfcate and become rentegrated nto socety and the labour market step by step. Cooperaton between the cty of Essen (Adult Learnng Centre) and the thrd CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNED Ths project addresses head on some of the man challenges that young people wth mental llness face; from attendng lessons daly to takng publc transport and beng asked to relate and communcate wth classmates and teachers. Ths requres a specfc ndvdualsed support and some dedcated nvestment n terms of the professonal expertse needed. sector assocatons nvolved has proven to be mutually benefcal and has led to postve results. The course tself s unque n Germany and shows the mpact of such ntatves n terms of reducng prejudce and mprovng ntegraton. The results acheved both n terms of formal educatonal attanment, personal development and socal ncluson show that these knds of ntatve provde a unque opportunty for learnng, mprovng self confdence and breakng cycles of solaton and bullyng.

7 13 GHENT JOB SEEKERS AND NEWCOMERS CAN COMMUNICATE IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE TRANSITION FROM WELFARE TO EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE To combat ths, Ghent set up a steerng group to desgn and mplement actons n the feld of mgrant ntegraton, one of whch was the LINK TO WORK ntatve. The project ams to ntegrate mgrants from Eastern Europe nto the labour market. It focuses on the provson of comprehensve support to famles facng varous socal ssues and explorng effectve methods to ntegrate the target groups nto socety. The partnershp mplementng the project s led by the cty and composed of: the regonal and local publc employment servce (VDAB) TINEKE CARTREUL TINEKE.CARTREUL@STAD.GENT JAN DE METS JAN.DEMETS@STAD.GENT THE LINK TO WORK PROGRAMME LINK TO WORK A PROGRAMME TO INTEGRATE MIGRANTS FROM EASTERN EUROPE INTO THE LABOUR MARKET AND PROVIDE THEM WITH COMPREHENSIVE SOCIAL SUPPORT. In 2014 Ghent had an average of 15,727 jobseekers of whom 5,584 were from an ethnc mnorty (35%). Also 7,142 of those, or 45%, had no or a low qualfcaton. In recent years the cty of Ghent has been confronted wth a large nflux of Slovak and Bulgaran ctzens, mostly of Roma orgn, who are lookng for better lves and job opportuntes. Out of a total of 250,000 nhabts n the cty of Ghent, there are up to 10,000 mgrants wth Slovak or Bulgaran roots. In contrast, n 2014 only 638 people of Slovakan or Bulgaran orgn were regstered wth the Publc Employment Servces. The vast majorty of these mgrants are facng many dffcultes n accessng the labour market due to ther rather problematc backgrounds; ncludng problems such as unfnshed basc educaton, weak labour sklls and no work experence. Most of them do not speak Dutch and face dffcultes regsterng wth the cty authortes. a project NGO - Ghent - cty at work whch belongs to the cty and ams to promote more and better jobs. It s made up of over 60 partnerorgansatons n the feld of employment, educaton and welfare a welfare organsaton - De SLOEP supportng famles wth chldren. The project conssts of two sub-projects: Ankerfguren and Go between. Both projects are regularly montored and evaluated by all the partcpatng organsatons as well as by the workers nvolved n the ntatve, wth a constant exchange of vews and experence sharng. The two ntatves n bref: Ankerfguren s based on a personalsed approach and brngs together the dfferent servces provded to the target groups. Two anchors or medators of Slovak and Bulgaran orgn, assst the unemployed by provdng support wth everyday matters such as housng or health care, answerng ther questons and gudng them towards the employment or socal offce, professonal counsellors or language courses. These anchors work wthn the publc employment servce offces (PES) to ensure contact wth the target groups s smooth and easy. Go between s an ntatve mplemented by the Muncpal House of the Chld De SLOEP whch offers a varety of parental support (educaton, housng, health etc.) to famles wth chldren from nne months to sx years and n partcular to pregnant SUCCESS FACTORS AND Ankerfguren project Havng Slovak and Bulgaran anchors proved to be successful: job seekers and newcomers can communcate n ther own language and easly establsh a relatonshp wth them. The anchors have been of substantal help n approachng the target group, provdng useful nformaton and establshng a valuable lnk between the target groups and local authortes. As a result, regstraton wth the offcal employment servces has ncreased. Go between project The ntegraton of welfare and employment servces helped target a secton of the populaton that would otherwse most lkely never have been dentfed by the employment servces. It was nnovatve to have the startng pont as welfare counsellng: benefcares are dentfed by welfare organsatons workng on parental support and then offered professonal tranng or employment opportuntes, wth a seamless transton from welfare to employment gudance. In autumn 2015 a publcaton on the LINK TO WORK ntatve wll be publshed contanng a detaled descrpton of the methodology and the man features of success. women, famles lvng n poverty, or wth mgrant backgrounds. De SLOEP works closely wth other welfare organsatons. The Go between project started from the realsaton that parents who beneft from socal support very often face serous ssues CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNED Developng servces startng from the clent s perspectve and provdng ntense gudance led to greater outreach. Medaton and counsellng s based very much on trust: havng medators speakng the same language as benefcares helped create that trust. Thanks to the relatonshp wth the medators, benefcares turn to them wth a wde range of ssues, whch are ndrect obstacles to accessng the labour market. A holstc approach s therefore requred n order to deal wth these ssues (housng, chldcare, labour etc.) and specfc nvestment s needed to coordnate and network dfferent servces. n fndng ther way nto employment. Counsellors from De SLOEP and the PES form a team to gude the target groups towards the best socal servces for them, professonal tranng or employment, provdng ther own specfc expertse n each doman. Focusng on the new nflux of mgrants ncludng new EU-ctzens or ntra European ctzens from former Eastern European countres and Roma helps target specfc ssues. Fne tunng the profles and competences of the medators and regular servce provders s needed n order to mprove the approach towards clents wth a-typcal problems and stuatons, such as, havng a recent mgraton background or lackng some basc employablty sklls.

