Deinstitutionalisation of employment services by ADP- Zid

Regional advocatingsocial social Regional CSO CSO platform platform advocating innovation employmentpolicies policies that innovation under under employment that guarantees security for for youthatatrisks, risks, an an EU-funded project. This document has EU. been produced by financial assistance of the EU founds of Civil Society Facility Operating Grants to IPA CSO Associations.

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The content of this document are the sole responsibility of YOU SEE! project partnership and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the EU.

Deinstitutionalisation of employment services through partnerships

DEINSTITUTIONALISATION OF EMPLOYMENT SERVICES THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS

Introduction

Youth unemployment

The danger of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;lost generationâ&#x20AC;?

Public employment services and active labour measure policies

Youth guarantee

NEET

Partnerships

Why focus on PES Partnerships?

How are public and multi-stakeholder partnerships organised

Why do PES develop partnerships?

Stakeholders and actors = potential partners

Governance and framework for building partnerships

Management of partnership

Recommendations

Governance

Examples of governing the partnerships

National examples of partnerships in implementations of active labour measures policies

Partnership among institutions; among local/ regional PES and; with schools; municipalities; with private employment agencies

Partnership with private sector; civil society organisation; youth organisations; youth centres; private agencies; training providers; social partners; businesses/ employers/ entrepreneurs; social economy actors; and experts

Partnership with training providers; social partners; businesses/ employers/ entrepreneurs; and experts

Examples of national legislation allowing partnership

Conclusions

0. INTRODUCTION Youth unemployment is raising all around the world. However, in the region the main cause of the problem is not the economic crisis and it is therefore not likely that the trend would reverse its tendency soon. The main conclusion is that young people are at high risk of marginalization due to unemployment and unemployability; therefore, it is urgent to have coordinated and coherent actions that will concern all people and institutions involved. This research aims to presents a compilation of relevant data regarding the topic of deinstitutionalisation of active labour measure policies (ALMP), bringing together practices from different countries. It shows the importance of creating partnerships among institutions; public and private to reach the target groups, improve ALMPs and services of Public employment services (PES) and avoid social exclusion of young people. The research has been conducted within the regional project â&#x20AC;&#x153;You SEE - Platform for social innovations in youth employmentâ&#x20AC;? and it has demonstrated that, though most of the countries share the same problem, they can as well share different ideas on how to tackle it. Moreover, the exercise of independently identifying main causes of youth unemployment by the country resulted in a comprehensive list that can be applied all over the region.

1. YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT The danger of the “lost generation” Unemployment of young people each day becomes a more serious problem of the contemporary world1. According to International Labour Organization, the youth unemployment is on the rise. Between 1998 and 2008 it increased by 0.2% and between 2008 and 2009 by 5.3% and it continues to grow. The International Labour Organization The danger of the 2015 Global Employment Trend “lost” generation Report states that a global youth is not only unemployment rate is almost 13% a threat anymore, in 2014 and “further increase (is) it became a reality. expected in coming years”2. Although this is the problem all around the globe including developed western countries, it is especially severe in certain regions including Western Balkans and Turkey. Namely, while one of the main causes of youth unemployment is the consequence of the global economic crisis so they are expected to withdraw as the crisis diminishes, the situation is much more complicated in the Western Balkans and Turkey where the causes are structurally entrenched in the society. Moreover, most of the countries in the region (except for Turkey) are significantly above EU average - 20.7% of youth unemployment.t According to the official statistics the number of unemployed young people between 15 and 30 years is constantly increasing in most of the observed countries. This has been recognized 1 Here by unemployed youth we refer to young people between 15 to 24 years old. 2 http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/ WCMS_336884/lang--en/index.htm (accessed, 1st December 2015)

by the governments of the region that have increased number of strategic documents and programs that are currently being passed and that are aiming to solve this problem. However, the trend is still utterly negative and the situation is getting more serious by the day. Public employment services and active labour measure policies

The main actor in providing services for young unemployed people are Public employment services (PES). In EU countries, public employment services (PES) are the authorities that connect jobseekers with employers. Although structured differently in each country, all PES help match supply and demand on the labour market through information, placement and active support services at local, national and European level. Active labour market policies (ALMP) are being implemented to increase employment opportunities for job seekers and improve balance between jobs available and qualified employees. Youth guarantee In all EU countries, most ALMP for youth employment are implemented with the schemes of Youth Guarantee. The Youth Guarantee is a new approach to tackling youth unemployment which ensures that all young people under 25 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; whether registered with employment services or not â&#x20AC;&#x201C; get a good-quality, concrete offer within 4 months of them leaving formal education or becoming unemployed. The good-quality offer should be for a job, apprenticeship, traineeship, or continued education and be adapted to each 9

individual need and situation. EU countries endorsed the principle of the Youth Guarantee in April 2013. In some countries, the Youth Guarantee has extended to all young people until 29 years old, depending on national legislations and the unemployment rates among young people from 24-29 years old. NEET Special focus goes to young unemployed people who are facing high risk of social exclusion. The acronym NEETs stands for those young people who are ‘not in employment, education or training’, who – regardless of their educational level – are disengaged from both work and education. Because of this disengagement, irrespective of other differences between them, all NEETs share a common status of not accumulating human capital through formal channels and therefore have a greater risk of future poor employment outcomes and social exclusion.3

