Linking labour market

with educational policy:

Practical experiences from AT and PT

for the most vulnerable

5-7 September 2012, XXIV SEMINARIO EUROPA, Catania

Look Who’s Talking?

ZSI: Think-Tank for Social Innovation

Policy Advice, Network Coordination and Research

50+ experts in innovative labour market issues, equal opportunities, integration and migration, eLearning, democracy and participation research, technology shaping and European RTD policies

Anette Scoppetta

Labour market policy, social inclusion, regional economic development, partnerships, social innovation, social dialogue and governance

Work & Equal Opportunities

Research Policy & Development

Technology & Knowledge

ResearchEducation

Policy AdviceNetwork coordination

What will be discussed?

→ Grand challenges faced in the EU in the relevant policy areas

→ Changes needed in regard to training for the most vulnerable

→ Practice examples of AT and PT

→ Lessons learnt from the practices

Some grand challenges in the EU

Poverty and the growing divide between the rich and the poor

→ In OECD countries: Increasing divide between the rich and the poor (OECD, Divided We Stand, Why inequality keeps rising, 2011)

→ High unemployment rates for specific target groups in particular regions (Youth unemployment in ES, higher unemployment of older people in AT, less skilled migrants,

women, etc. are the most disadvantaged)

Demographic change/Ageing Society → ‘Growing old’ (ageing population, healthier people, longer life expectancies, old-age

dependency ratio increases, pressure on the social security systems )

→ Failing of intergenerational contracts?

Migration/Integration

→ Integration and inclusion is a challenge (system adaptations are necessary)

Education,

and, hence,

investment in

human capital

is key !

Changes neededAt the interface of active labour market policy, education and social policy:

→ Policy fields are often still isolated (no/less interaction)

National Programmes are often drawn independently from each other; Actors on the regional/local level are not linked to each other

ESF 2007-2013: many Operational Programmes are human capital oriented

→ Trainings, in particular for the vulnerable, are often not oriented to their social

demand

Access to the target group is missing; programmes are focussing on training

and are not linked to social demands of the target group; enhancing basic social

skills are often not part of the training; only few projects exist which serve the

most vulnerable, …

Linking the labour market with training and social work is necessary !

Source: Dirk Maier, Improvement of transition management for youth at risk of marginalisation,

COP Meeting & PEO Exploration in Austria, 10 October 2011

Four good practices- for the most vulnerable youth -

→ VIA factory school Tirol (Produktionsschule Tirol, AT)

→ Space!lab 3 (Vienna, AT)

→ Coordination Unit Youth Education Employment (Vienna, AT)

→ New Opportunities partnerships (PT)

VIA factory school Tirol

For training purposes the factory school offers five laboratories, where the participants can explore their productive and creative potentials (the labs are metal workshop, wood workshop, textile studio, media lab and the VIA shop).

Apart from working in the labs, the young people receive personal assistance by our coaches, who give support in the process of vocational orientation, pre-paration of application documents, training of behaviour in job interviews and more. Additionally we offer soft skills training as well as team training.

The goal of the VIA factory school is to find new career opportunities for girls form 15 to 19 years of age. The VIA factory school is a place where young women can find out and develop their individual skills and potentials. The factory school offers substantial support for young people with social disadvantages in the transition from school to working life.  

Space!lab 3

(Vienna)

Services:

→ Open space as the first contact point - without advance registration

→ Initial discussions with a perspective coach

→ Factory training, even on a daily basis, in the fields of green space, ecological workshop, media workshop and creative workshop

With Spacelab, options to enter the working world or to obtain a qualification and training are created for the teenagers and adolescents of Vienna.

Mobilisation, career guidance, future planning - Space!lab 3 is a low-threshold service for teenagers and youngsters between the age of 15 and 25 years, who need support for planning their education and career.

Coordination Unit Youth Education

Employment (Vienna)

In 2007 the coordination unit was set up in order to bring together organisations that implement programmes and measures for disabled and disadvantaged youth with difficulties at the transition from school to work and with difficulties in labour market integration.

The target group of the three partner organisations, Public Employment Service Vienna, Federal Social Office branch Vienna and the Vienna Social Fund are youth below 25.

Source: Dirk Maier, Improvement of transition management for youth at risk of marginalisation,

COP Meeting & PEO Exploration in Austria, 10 October 2011

New Opportunities partnerships• Portugal faced 44% of early school leavers and low levels of education among

working population in 2001.

• The New Opportunities Initiative was launched in 2005 to overcome the low qualification levels. It had the specific goal to provide young people more opportunities to complete the upper secondary level, through the promotion of vocational education and training courses.

• 456 New Opportunities Centresspread all over the country werebuild up

• Public Schools, Vocational Training Centres, ProfessionalSchools, Commercial Associations, Local Associations,Training companies, Institution of social solidarities, Town Halls or municipal companies as well as Private companies served as entities

Source: Maria do Carmo Gomes, National Agency for Qualification, Presentation at the 2nd COP meeting on 18 June 2009, page 9

Lessons Learnt

from AT and PT – part I

→ Start (as early as possible) in the schools (and involve parents)

→ Ensure access to the target group via street workers, NGOs established on the groups, Youth Centres, etc.

→ Combine training with social work

→ Provide soft skills trainings (e.g. enhance language competence, develop intercultural dialogue and gender competences (for trainers and participants), ensure violence prevention)

→ Build up local partnerships between the administration, the private sector, the non-profit sector (namely secondary schools, training centres, big

enterprises, public institutions, unions, social partners and organisations focusing on vulnerable groups

Lessons Learnt

from AT and PT – part II

→ Assure a close link between the educational and training offers and the labour market needs

→ Provide locally based services

→ Establish new learning formats (e.g. blended-learning) combining classroom sessions with virtual learning platforms with tutorial support and tailored guidance to individual candidates.

→ Adjust vocational inclusion measures and projects: prolonged apprenticeship, partial apprenticeship, accompanying assistance, vocational/career

guidance, acquisition of specific prerequisites and skills, internships, clearing & job assistance (for adolescents)

→ Develop comprehensive solutions, measure chains, combined measures at the interfaces of policies, policy-mixed projects, etc.

Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI)

Linke Wienzeile 246A - 1150 Vienna

Phone ++43.1.4950442-58Fax. ++43.1.4950442-40

Anette Scoppetta scoppetta@zsi.at

http://www.zsi.at

Contact