8 15 GOTHENBURG COOPERATION BETWEEN THE CITY COUNCIL AND A WIDE RANGE OF ACTORS UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF A SPECIALISED NGO TAILORED AND INDIVIDUALLY DESIGNED INTERNSHIPS EMMA LYRDAL EMMA.LYRDAL@BRACKEDIAKONI.SE ANDERS EDNERSSON ANDERS.EDNERSSON@ARBVUX. GOTEBORG.SE THE PUZZLE EMPLOYMENT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES The current economc downturn has made t dffcult for vulnerable groups to enter the labour market. The local labour market n Gothenburg s charactersed by hgh unemployment rates among foregn born people and people wth dsabltes. Among people wth physcal dsabltes the unemployment rate s even hgher. In the last 10 years n Gothenburg, the regstered unemployment rate for people wth dsabltes has ncreased by about 10%. After fnshng school, an ncreasng number of the target group receve fnancal support through the Swedsh Socal Insurance Agency nstead of enterng the labour market or startng studes. In order to mprove ths stuaton, the cty of Gothenburg together wth Bräcke dakon (a NGO specalsed n the ncluson of people wth dsabltes), the Publc Employment Servce and the Swedsh Socal Insurance Agency started a jont project called The Puzzle. SUCCESS FACTORS AND RESULTS The effectve cooperaton between the cty councl and a wde range of actors under the umbrella of a specalsed NGO. Talored and ndvdually desgned nternshps together wth professonal support. In the begnnng the objectve was prmarly to moblse partcpants general nterest towards the labour market or further educaton, now the project shows an ncreased chance of movng the partcpants nto employment after they conclude ther nternshps. The project has dentfed that many employers are afrad to employ a person wth dsabltes. One of the key nnovatve elements of the project s the close follow up done by an occupatonal therapst that ensures both the employers and the partcpant have constant support durng the project. The therapst also provdes specfc advce on how to make the work envronment fully accessble to the partcpants. Ths support addresses the ssues of mutual adaptaton between the employers and partcpants that arse from the nternshp and contrbutes n the long run to buldng confdence and dentfyng common tools for facng obstacles and dffcultes. THE PUZZLE PROGRAMME The man target group s people wth physcal dsabltes between years old. Most of them have never been employed. Key features of the programme: The Puzzle s lead by Bräcke dakon, n cooperaton wth the Publc Employment Servce, the Swedsh Socal Insurance Agency and the Gothenburg Cty Councl. Bräcke dakon has many years of experence n recrutng and promotng access to the labour market or further educaton for people wth physcal dsabltes. Ther success s based on professonal sklls development, n cooperaton wth the Publc Employment Servce, the Swedsh Socal Insurance Agency and other local NGOs. The Puzzle arranges flexble employment for the partcpants and provdes fnancal support to the employer from the Publc Employment Servce. Long term support from occupatonal therapsts from Bräcke dakon s also provded to both employers and the partcpants durng the whole project. The project has a clear and hghly ndvdualsed approach; wth partcpants havng tme to create ther own objectves and buld up ther capacty. The project postvely assumes that every partcpant s able to work. Bräcke dakon provdes on-the-spot support both for the employer and the partcpant. The Puzzle puts a great effort nto matchng the future employer wth the employee. The Puzzle challenges the preconceptons about young people wth dsabltes among employers and also among the young people themselves. The project encourages authortes such as the Publc Employment servce and the Swedsh Socal Insurance to engage n new challenges and explore new possbltes n regards to the ncluson of young people wth dsabltes. The project has concentrated the cty councl s efforts towards the ambtous objectve of employng people wth dsabltes. CHALLENGES AND RECOMMENDATIONS A number of factors mpact negatvely on the access of people wth dsabltes to the labour market, ncludng: the overall economc crss and the ncreasng level of unemployment the preconceptons and prejudces about the target group and ther employablty the low self-esteem among the target group the dstrbuton of responsbltes and related servces to several dfferent authortes The Puzzle as a project must pay partcular attenton to the followng challenges: fnancal sustanablty and future fundng the efforts needed n order to promote talored and ndvdualsed measures.

9 17 HELSINKI OPPORTUNITY TO GET THE LEVEL OF FINNISH LANGUAGE NEEDED ON THE JOB MARKET THE CITY WITNESSED AN IMPROVEMENT IN EMPLOYABILITY RUSLAN HAARALA SENIOR PLANNING OFFICER, CITY OF HELSINKI CREATING EMPLOYMENT PATHWAYS FOR MIGRANTS A COMBINATION OF LANGUAGE COURSES, WORK TRIALS AND SUBSIDISED WORK FOR MIGRANTS. At the begnnng of % of the nhabtants of Helsnk were non-natve speakers and t s forecast that by 2030 that the number wll exceed 20%. In the Helsnk area there are 136 regstered spoken languages and over 170 natonaltes. The tral work servce s structured so that one or two days a week are fully reserved to language tranng (sx hours a day). Durng ths perod the benefcary s enttled to unemployment beneft and a daly allowance for study. It takes approxmately four to sx months. The subsdsed work servce, whch comes after the tral work servce, contnues wth two hours a week of language tranng. Durng the subsdsed work servce the benefcares have a temporary employment contract and get a salary. It usually takes from three to sx months. After completng the programme, all the qualfcatons of the benefcares are recognsed and acknowledged. The programme takes from eght to 12 month and the benefcares are fully commtted for the duraton. The labour market has also been changng and faces ncreasng challenges. The development of technology, the growth of the global market as well as the ncrease n the ageng populaton has affected the structure of the labour market. At the end of 2014 the employment rate of mgrants was 52.7% whle the employment rate Fnnsh people was 73.1%. In the captal area the sector wth the hghest rate of employment of the mgrant populaton s n one wth low payng jobs. Among some of the man reasons dentfed for the hgh rate of mgrant unemployment are the scarce knowledge of the Fnnsh language, a poor level of educaton and the challenge of ntegratng nto Fnnsh socety. SUCCESS FACTORS AND Benefcares have a unque opportunty to get the level of Fnnsh language needed on the job market and to acqure some specfc professonal vocabulares. The cty wtnessed an mprovement n the employablty of the target groups thanks to the practcal experence n workng envronments, the development of practcal and transversal sklls and the opportunty to get acquanted wth Fnnsh lfe and work style. Work experence makes the benefcares more confdent when lookng for a job and more motvated to pursue professonal tranng for specfc careers. The combnaton of Fnnsh language tranng, tral work experence and the subsdsed work system have proven to be very effectve n mprovng