2. PARTNERSHIPS FOR MORE SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATIONS OF ALMP FOR YOUNG PEOPLE The establishment of national and regulated PES within the context of a fully institutionalised Welfare State in the postwar years reached its zenith in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was a part of a broader tripartite corporatism associated with post-war social democracy, in which partnerships between the state, employers and trade unions were internalised and in3 Exploring the diversity of NEET: http://www.eurofound.europa. eu/sites/default/files/ef_publication/field_ef_document/ ef1602en.pdf

stitutionalised in pursuit of the objective of full employment and national economic development. In this sense governance – and by extension partnerships – were always part of the postwar organisation of European states, economies and societies (Börzel and Risse 2005; Jessop 2003). Since the 1980s however, many EU Member States have sought policy reform under the banner of the ‘New Public Management’ (NPM), which has often led to decentralisation, privatisation, quasi-market arrangements and, in a more limited way, self-help among families and communities. As a result, the objectives and mode of labour market governance has changed, including PES structures (Weishaupt 2010), (see Table 1). PES have also pursued new policy objectives focussed on generating individual competitiveness among workers through ‘activation’ (Nunn 2010; Nunn 2012). What is a partnership? The term ‘Partnership’ has become very widely used in relation to public management over the last two decades, but the range of contexts in, and about, which it is used has meant that there is some ambiguity over what is meant by the term. Recognising this fact Graziano and Vesan (2008, 2) suggest that many efforts to add clarity to the meaning of the term are unhelpful because “partnerships are described as general forms of cooperation established among public authorities and private organisations, without clearly identifying their specific features”. McQuaid (2010) worries that partnership has become “an idea so ubiquitous in major policy initiatives that it defies definition… and risks losing its analytical value”. Following a similar theme Hutchinson and Campbell (1998) suggest that the word has “connotations of motherhood and apple pie”. 11

Recognising this ambiguity, several important research projects (Audit Commission 1998, 8; Graziano et al. 2007) settled on the following definition for a collaborative working relationship to qualify as a ‘Partnership’: (a) Partners are otherwise independent bodies; (b) Partners agree to cooperate for common purpose; (c) Partners create a new organisational structure or process; (d) They plan & pursue joint programme; and (e) They share relevant information, risks & rewards.

Partnerships that can be established in order to help PES to deliver their tasks are not something new. Moreover, it is something that is being strongly encouraged and recommended from different institution and actors. For example, the PARES (Partnership between Employment Services) initiative is part of the Europe 2020 strategy. It supports EU-level dialogue to promote cooperation between different forms of employment services (public, private and non-profit) and to identify where they can deliver complementary services.4 Also in the Council recommendation of 22 April 2013 on establishing a Youth Guarantee5 gives a strong emphasis on building partnership:

• »The Youth Guarantee should be implemented by a

scheme consisting of supportive measures, and should 4 PARES: Partnership between Employment services- Delivering a coordinated service offer: http://ec.europa.eu/social/main. jsp?catId=991 5 Council recommendation of 22 April 2013 on establishing a Youth Guarantee: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/ LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2013:120:0001:0006:EN:PDF

be geared to national, regional and local circumstances. Those measures should be based on six axes: (a) building up partnership-based approaches, (b) early intervention and activation, (c) supportive measures enabling labour market integration, (d) use of Union funds, (e) assessment and continuous improvement of the scheme, and (f) its swift implementation.

As such, they aim to prevent early school leaving, fostering employability and removing practical barriers to employment. They can be supported by the Union funds and should be continuously monitored and improved«.