the employablty of the benefcares and respondng to the needs of the local labour market. KEY FEATURES OF THE PROGRAMME CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNED The cty of Helsnk n cooperaton wth the natonal Employment and Economc Development Offce establshed a support programme for the employment of mgrants. The specfc target group s made up of mgrant people already regstered at the Employment and Economc Development offce. The programme s based on a combnaton of two servces: employment through tral work servce and a pad subsdes work servce. The budget for the ntatve was about 1.5m. Throughout the whole process, the benefcares can mprove ther Fnnsh language sklls and access career gudance to mprove ther employablty. Before the start of the programme the benefcares have to take a language test. Ther needs are assessed and accordng to the result of the test they are advsed on what type of tranng wll be most useful for them. Dealng wth a number of mgrants job seekers requres a strong commtment as well as the rght support mechansms. At the end of the current cycle of the programme, the cty councl does not have the necessary resources to offer publc jobs drectly to the benefcares therefore t s vtal to reach out to the prvate sector and change employers atttudes towards mgrants. The language tranng should be strongly geared towards a more vocatonal tranng language orentaton n order to boost employablty. Provdng language learnng and work trals n parallel resulted n the successful placement of mgrants nto the labour market. The cooperaton between the local employment offce, the cty councl, several educatonal organsatons and the employers s crucal for the success of the programme and should be ntensfed and strengthened.

10 19 IZMIR 11 COURSES LOCATED IN DIFFERENT NEIGHBOURHOODS AROUND THE CITY 20,479 PEOPLE GRADUATED SEYHAN TOTUK IZMIR METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY, STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, EU AND GRANT PROJECTS DIRECTORATE PROJECTSINACTION/308/584/EN IZMIR CITY COLLEGE PROJECT A TAILORED SET OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT COURSES FOR THOSE FURTHEST FROM THE LABOUR MARKET. Izmr Metropoltan Muncpalty (IMM) s the thrd largest cty n Turkey and accordng to data from 2013 from the Turksh Statstcal Insttute, the unemployment rate n Izmr s around 15.4% (the average rate n Turkey s 9.7%). In 2012 the women s unemployment rate n Izmr was 21.2%, 25.6% for young people, and 28.8% for the long term unemployed. In the perod the Izmr Metropoltan Muncpalty decded to focus on a comprehensve approach to tackle unemployment, especally that of young people, women and low ncome famles and was promoted by the IZMEB programme (Vocatonal Educaton and Sklls Tranng Courses). In 2015 the IZMEB programme was structurally renewed and turned nto the Izmr Cty College Project. RESULTS SUCCESS FACTORS The Izmr Cty College Project s based on the prevous ntatve IZMEB (Vocatonal Educaton and Sklls Tranng Courses). Below are the results of the IZMEB project: The IZMEB tranng courses reached dsadvantaged groups wth 11 courses located n dfferent neghbourhoods around the cty. IZMEB provded free courses n 62 branches around the fve prorty economc sectors but also on languages, contemporary and tradtonal arts, cookng, musc, etc. Between a total of 20,479 people graduated from these courses. A detaled labour market analyss and sklls forecastng led to the dentfcaton of 20 of the best VET pathways and related courses needed n the cty. The focus on entrepreneural sklls development and tranng them to create prototypes, desgnng fve year busness plans and commercal strateges. A large dssemnaton and awareness rasng about the project addressng the target groups, relevant publc bodes, busnesses and NGOs. Governance structure: the project ams to create synerges between vocatonal educaton, employment opportuntes and ndustry needs and mprove cooperaton between local stakeholders. Holstc approach to VET actvtes: the desgnng of courses based on the labour market and local economy analyss ncludng key sector assessments and provson of on-thejob tranng. Wde target groups: not only the unemployed and the long term unemployed but also the actve work force between the ages of years old n need of a qualfcaton. KEY FEATURES OF THE PROGRAMME The programme started n January 2015 and t s coordnated by the Izmr Metropoltan Muncpalty and partally funded by the Izmr Development Agency. 1 The target groups are: unemployed young people, women, the long term unemployed and companes that are n need of qualfed staff. Addtonal targets are actve workforces n need of specalsaton and requalfcaton as well as techncal hgh schools and unversty students. The man am s to enhance the employablty of the target groups through the provson of dfferent VET courses n a newly establshed VET cty college talored to the needs of the local labour market. The college s supported by the cty councl n close cooperaton wth the local prvate sector and VET nsttutons. Some of the programme partners nclude: Yaşar Unversty R&D Applcaton Centre, the Ege Unversty Solar Energy Insttute, the Aegean Regon Chamber of Industry and the Izmr Unon of Chambers of Tradesmen. Partnershp s ensured by a steerng commttee where all the stakeholders are represented. Specfc agreements are sgned wth prvate companes n order to foster the lnk wth actual job opportuntes. Specfc local labour market analyss and sklls forecastng are undertaken n order to desgn talor made courses focused on addressng the sklls msmatch at local level. For example, labour market analyss wll dentfy the fve most promsng economc sectors n demand of labour for the next fve years and the VET course wll be desgned accordngly. There s a clear focus to develop soft sklls, as well as entrepreneural sklls and provde vocatonal gudance. The fnal am of the programme s to enhance Izmr s compettveness and economc development n key sectors and brng nnovaton to vocatonal educaton. For ths reason, a specfc focus s gven to promotng entrepreneurshp through Fablabs, a techncal prototypng platform for nnovaton and nventon. CHALLENGES, RECOMMENDATIONS & WORK FOR THE FUTURE Cooperaton wth partners and stakeholders can be very challengng. To cope wth ths the project set up consulatons, surveys and vsts for all nvolved. Even though the fnancal sustanablty of the project s assured by IMM and Izmr Development Agency - whch covers 75% of the project s budget together - lookng for more sources of fundng could be one of the next challenges. The ntegrated approach of desgnng VET pathways talored to the local labour market s a model that could be shared wth other muncpaltes and mplemented n plot projects. Partcular attenton must be pad to the accredtaton and certfcaton process as sklled tranees wth a globally recognsed certfcate wll fnd t easer to demonstrate to employers that they have the rght knowledge, experence and educaton. 1 Other programme contrbutors are: Izmr Drectorate of Turksh Employment Agency, Ege Unversty Vocatonal School, Young Busnessmen Assocaton of Turkey Aegean Branch, Aegean Free Zone.

11 21 MADRID THE NEIGHBOURHOOD EMPLOYMENT FACILITATORS HAVE PROVIDED THEIR SERVICES TO 4,596 PEOPLE 2,527 PEOPLE BENEFIT FROM THE CAREER GUIDANCE SERVICE The Neghbourhood Employment Plans are a key tool n promotng the employment of the most dsadvantaged people n the cty. These groups are the prorty of the Madrd Employment Agency (Agenca para el Empleo de Madrd - AEM). The objectve of ths ntatve s to attract resdents that have dffcultes n fndng employment, provde them wth customsed career gudance and tranngs that meet ther needs, and facltate ther access to the labour market. Each neghbourhood has developed an employment plan that ncludes three lnes of acton: BELEN GARCÍA DÍAZ DIRECTOR, MADRID EMPLOYMENT AGENCY GARCIADBE@MADRID.ES THE NEIGHBOURHOOD EMPLOYMENT PLANS THE NEIGHBOURHOOD EMPLOYMENT PLANS AN INTEGRATED EMPLOYMENT MEASURE BY THE CITY COUNCIL TO TARGET VULNERABLE GROUPS IN SPECIFIC NEIGHBOURHOODS. In the frst quarter of 2015 accordng to the Natonal Labour Market Survey (EPA), Madrd s unemployment rate was 17.79%, the lowest unemployed rate among the major regons due to a decrease of 11.0%. However, some neghbourhoods are charactersed by hgh rates of unemployment and the presence of vulnerable groups experencng dffcultes accessng the labour market. Madrd s local government has made t a prorty to revtalse employment n these neghbourhoods wth the am to promote a more balanced socal and terrtoral development of the cty. Snce 2009, Madrd Cty Councl and the Madrd Federaton of Regonal Neghbourhood Assocatons have been mplementng specfc Neghbourhood Employment Plans. These plans were launched to promote employment among the most dsadvantaged groups: the long term unemployed, women, young people, NEETS, older and low sklled workers, and people wth dsabltes. outreach to target groups and careers gudance job huntng tranng and job placement The approach used by the Neghbourhood Employment Plan s charactersed by ntense drect contact wth the target groups to help facltate ther access to the labour market. Specfc attenton s pad to customsng the servces to brng vulnerable groups, who normally reman solated, closer to local servces. The Neghbourhood Employment Plan also takes drect actons to tackle the ssues specfcally related to the target groups; for example lack of nformaton regardng the cty servces or the job opportuntes avalable. In ths context buldng trust s vtal and a crucal entry pont s through the nformal socal networks of these groups. To do ths the post of neghborhood employment facltator was created. Ths s a qualfed professonal n charge of motvatng people from the dsadvantaged groups to partcpate n customsed labour nserton pathways. They also mprove and renforce the channels of communcaton between the benefcares and the neghborhoods, both wth the publc actors as well as wth NGOs, cultural assocatons etc. The facltator dentfes the groups able to partcpate n the programme, assesses the obstacles that prevented them from partcpatng n the varous exstng employment programmes (tranng, career advce, job placement and entrepreneurshp) and comes up wth solutons. The specfc work programme set out by the AEM for 2015 to further develop the Employment Neghbourhood Plans can be seen below: 1. Goal: provde customsed servces focused on dsadvantaged and vulnerable groups e.g. employment consultaton, nformaton and tranng. 2. Benchmark ndcators: 900 users to be served by facltators 630 users to beneft from the career gudance servce 10 tranng courses to be held 150 students to be traned. The programme wll go through an on-gong evaluaton process that wll ensure: The achevement of the establshed goals The adopton of correctve measures f needed, takng nto account the socal or economc varables durng the mplementaton of the plan 3. Actvtes: dentfy and attract people who have more dffcultes enterng the labour market and motvate them to partcpate n customsed labour nserton pathways personalsed gudance to unemployed people n dsadvantaged stuatons who lve n the neghbourhoods ncluded n the project desgn and plan customsed labour nserton pathways learnng assessment and tranng follow-up promotng the actve partcpaton of the partners and stakeholders (NGOs, busness assocatons; retalers assocatons, neghbourhood assocatons) scholarshps for the partcpatng students to facltate ther nserton and attendance at the tranng courses. CHALLENGES AND WORK FOR THE FUTURE The best coordnaton among the partcpatng agents The montorng of the number of job placements Communcaton and nformaton dssemnaton wth ctzens and local stakeholders about the progress of the plan, as well as the acheved results. The man nnovatve approach of ths ntatve les n ncludng not only the usual unemployed target groups but all ctzens n the neghbourhoods who suffer from nequalty. Another nnovatve element s the creaton of the post of neghbourhood employment facltator, a professonal responsble for reachng out to those who normally stay away from employment programmes; mprovng ther ncluson n the neghbourhood socal networks. SUCCESS FACTORS AND RESULTS The neghbourhood employment facltators have provded ther servces to 4,596 people. 2,527 people from the target group beneft from the career gudance servce. In 2015, 900 people n dsadvantaged or vulnerable stuatons wll beneft from the servces provded by the employment facltators. Some 70% of them (630 people) are expected to become part of a career gudance process run by the Madrd Employment Agency Informaton and Careers Gudance Servce.