• Followed by »Effective coordination and partnerships

across policy fields (employment, education, youth, social affairs, etc) are crucial in terms of boosting quality employment opportunities, apprenticeships and traineeships«

• And, hereby recommends that member states to build-

ing up partnership-based approaches; »identify the relevant public authority in charge of establishing and managing the Youth Guarantee scheme and of coordinating partnerships across all levels and sectors. Where it is not possible, for constitutional reasons, for a Member State to identify only one public authority, the relevant public authorities shall be identified, keeping their number to a minimum and identifying a single point of contact to communicate with the Commission on the implementation of the Youth Guarantee«

• To »strengthen partnerships between employers and

relevant labour market players (employment services, various levels of government, trade unions and youth services) in order to boost employment, apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities for young people;

• develop partnerships between public and private em-

ployment services, education and training institutions, career guidance services and with other specialised youth services (non-governmental organisations, youth centres and associations) that help smooth the transition from unemployment, inactivity or education into work; «

• »enable

employment services, together with other partners supporting young people, to provide personalised guidance and individual action planning, including tailor-made individual support schemes, based on the principle of mutual obligation at an early stage and continued follow-up with a view to preventing dropout and ensure progression towards education and training or employment; «

Why focus on Partnerships?6 European PES currently face substantial labour market challenges with unemployment having been at record levels in many countries over recent years. Long-term and youth unemployment present challenges in the current economic context, with the risk that both can lead to ‘scarring’ and permanent reductions in employment opportunities and wage potentials – casting a long-shadow into the future and undermining future produc6 Copied from documents »PES partnership working«: http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1163&intPageId=3447&langId=en

tivity and competitiveness. PES must confront these challenges in the context of changing employer skills needs, increased international competitiveness and tight public finances. In the context of these challenges, delivering Europe 2020 and the Agenda for New Skills and Jobs (European Commission 2010a; European Commission 2010b), the European PES have been encouraged to establish partnerships between public, private and third sector providers of employment services. The recent PES Contribution to Europe 2020 (hereafter PES 2020) (European Commission 2012, 4) document underlines this and suggests: “A shift from the conventional serving to facilitating, coaching and conducting Public Employment Systems, in which the term ‘conducting’ stands for two senses: on the one hand, the governance, management, stimulation, coordination and quality assurance of the offered services and of partnerships; on the other hand, the provision of (online) tools and primary services to support individual career management.” The ‘conducting’ approach implies a strategic orientation for PES in which they sit at the centre of a Public Employment System incorporating a range of actors that provide specialist, sometimes complementary, overlapping or competitive services. How are public and multi-stakeholder partnerships organised Partnerships can be organised in a range of different ways. It is possible to differentiate between partnerships that are horizontal in nature, involving partners at similar geographical/ administrative scales or vertical in nature, involving partners from multiple scales. Partnerships can also be strategic or operational in their orientation. Their specific nature can also influence how they are organized. 15

Within the different ‘types’ of partnership that emerge from this, it is then possible to incorporate considerations of the numbers of partners, depth of their interaction, and the horizontal/vertical nature of the relationship. It is argued throughout the report that understanding partnerships in this way can help PES make strategic decisions about whether to engage in partnership, what sort of partnership to seek out, who the right partners are and how this interaction should be managed. More about the types of partnership can be found in the analytical paper: Trends and developments in PES partnership working.7 PES enter partnerships for a range of different reasons including the orthodox assumption that this is an effective form of management through to the need to deal with complex problems requiring access to new capacity and qualitative competences not available with the PES itself or which can be most effectively sourced external to the PES organisation. Prominent PES partners include other public sector organisations, private and voluntary sector, employment service providers, temporary agencies, employers and specialist charities. Mode of governance and purpose The PES to PES Dialogue paper (Scoppetta 2013, 4–5) follows Wood (2010) in distinguishing between partnerships that have a strategic or policy orientation and those that have an operational or service delivery orientation. They also distinguish between partnerships that are based on bilateral and those that are based on multilateral arrangements. The Mobility Lab report distinguishes between four different models of 7 Trends and developments in PES partnership-working: http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1163&intPageId=3447&langId=en

partnership based on whether they are predominantly market or non-market arrangements and whether they are predominantly concerned with upgrading employment service capacity or tackling multi-dimensional tasks (see Table 2). Table 1: Modes of Governance Market

Hierarchy

Network

Contract / property rights

Employment relationship

Complementary strengths

Means of communication

Prices

Routines

Relational

Methods of conflict resolution

Haggling / resort to legal arbitrage

Administrative fiat – supervision

Norm of reciprocity – reputational concerns

Degree of flexibility

High

Low

Medium

Amount of commitment among the parties

Low

Medium

High

Tone or climate

Precision / suspicion

Formal, bureaucratic

Open-ended, mutual benefits

Actor preferences

Independent

Dependent

Interdependent

Normative basis

Source: adapted from Lowndes and Skelcher (Lowndes and Skelcher 1998) and Powell (Powell 2003).

Table 2: Mobility Labs’ Typology of PES Partnerships Aim / Arrangement

Market-Based Arrangements

Non-Market Based Arrangements

Upgrading employment service capacity

Model 1: Capacity Building

Model 2: Cooperation

Tackling multidimensional tasks

Model 3: Integration of Skill Sets

Model 4: Coordination

Source: Scopetta et al. 2011, p17.

However, if the concerns underpinning these typologies are informed by the wider governance literature a simple 2-axis typology can be produced which distinguishes PES partnerships on the basis of (a) their purpose and (b) their predominant governance mode (Table 3). The horizontal axis here distinguishes between the mode of governance and the vertical axis 17

distinguishes between the purpose of relationships with external organisations. Within each of these it would then be perfectly possible to incorporate the other concerns in the wider literature (such as the intensity/depth of the relationship and any scalar considerations (such as whether the partnership is horizontal or vertical). Table 3: A PES Partnership Typology Form/Context 

Market

Hierarchy

Network

Strategic Orientation

Type A: Coordination, planning of employment service aims and service delivery by competitive contracting (quasimarkets).

Type C: Coordination, planning of service delivery by negotiation, agreements and service level agreements and informal arrangements, where objectives and parameters are decided by the national PES/ Ministry

Type E: Coordination, planning of service delivery by negotiation, agreements and service level agreements and informal arrangements, where objectives and parameters of cooperation are decided by two or more partners, including those external to the labor ministry.

Operational / Service Delivery Orientation

Type B: Competition for market based provision of employment services various contractual arrangements (pay for delivery, pay for results, voucher etc.).

Type D: Delivery of employment services by the PES or other actors, most usually in the public sector, or where private actors act under license from the state, as directed by the central state.

Type F: Coordination of multiple providers of employment and related services by different organizations in all sectors.

Purpose 

Again, it might be questioned whether Type A/B relationships are partnerships at all, as opposed to contractual arrangements. Bredgaard and Larsen (2007) suggest that such arrangements cannot, by their very nature, embody the kinds of characteristics of mutual trust and shared objectives that distinguish a genuine ‘partnership’. Whether they would qualify as partnerships, or not, would depend on the extent to which the rela18

tionship was becoming constitutive. It may always be the case, though, that they are qualitatively different in nature to relationships in other boxes of the typology. Type C relationships could range from informal discussions with organisations already involved in other forms of relationships but where national governments and their agencies are clearly in the driving seat. Here, governments may wish to benefit from the special knowledge or insights of other partners but this is undertaken on their own terms and objective setting remains the concern of the state. By extension Type D relationships involve arrangements where the central state and its agencies can mandate other actors to act in a way to deliver employment services. This may be the PES itself but also other public providers of services (e.g. health or education services) with an overlap with employment services or where private actors (e.g. training providers or employers) act under some form of licensing system and this gives the state leverage to encourage and direct them to provide employment services as part of their authorization to operate. Type E relationships could range from informal discussions with organisations already involved in other relationships (i.e. in other boxes of the typology) without necessarily affecting those relationships. For instance, private providers acting in other Type B relationships might be consulted about the future management of the market without additional payment. Similarly, other public bodies, service providers, the charity or voluntary sector or social partners could be involved in shared decision making about the future of labour market governance, PES services and objectives PES and how these might be organized and delivered. Type E relationships are what recent

Analytical and Peer Review reports refer to as ‘inclusive governance’ (Nunn 2012; Nunn 2013). Type F relationships focus on coordinating services already being provided without additional contractual arrangements. These might involve other public bodies (e.g. careers advice, education providers, municipal governments), private sector providers (e.g. recruitment agencies, training companies) or not-for-profit organisations. They might include the coordination of standard PES services with ESF projects or local economic development programmes. Phases of partnership development Lowndes and Skelcher (1998) identify a range of phases that partnerships might pass through:

• Pre-partnership collaboration – it is characterised by network of governance, informality, mutual trust and a sense of common purpose.

• Partnership creation and consolidation – it is characterised

by hierarchical governance, the assertion of status and formalisation of roles and procedures between partners.

• Partnership

programme delivery – it is characterised by market/quasi-market governance, contracts, competition and lower levels of cooperation and trust. This is because actual delivery of shared objectives often incurs more substantial costs and this is where tensions with other objectives (e.g. commercial objectives on the part of private actors or merely financial sustainability and opportunity costs on the part of third sector partners).

• Partnership termination or succession – is characterised by

a re-assertion of network governance to maintain the partnership in circumstances where the initial favourable conditions (e.g. availability of funding etc.) have changed.

They suggest that even within a prevailing approach to partnership governance, each of these phases brings different governance characteristics (hierarchy, market, network) to the fore. This is crucial to understanding how to manage partnerships at different stages of their development and to shape expectations about partner behaviour. They conclude that it is important to maintain a commitment to some degree of network behaviour throughout, to maximise partner commitment and retain open channels of communication. Why does PES develop partnerships? 1. Because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highly recommended to do so: There is a strong encouragement to engage in partnership working and the opening of employment services to providers other than PES was a continuing theme in the elaboration and evolution of the European Employment Strategy (EES). As such, one plausible answer to the question about why PES develops partnerships is that this is recommended by experts and well-regarded institutions. Most EU PES is now also engaged in a network of international discussion forums about the reform, management and delivery of PES. This is particularly strong in the EU through the EURES, HoPES and PES to PES dialogue processes, and through the coordination of labour market policies at an inter-governmental scale through the Open Method of Coordination and now the European Semester.