12 23 NACKA 6,000 CITIZENS A YEAR RECEIVE ONE OR SEVERAL VOUCHERS FOR SERVICES AIMED AT EMPLOYMENT 70 DIFFERENT COMPANIES ARE INVOLVED IN THE PROGRAMME STAFFAN STRÖM DIRECTOR OF ADULT EDUCATION STAFFAN.STROM@NACKA.SE VOUCHERS FOR JOBS A COORDINATED RESPONSE TO UNEMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION WHERE CITIZENS USE MUNICIPAL VOUCHERS TO CHOOSE THEIR SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDER. Sweden, as n most western countres, faces ncreasng problems of excluson and unemployment, whch has a huge mpact both on the ndvduals and the communty. In Sweden the dvson of responsbltes between the natonal level and the local level s not always clear when t comes to tacklng these challenges. Yet, accordng to natonal legslaton, muncpaltes have the fnal responsblty to provde and fnance socal welfare for ctzens. SUCCESS FACTORS AND RESULTS The Nacka voucher system provdes substantal benefts to ctzens, gvng them the possblty to choose the best company and to share feedback on ts performance. Ths way the company must focus on the qualty of the servces as well as on addressng the needs of the ctzens. Overall there are 70 dfferent companes nvolved n the programme. Nacka has a montorng system to measure and follow up the result of each ndvdual voucher. All results are fully transparent and publshed on the muncpalty s webste for all ctzens and companes. As a result, companes wth bad results are not chosen by ctzens n the future. Approxmately 6,000 ctzens a year receve one or several vouchers for servces amed at employment. Around 95% of the vouchers are offered n muncpal adult educaton. Nacka takes a proactve approach and offers a wde range of actvtes ncludng muncpal socal welfare programmes targetng all ctzens at rsk of excluson, wth partcular attenton pad to those who are unemployed. The muncpalty coordnates the welfare programme and fnances. It then follows up on the qualty and results. The nnovatve approach les n the formal splt between the publc authorty role played by the local government and the servce delvery role played by other publc or prvate actors. In the muncpalty, the Labour Market and the Educatonal Department, s responsble for coordnatng, fnancng and evaluatng the actvtes. On the other hand, the companes producng and delverng the welfare servces can be publc or prvate and they all compete under the same condtons n a regulated system. KEY FEATURES OF THE PROGRAMME CHALLENGES In the last decade the muncpalty of Nacka has developed a substantal welfare programme wth the am to ensure that all ctzens are economcally ndependent. As a consequence n 2015, less than 4 % of the labour force was unemployed, whch s about half the natonal unemployment rate. Ths s remarkable gven that the muncpalty had to reduce fnancal support for socal programmes and has had an annual ncrease n the populaton of 25 people per year. Wthn ths welfare programme, Nacka organsed a scheme of actvtes whch are offered accordng to the ndvdual needs of each ctzen at rsk of excluson. Key features of the programme: Staff members meet each ctzen at rsk of excluson and offer gudance servces ncludng desgnng an ndvdual programme talored on ther needs. The ctzens receve a muncpal voucher to undertake the agreed actvty; the voucher s fnanced by the muncpalty. The ctzen can then choose the company that wll delver the servce. The muncpalty of Nacka offers the followng actvtes: 1. language courses n Swedsh for mgrants 2. muncpal adult educaton (prmary school, upper secondary school, vocatonal courses) 3. an ntroducton to the Nacka communty for mmgrants 4. tranng for ncluson - labor market ntroducton 5. workplace tranng or nternshps The approach taken by Nacka allows the cty councl to focus on the strategc perspectve of the programme. It can evaluate and mprove the performance of the companes, buld up and manage qualty systems and set up long term plans for programmes whle leavng the actual mplementaton to the servce provders. The muncpalty constantly reflects on how to mprove muncpal servces n a cost effectve way. It s mportant to measure and follow up n order to make sure that each ctzen n need s offered proper welfare actvtes and also to control the economc effcency of publc spendng.

13 25 NEWCASTLE Cedrc Weber / Shutterstock.com VULNERABLE YOUNG EX- OFFENDERS HAVE BEEN EMPLOYED TEMPORARILY AT THE SKILL MILL 200 HOMES HAVE BEEN PROTECTED FROM FLOODING THE SKILL MILL HAS WON THREE MAJOR NATIONAL AWARDS THE SKILL MILL PROGRAMME The programme provdes young exoffenders wth opportuntes to undertake reparatve work wthn both urban and rural natural envronments whch leads to pad employment wth a new non-proft socal enterprse, The Skll Mll. The Skll Mll was establshed n September 2013 and became operatonal n February The programme has four man objectves: reducng re-offendng job creaton flood rsk reducton natural habtat protecton DAVID PARKS TEAM MANAGER, YOUTH OFFENDING TEAM, NEWCASTLE CITY COUNCIL DAVID.PARKS@NEWCASTLE.GOV.UK (0) THE SKILL MILL COOPERATION BETWEEN PUBLIC, PRIVATE, AND THIRD SECTOR ORGANISATIONS TO PROMOTE THE INCLUSION OF AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG EX-OFFENDERS. Newcastle s a cty charactersed by post-ndustral and recesson nduced pockets of poverty and deprvaton. In the cty, the unemployment rate for year olds s 20.5% - usually young whte males alenated from manstream educaton and employment. As such, Newcastle Cty Councl s Youth Offendng Team decded to establsh a partnershp wth prvate and thrd sector organsatons to address the dsadvantages faced by young ex-offenders n the cty. The partnershp ncludes the Newcastle Cty Councl and dfferent publc, prvate and non-governmental actors and t s coordnated by an advsory board. The target group of the programme are young ex-offenders: years olds wth low sklls and poor educatonal outcomes who are former NEETs at the start of ther employment wth several custodal sentences Furthermore t s desgned to challenge dscrmnaton by employers and the wder communty of young ex-offenders. Key features of the programme: Every young person who completes sx month s experence wth The Skll Mll s then offered a next step job wth one of the prvate partners engaged n the programme. These partners are prvate companes dentfed by The Skll Mll or by other labour market ntermedares. Next step jobs are usually supported by complementary ncentves coverng health costs or apprentceshp fundng. Benefcares are also offered the chance to complete a natonally recognsed qualfcaton Cty and Gulds Level I Land Based Operatons. The programme also ams to tackle msconceptons and negatve atttude towards young ex-offenders and promote ther labour nserton by mplementng publc relatons and marketng strateges. One of the strengths of the programme s that t brngs together many partners both wthn the cty councl, the natonal level, busness and educaton sectors. The young people act as a role model for ther peers rasng aspratons and demonstratng that socal ntegraton s possble through the programme. The programme s beng mplemented n other ctes such as n Carlsle n Cumbra, Leeds, and Manchester. The regonal Youth Justce Board, the Mnstry of Justce and the Natonal SUCCESS FACTORS AND RESULTS The programme demonstrates that low sklled envronmental work both engages and motvates young people who are most margnalsed, succeeds n nsertng them nto the labour market and makes them postve role models for the wder communty. Snce The Skll Mll was establshed 12 vulnerable young ex-offenders have been employed temporarly at The Skll Mll and eght of them have gone on to further job opportuntes wth one of the programme partners. To date over 200 homes have been protected from floodng as a result of the work undertaken by these young people. CHALLENGES, RECOMMENDATIONS & WORK FOR THE FUTURE The programme requres consderable tme nvestment to develop the approach, the busness plan and put the necessary nfrastructure n place. The Skll Mll s desgned to be selfsustanng, not relyng on grant fundng but tenderng for and wnnng contracts n a compettve marketplace and also through lower overheads but wthout compromsng the overall qualty. Department of Envronment and Rural Affars are all supportng the programme. The Skll Mll provdes support to other socal entrepreneurs who are seekng to develop programmes whch tackle socal justce ssues. Ths s done wth the support of the Envronmental Agency whch creates opportuntes The Skll Mll has won three major natonal awards from both the youth justce and envronmental management sectors. There s evdence that provdng some of the most dsadvantaged youths wth educaton and employment opportuntes has a postve mpact on ther peers, famles and communtes. The Skll Mll s connected to the academc communty who are engaged n further research nto the outcomes of ths programme especally n terms of desstance from offendng and the potental for socal enterprses n publc servce delvery. Another challenge was tranng publc sector personnel on more commercal workng practces. These challenges were overcome prmarly because of Newcastle Cty Councl s commtment to nnovaton and the development of new approaches to addressng socetal problems. specfcally for the socal enterprses through publc procurement. The approach maxmses the opportuntes wthn the green economy for low sklled youths. The programme s nnovatve n many ways: It provdes a specfc programme for young ex-offenders that s talored to users needs and s more effectve compared to manstream employablty programmes. It ncreases corporate socal responsblty for prvate sector partners engagng n the programme. The partnershp brngs together, for the frst tme n the UK, statutory envronmental regulatory servces and youth justce professonals wth commercal busnesses and thrd sector organsatons. They work together to develop a new approach to reduce crme, ncrease communty safety, and mantan the publc green areas ncludng watercourse management to reduce flood rsk.

14 27 PRESTON THE CITIZENZONE PROJECT IS UNIQUE, VISIBLE AND MOBILE 2,000 PEOPLE HAVE BECOME DIGITALLY AWARE TWO PEOPLE PER WEEK ACCESS THE CITIZENZONE KATHERINE ASHTON PRESTON CITY COUNCIL THE CITIZENZONE PROJECT TACKLING DIGITAL EXCLUSION AND PROMOTING ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN DEPRIVED AREAS THROUGH A MOBILE SERVICE CENTRE. Preston performs moderately well on unemployment rates compared to the natonal average but there are pockets of hgh unemployment n ts most deprved areas. Ths s why Preston works closely wth other partners such as Jobcentre Plus, the voluntary sector and natonal government funded provders of programmes to help people get nto work. It has been found that resdents n the most deprved areas do not readly engage wth servce provders and there s a low uptake of cty servces as a whole. Therefore the cty of Preston decded to engage wth varous partners across dfferent dscplnes to mplement specfc measures to get those furthest from the labour market nto work. In ths context the cty of Preston launched The Ctzenzone Project. It offers up to fve two-hour sessons of IT tranng wth tutors from Preston College to people who ether have not prevously used a computer or who have very lmted experence. It provdes partcpants wth basc sklls to browse the nternet, navgate SUCCESS FACTORS The Ctzenzone Project s unque, vsble and moble. It offers easy accessblty and a reassurng presence wth ts moble one-stop-shop. It s located n the heart of these communtes, n a famlar ste. The on-your-doorstep approach s very effectve. It facltates outreach and engagement of hard to reach communtes and has gven people the webstes, access servces and do onlne job searches and applcatons. Partcpants can access the vehcle s computers to do a wde varety of onlne tasks ncludng: 1. onlne job searches 2. manage onlne clams confdence to access IT sessons and e-learnng opportuntes. The courses provded not only ncrease the computer lteracy of partcpants but also ther self confdence and global employablty. The courses are desgned to gve an ntroducton to the nternet and emalng, and to show jobseekers the advantages of beng able to use ths new technology. 