2. To deal with complex and socio-economic problems at new spatial and scalar needs. Partnerships are promoted as deriving from logical assumptions about the need to address complex socio-economic challenges with network governance. Here partnerships function as a feature of spatial and scalar change â&#x20AC;&#x201C; often appearing as simultaneous processes of supra-national integration (e.g. inter-PES cooperation), centralisation (e.g. national standards) and decentralisation, especially with the objective of aligning a range of public and private actors to achieve the broader goal of local economic development. 3. To gain access to additional capacity, competences or legitimacyâ&#x20AC;Ś Changing patterns of growth and enhanced (and accelerating) expectations regarding productivity and profitability as part of international competition do not just have spatial and scalar implications. For example, in some countries, PES are less developed and well-resourced than in others and therefore meeting changing demands is more a process of gaining access to this capacity and competences for the first time. By contrast, for already well-developed PES this may be a process of reorienting organisational competence to qualitatively changing demands. At the same time, it can also be linked to quantitative changes in demand. The distinction between quantitative capacity and qualitative competences may also shape the nature of the organisations PES chooses to collaborate with. For example, where there is a need to gain access to large-scale service delivery of a relatively standard nature, it is more likely that PES will develop service relationships with the private sector. By contrast, third 22

(voluntary, community and charitable) sector organisations are more likely to be used in relation to very specialist services specific to jobseekers with substantial barriers to work. In this regard, a substantial supply of employment services has grown up across Europe from third sector suppliers. In this regard, Massimiliano Mascherini from EUROFOUND on PES network conference presented the presented the results of a recent study: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Reaching out to NEETs who are not registered as unemployed can prove to be particularly difficult. PES are often not in the best position to reach out to some non-registered who need a less institutional approach involving partnerships. Outreach strategies call for strong collaboration with schools, youth work, and NGOs. However, PES often struggle to gather a good understanding of the target group and identify opportunities, especially in countries with a low labour demand. PESes however face the challenge of creating teams with the necessary, multiple competences to be able to deliver this approach. Developing sustainable collaborations with schools, youth work, and NGOs (for instance, youth organisations), especially at the local level, can help to address this challenge, as partners can take over certain tasks and integrate them into their own services. This type of collaboration has been found to be particularly successful when based on formal and tailored.â&#x20AC;?8 The need to cope with harder to help jobseekers to overcome more complex barriers to work may also mean that PES seek partnerships in relation to enhancing the legitimacy of em8â&#x20AC;&#x192; Summery report PES network conference: Implementation of the Youth Guarantee-Challenges and success factors 2016, presentation of Massimiliano Mascherini from EUROFOUND

ployment services. This is because working with jobseekers that are at some distance from the labour market may involve transforming their individual subjectivity (e.g. their attitudes and perceptions of work) and resistance to state-sponsored interventions. Here locally accepted organisations – often in the voluntary or community sector – may offer legitimacy in the eye of service beneficiaries that PES, and in some cases, private employment services, lack. 4. To cope with austerity and tightening public spending environments Many governments around Europe have been facing tightened public spending environments. It is noted that previous public spending squeezes have resulted in privatisation and external capacity and competence on the part of MS. For instance, the shift to governance and partnerships with external providers of services was “the acceptable face of spending cuts” (Stoker 1994, 6). So too it seems that economic and fiscal crises may have enhanced the pressure from pre-existing factors for PES to work more with external service providers. PES is facing tight budget conditions across Europe and this is a significant factor in motivating the increasing use of external providers. 5. Because there is a domestic commitment to an employment services market For some PES, the approach to partnership is strongly influenced by their prior commitment to marketization and privatisation in the delivery of public services. When looking at the literature on this question, and in discussions with PES, three different perspectives emerge. The first sees partnerships as distinct from contracted-out services (Bredgaard and Larsen 2007; Graziano and Vesan 2008). The second sees con24

tracted-out services as one governance mechanism, among many, by which partnerships could be advanced (Lowndes and Skelcher 1998). The third extends the definition of partnership to cover contracted-out services and sees the role of the PES/ labour ministry as to manage and organise a market for the provision of such services. Here, the UK is perhaps the strongest example of where ‘partnerships’ is a term used in some circumstances as a synonym for private provision of employment services, though even here there are other times where the terms are distinguished from one another. Stakeholders and actors = potential partners Partnership can be developed and build with various actors from all different levels.