3. manage personal fnances onlne and access onlne deals through for example prce comparson stes 4. access onlne servces To date the project has helped over 2,000 people to become dgtally aware. On average, there are at least two people per week accessng the Ctzenzone as a general nformaton pont. THE CITIZENZONE PROJECT In September 2014 the cty of Preston entered nto a partnershp wth the natonal Department of Work and Pensons (DWP) wth the am to support jobseekers. The Ctzenzone Project was launched to combat dgtal excluson, a key determnant of socal and economc deprvaton. People who are dgtally excluded face greater challenges enterng the labour market and are more lkely to face fnancal excluson and money management ssues. Rates of nternet use also decrease n areas of hgher socal dsadvantage. The project provdes a dgtal and fnancal advce servce hub for partcpants of the scheme. Prorty s gven to resdents who lve wthn the three dentfed prorty areas, whch are charactersed by hgher levels of dsadvantage. Key features of Ctzenzone are: It provdes a set of on-the-doorstep coordnated servces n three deprved areas though a moble vehcle. It delvers regular IT tranng to help support partcpants back nto employment. The tranng s accessed through both a referral system and local promoton, and on-gong communty engagement work. It has a robust system for partcpant regstraton, montorng and reportng whch s managed together wth Jobcentre Plus and Preston College. CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNED One of the most sgnfcant challenges was the ntal low levels of uptake of servces wthn the areas dentfed. Barrers such as access to the nternet and affordablty of IT equpment could jeopardse the project. However, Ctzenzone has become an example of how to overcome a lack of engagement and how drect and frequent nterventon n the most deprved communtes can make a dfference; along wth workng n partnershp wth the local college and Jobcentre Plus. Ths project has enabled the Preston Cty Councl to develop a productve partnershp wth the natonal Department of Work and Pensons. Ths partnershp goes beyond the project tself wth further partnershp beng promoted as jobseekers attendng the Ctzenzone IT course are encouraged to attend one of the 15 local work clubs to further mprove ther employablty. Furthermore, the councl has also combned ts welfare beneft and debt advce servces wth the housng and homeless advce team to provde a more seamless servce to clents. The staff at the Ctzenzone can gve basc advce and occasonally members of the beneft and debt advce team jon the Ctzenzone and offer advce on an ndvdual bass. Ths coordnated approach s uncommon n local authorty servces generally and partcularly n dstrct authortes.

15 29 TAMPERE 10 PEOPLE GOT A PAID JOB LANGUAGE TRAINING DURING THE TRAINEESHIP SUPERVISOR GIVING CONSTANT FEEDBACK AND ENCOURAGEMENT SANNI OJANEN POB COACH FOR MIGRANT TRAINEES SANNI.OJANEN@TAMPERE.FI MIKA ITÄNEN MANAGER OF THE SERVICE UNIT MIKA.ITANEN@TAMPERE.FI SUPPORTED TRAINEESHIPS FOR MIGRANTS PROMOTING MIGRANTS ACCESS TO THE LABOUR MARKET BY PROVIDING SUPPORTED TRAINEESHIP SCHEMES. Tampere s an ndustral cty, whch very much reles on export trade. The overall stuaton of employment s qute challengng at the moment due to the economc crss. The total mgrant populaton s stll qute small, only around 6.7% of the total populaton, but t s ncreasng every year. Most of the newcomers are comng for work, study reasons, or personal reasons whle about a thrd arrve due to humantaran reasons. SUCCESS FACTORS AND RESULTS Goal of the programme for 2014: reach and serve 100 benefcares. Actual number of benefcares supported as of the end of 2014: 146. Out of these, 10 people got a pad job drectly after ther nternshp and the others were ether drected to further educaton programmes or to other support servces accordng to ther ndvdual talored plans. Goal of the programme for 2015: serve 150 benefcares. As of May benefcares had already been nvolved n the process. Out of these, three were already recruted and 17 others wll be recruted by the end of the year. Provdng a language tranng durng the traneeshp perod and at the work place proved to be successful both n terms of ncreasng the employablty of the benefcares and gvng them the specfc language sklls requred by some posts. The role of the job supervsor proved to be crucal for ensurng ndvdualsed support ncludng gvng constant feedback and encouragement to the tranees. KEY FEATURES OF THE PROGRAMME The cty of Tampere has establshed a specfc programme to promote employment opportuntes for mgrants, both the ones that are stll wthn ther ntegraton perod (the frst three years n Fnland) and those who have been n Fnland for a longer perod. Key features of the programme are: It promotes supported access to local workng lfe by provdng benefcares wth work experence through a traneeshp of three to sx months (fve days a week / sx hours a day). Unemployment rates of mgrants n Tampere s qute hgh 35% n October 2013 and 36% n the same month of Tampere has a devoted servce centre for supportng those wth specal dffcultes n accessng the labour market, promotng several measures to address dfferent target groups, such as young people, low sklled people and the long term unemployed. Among these measures are: rehabltatve work experence employment servces for young people vocatonal and language tranng for mgrants development and support servces Benefcares partcpate n specfc job tranngs held at the workplace. Tranees attend a Fnnsh language class durng the programme (one day a week). Study hours are counted as workng hours. Every tranee has a supervsor who supports them durng the traneeshp, ntroducng them to tasks, and beng responsble for ther supervson. Indvdualsed addtonal support from the Employment Servce Unt s provded to the benefcares. Jont assessment meetngs are held regularly between the job supervsor, the tranee and the Employment Servce Unt staff. Tranees get a job certfcate at the end of the traneeshp perod and specfc support s gven n terms of career gudance and orentaton. CHALLENGES, RECOMMENDATIONS & WORK FOR THE FUTURE The challengng economc stuaton has reduced the possbltes to fnd traneeshp opportuntes even n the publc sector. However, an ageng workforce and retrements are partally provdng new opportuntes for mgrants to enter the labour market. Partcular efforts are requred to nvolve the prvate sector and motvate employers to commt to provdng traneeshps and job opportuntes but t s a worthwhle nvestment. The programme shows that nvestng n vulnerable groups and makng local labour markets more nclusve has a relevant mpact for the sustanablty of the local welfare system. It contrbuted to gettng benefcares off socal benefts and makes them actve ctzens and taxpayers. Internal coordnaton of dfferent cty servces: the programme s part of the global ntegraton polcy of the cty of Tampere and there s close cooperaton n place wth the mgrant advce centre Mano, youth housng actvtes, several mgrants assocatons and the cty mgrant councl. A number of the traneeshps offered actually take place n varous cty servces. Indvdualsed approach: staff of the Employment Servce Unt n the cty of Tampere dentfed the best traneeshp opportuntes among publc offces, prvate companes, and assocatons. The traneeshp place s dentfed accordng to the tranees profle, potental employment pathway and educatonal plans. Socal ncluson through practce: the programme provdes a unque opportunty for mgrants to step nto real local workng envronments and reduces prejudces aganst them through concrete cooperaton wth locals.