• Other public sector partnerships. These typically re-

volved around partnerships with municipalities, social assistance organisations, public skills providers and national, regional and local economic development/regeneration agencies. Sometimes they included health and housing ministries or organisations. These multi-agency partnerships were either focused on the broad goal of economic development or more specific goals of joined up or co-located services at the local level. It will often be the case however that PES are not the lead organization in these partnerships.

• Third sector. These partnerships were in the main with voluntary or charitable organisations working with or representing specific groups of Jobseekers. While there were instances of these organisations being involved in contracted delivery of services in the same way as

private providers, they tended also to be talked about in terms more reflective of genuine partnership rather than the relationship being purely contractual.

• Employers. Employer relationships around securing

placements, work trials and reintegration were out of scope for this paper, but most PES reported that they saw employers as key partners at both a strategic level and in relation to specific projects. This was particularly the case in PES (e.g. Estonia) where the formal role is both to provide services to jobseekers and to assist employers with recruitment.

• Private employment service providers. These part-

ners were in place to some extent in all PES, though opinion was divided about whether these reflected pure partnerships or more contractual relationships.

• International partnerships.

These were of a much lower level of priority than more national and local partnerships. However, most PES recognized that other EU PES, the HoPES and the EURES network were important transnational partners. Some even mentioned the World Association of Public Employment Services in this regard.

3. GOVERNANCE AND FRAMEWORK FOR BUILDING PARTNERSHIP Management of partnership How to manage partnership in the most effective way, delivering results and at the same time respecting the roles of each partners, is a question that each partnership is addressing, especially at the beginning of setting up new partnership. In the report “Partnership between Employment Services (PARES) - Strategic Dialogue 2014« on Delivering a Coordinated Service Offer from May 2014, proposals and recommendations have been made.9 Bellow there is section from this report, explaining the importance Strategic level requirements for co-ordinating service delivery – formalising agreements, management arrangements and oversight. Consensus Observation A formal agreement developed conjointly by all partners can help create a useful framework to support the development of coordinated offers by different employment services. For example, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) represents a commitment for parties to work together to maximise the effectiveness of services provided to clients of employment services (both jobseekers and employers) and provides a transparent declaration of the objectives and common goals of the cooperation. The PARES Strategic Dialogue 2013 provided recommendations to employment services on the drafting of a MoU,10 including, 9 http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=991 10 The PARES Strategic Dialogue 2013 addressed the issue of the drafting of a MoU http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=991&langId=en ; Working in partnership at the local and regional Level http://ec.europa.eu/social/ BlobServlet?docId=10476&langId=en

identifying concrete fields and forms of cooperation, formulating a clear statement of intent, providing a flexible framework for cooperation, and developing an action plan for its implementation. Depending on the services to be provided by the partnership, agreements can be in the form of more flexible joint working agreements or more legally defined contracts. It is important to ensure that all actors participate in the design of a partnership or framework agreement. To add value to the client, offer, they should promote a structured, open and honest dialogue to help overcome prejudices and apprehension, identify shared interest, relevant specialisms, and scope of the service. Changes to national law can facilitate partnership-based delivery by strengthening the status of partnership agreements. For example, in the UK the PES, local government and other relevant public agencies have a statutory ‘duty to cooperate’ with local employer-led partnerships. Following a top-down approach, a national framework partnership agreement opens the door for the development of parallel agreements at the local level. National level agreements should be sufficiently flexible to allow for the creation of locally based partnership agreements and activities that can respond to local conditions. If they chose to follow a bottom-up approach, partnerships can be developed to deliver joint actions at the local level and build trust. In formalising partnerships, locally, the same precepts apply as those for national partnerships. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ model or ideal mix of central and local arrangements. Both approaches can be pursued simultaneously as they are mutually reinforcing. National and local specificities are key factors in designing the most suitable arrangements. For instance, in certain Member States, a for28

mal agreement at the national level is an essential prerequisite for any type of partnership to function effectively at the local level, while other countries recognise the value of local partnerships. However, they may face challenges because of the lack of uniformity across partnerships at the local level, the fragmentation of the service offer within an area and across different areas, and lack of transparency. Regardless of level, operational service delivery will be more effective if the agreement sets out clear common objectives, the responsibilities of each partner, and the expected and measurable outcomes from the joint activity and services to be delivered. Ranges of agreement types are in play dependent on local circumstances, the maturity of partnering relationships and degree of contractual formality required. Agreements can focus on ‘what’ is to be achieved and not necessarily the ‘how’. Freedom on ‘how’ to design and deliver services gives partners the opportunity to play to their strengths and provides scope for innovation and creativity, as well as responsiveness to changing circumstances. One form of locally-designed contractual agreement is the ‘co-investment partnership’ which involves the pooling of financial resources from amongst the partners to deliver a particular service. Where budgets cannot be pooled, local agencies may enter into agreements to align mainstream programmes so that they complement partnership efforts that are more focused on local needs. Other arrangements allow for pilot agreements around joint management contracts for different client groups – providing the scope for testing-out operational processes around local co-delivery. If the partnership is based on a contractual relationship, it is important to ensure that any financial incentives support the 29

objectives of the partnership. Performance-led, outcome-based funding (linked to pre-established, quantifiable targets) while desirable, should be designed in a way that discourages competition between partners and does not create perverse incentives (e.g. where service providers prioritise support for clients with the greatest chance of a successful outcome rather than those with deeper and more intractable problems). For instance, clear minimum service standards and varying performance payments for different categories of clients can ensure that service providers focus on the intended target groups. Strong leadership helps provide vision, define common purpose, and drive progress. There should be a lead organisation, which can be the natural lead e.g. the main funder or organisation carrying the greatest risk, or it can be elected by partner organisations. Importantly the lead organisation must be able to stimulate trust, promote buy-in, facilitate an on-going dialogue, manage the change process and be perceived as an honest broker. A cross-representative steering group should support the work of the partnership. To ensure the effective design and implementation of a coordinated service offer, named individuals, with appropriate authority both within and outside their organisation, should be responsible for day-to-day management and the continuous improvement of locally coordinated services and should be held accountable for the outcomes of the services delivered by their organisation. Local managers should communicate the partnershipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s objectives with staff involved in service delivery. Involving staff in the development of the delivery models ensure their ownership and commitment to the partnership. This is especially important with staff working in co-location, for instance, in a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;one stopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; service centre. Front-line advisors should be provided with up-to-date information on the ser30

vices available, places available, and eligibility rules to avoid unsuitable referrals. To deliver a good quality coordinated service offer, progress should be continuously reviewed through a virtuous circle of monitoring, reviewing, evaluating and improving. Key performance indicators should be collectively agreed upon and a monitoring and evaluation system should be part of the ‘institutional architecture’ of the partnership. Performance monitoring should take place regularly (fixed periodicity) and key milestones should be set to meet short-, medium- and long-term targets. Job seekers and employers should be consulted through customer surveys and focus groups/panel discussions. At the national level, mutual learning across local partnerships (what works) should be promoted. At the outset, there should be clear guidelines about what happens if a partner fails to deliver. While a mediation process may help to resolve issues, if a partner is consistently under-delivering, steps should be taken to ensure their replacement. An escalation ‘process’ - and the conditions linked to its utilisation - should be set in place in relation to contractual financial and performance issues. Finally, the partnership itself should be evaluated periodically to test and demonstrate the added value of its work; particular aspects of such an evaluation should include assessment of the mix of members, partners’ respective contributions to the achievement of the partnership’s goal and objectives, and working practices. The evaluation process also needs to be reviewed, so that it accommodates changes to the economy, labour market, and policy priorities.

Recommendation Employment services entering into co-operation arrangements at the national/federal level and local level should formalise these through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) or other type of formal agreement that outlines the shared objectives, common goals and purpose of the co-operation, and different partners’ roles and responsibilities. The form of the agreement should be dependent on local circumstances, the maturity of partnering relationships and the degree of contractual formality required. Building a trust relationship takes time and commitment. The agreement should be the result of a participative process, based on a structured, open, and honest dialogue among partners. In order to foster this type of dialogue, partners could jointly produce a ‘mapping of arguments’ typically put forward both ‘in favour’ and ‘against’ public-private partnerships of employment services. Such a mapping forms a solid basis for sparking an honest discussion surrounding parties’ fears and prejudices and identifying shared interests and the added value of working in partnership. The “arguments’ map” used in the Netherlands can serve as inspiration for partners developing such a tool. Local actors must be mandated to participate by their national authority, where relevant. A lead organisation should provide vision and steer the partnership, supported in its work by a cross-representative steering group. Each member of the partnership should have a manager with appropriate authority to contribute to the development and decision-making of co-ordinated services within the partnership and within their own organisation and similarly, who will be accountable for the contribution and performance of their organisation. Partners 32