16 31 TILBURG 68% OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE INVOLVED FOUND A REGULAR JOB OVER 50s EXPLORE NEW JOB OPPORTUNITIES KARIN VAN DEN BERG PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT CITY OF TILBURG KARIN.VAN.DEN.BERG@TILBURG.NL (YWEG) (MWEG) YOUTH WORK EXPERIENCE GRANT AND THE MASTER WORK EXPERIENCE GRANT A WORK EXPERIENCE PROGRAMME TAILORED TO THE NEEDS OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND OLDER WORKERS. Wth the unemployment level n the Netherlands at 7.1% t s relatvely low compared to other European countres. However, whlst the Dutch economy s slowly recoverng from the economc crss, two groups n partcular are facng problems on the Dutch labour market: young people and older workers. The muncpalty pays the employer 550 a month as compensaton for part of the costs to the company. After completng the work experence placement the employer gves a certfcate to the young person ndcatng the specfc sklls they have ganed durng the traneeshp. Ths certfcate s ncluded n the tranee s eportfolo, a standardsed tool provded by the muncpalty, whch the young person can use and further update durng hs or her career. The Master Work Experence Grant Smlarly the Masters Work Experence Grant offers over 50s work experence to assess the benefcares abltes and explore new job opportuntes beyond ther prevous experence. It s consdered a workng traneeshp and the employer s oblged to gve gudance and tranng. The work experence postons cannot be used to oust regular employees or to explot older workers by havng them perform normal work at a lower salary. KEY FEATURES OF THE PROGRAMMES Young people were amongst the secton of socety most hard ht by the fnancal crss. The number of unemployed young people n the Netherlands s ncreasng and every year a new group of school leavers and graduates try to make ther way onto the labour market, addng to the large numbers of young people that are already lookng for a job. The socal effects of ths are devastatng. Bleak prospects contrbute to poverty, demotvaton, dscouragement, frustraton and possbly devant behavor. Wth more young people applyng for less avalable jobs, hghly educated people are fllng up lower level postons, thus decreasng prospects for young people wth lower levels of educaton. The muncpalty of Tlburg s determned to fght youth unemployment, havng expressed the ambton to make the regon a youth unemployment free zone. Older workers are also experencng dffcultes ganng employment after beng lad off due to economc crss. Only 3% of all job vacances are currently beng flled by someone over 50 and 43% of all jobless people over 50 reman jobless for at least two years. Employers are hestant to hre people over 50 due to ther presumed hgher than average rsks of sck leave, hgh wage expectatons and lower levels of productvty. Another problem s the fact that older workers often have an outdated educaton and a work experence that s lmted to only one or two companes or sectors, makng moblty among dfferent sectors even more dffcult. Onlne applcaton Both grant measures can be ntroduced quckly and smply, and n a way that does not requre any changes n current legslaton. It s unque n the fact that the entre process s based around an onlne applcaton; completely streamlnng the process. CHALLENGES, RECOMMENDATIONS & WORK FOR THE FUTURE Both employers and benefcares apprecate the streamlned onlne process. Young and older people have dfferent nformaton needs therefore the channels used to promote new measures lke YWEG and MWEG are talored to them. Adaptablty The grant amount can be adapted to local needs and standards. Fundng can be obtaned from the muncpal level (ncludng money that s saved from socal assstance expenses), natonal budgets and the European Socal Fund (ESF). Onlne and peer-2-peer campagnng proved to be very effectve to get young people nterest and commtted, whle for elderly people more tradtonal ways of communcatng proved to be more useful. SUCCESS FACTORS AND RESULTS In May 2015, around 150 Dutch ctes adopted the Youth Work Experence Grant, makng t possble for more than 2,200 young people to access the programme and to be nvolved n a subsdsed work experence placement. A recent study by Tlburg Unversty shows that 68% of the young people nvolved found a regular job through the Youth Work Experence Grant. The Master Work Experence Grant on the other hand s n ts start-up phase. Currently Tlburg and Endhoven are the frst ctes to mplement t. Two specfc measures have been ntroduced by the muncpalty of Tlburg n cooperaton wth trade unons; the Youth Work Experence Grant targetng young people and the Master Work Experence Grant for older workers. The muncpalty mplements the programmes and s responsble for ther fundng, publc relatons and marketng, and management of the dgtal platform. The programmes n bref: Youth Work Experence Grant School leavers who are unable to fnd a job are helped to secure a traneeshp that matches ther level of educaton and nterests. Traneeshps take place n companes and last sx months. The young people can actvely approach a company and make an offer to the employer. The employer pays the young person 500 per month plus socal securty costs. Furthermore, the employer puts 100 nto a school safety depost box for every month that the young person s employed. Ths means that at the end of the work placement the young person can have a budget of 600 to put towards further educaton or a VET course; strengthenng ther own employablty pathway.

17 1, Square de Meeûs B-1000 Brussels tel