should be committed to speedily replace key staff that leave and communicate the changes within the network. Success of the partnership is linked directly to the engagement of staff. Buy-in can be achieved through transparent communication to frontline staff in all partner agencies about the objectives and how they will be achieved. Allowing staff to communicate their expectations and including themin the development of the service offer creates increased commitment. Encouraging staff to establish working relationships with staff in other organisations and setting up a system for job rotation within the network can be particularly effective. Key performance indicators should be collectively agreed upon and a monitoring and evaluation system should be part of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;institutional architectureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of the partnership. Evaluation should assess the added value of the partnership, partners and co-delivery. Escalation processes in response to poor performance or contractual financial issues should be agreed in advance. A process needs to be in place within the partnership to review, assess and respond to monitoring and evaluation findings, in particular to provide scope for continuous improvement and progression. Governance PES partnerships take several forms but typically are managed through the use of Partnership Agreements with a varying degree of legal formality, depending on their nature, and via Partnership Boards and other consultative fora. PES identified clear expectations and shared commitment to common objectives as expressed in Partnership Agreements as central to successful partnerships. Evaluation and monitoring processes were rela33

tively undeveloped and a clear point of learning is that this is an area that could be considerably strengthened. The report also finds that there may be some tensions between the use of contracted provision with private providers in purely market modes of governance and the achievement of cost reductions and improvement in quality. This is because the achievement of quality and strong performance may require a much longer-term and strategic orientation which works against short-term efficiency. Moreover, even then, there may be reasons to think that there are hard limits to the extent to which partnership can bring about constitutive changes leading to the convergence of organisational objectives, sufficient for contracting to become genuine partnership. The PES suggested that there are four main ways in which PES partnerships are governed, although generally speaking, evidence which could be provided on this was limited as precise partnership governance arrangements are often defined at the local level to suit particular circumstances: Examples of governing the partnerships:

â&#x20AC;˘ Partnership Boards â&#x20AC;&#x201C; most public and multi-stake-

holder partnerships which are not market based have some form of joint consultative forum. While these have a variety of names they are often termed Partnership Boards. In several cases Partnerships give rise to multiple forums with a common distinction being between different scalar levels where the partnership has a vertical dimension or between strategic and operational functions. The frequency of meetings varies according to the nature of the consultation undertak-

en through these fora with more operational meetings needing to be very much more regular (e.g. monthly) than more strategic meetings which typically operate on a quarterly through to annual cycle.

• Partnership agreements and contracts –

similarly most public and multi-stakeholder partnerships have a formal agreement between them and this serves as the basis for the establishment of the Partnership Boards and other consultative forums. While these agreements are in some cases legally enforceable (and in some cases, have statutory as opposed to commercial status) they are frequently less formal than this and are statements of intent and mutual commitment more than they are legal documents for settling disputes in the courts if necessary. Nevertheless, PES respondents suggested that such written commitments served a strong role in ensuring commitment to shared objectives. While formal agreements are important to ensure commitment and accountability, they can also emphasise hierarchy and market forms of governance and may need to be offset with regular meetings and individual contact between staff from different partners to emphasise network style characteristics.

• Commercial contracts – are often more legally differ-

ent to partnership agreements in that they are always legally enforceable and cover only market oriented governance modes as opposed to network and hierarchical governance modes.

• Informal and unwritten agreements

– despite the emphasis in the academic and policy literature on 35

Partnerships being constituted by the presence of a formal agreement and a new structure or process, some PES reported very informal working relationships between PES and other stakeholders as Partnerships. For instance, in Estonia, partnerships between the PES and municipalities to work together for a time limited period in relation to specific labour market issues, were reported as both routinized and normal working behaviour but were not governed by formal written agreements and Partnership Boards but more informal joint working practices. Similarly, in the UK, local Jobcentres have always worked with a range of partners (including for instance ESF providers, temporary agencies, employers, training providers) but have not always managed these relationships through written documents and formalised governance structures.

4. NATIONAL EXAMPLES OF PARTNERSHIPS IN IMPLEMENTATIONS OF ACTIVE LABOUR MEASURES POLICIES (a) Partnership among institutions; • among local/regional PES and

• with schools • municipalities • private employment agencies

Partnerships between the Regional PES in Belgium In Belgium, being Federal country, there are four public employment services: VDAB, Le Forem, Actris and ADG. All four 36

PES have a high-level commitment to partnership working with each other and within their own areas with other partners. All four PES are engaged in the Synerjob network, which was established in 2007 and is constituted in Belgian law as a formal non-profit organisation. Each member has a representative on the Synerjob board of directors which meets annually with administrative sub-groups meeting more regularly. Synerjob is part of the attempts to deliver headline national labour market priorities such as mobility between different federal areas and the integration of regional labour markets. Partners deliver services to each other clients, share vacancy information, and developed shared infrastructure projects. The three largest PES: VDAB, Le Forem and actress also each operate local level partnerships in their own regions: VDAB â&#x20AC;&#x201C; maintains more than a dozen regional partnerships mainly focused on jobseekers skills development. Each partnership is a subject of the partnership dog document which sets out measurable activities and outputs and each partner evaluates their own success in meeting these. Instant partnerships there are separate Service level contracts and tendering arrangements with service providers.

â&#x20AC;˘ Le

Forem â&#x20AC;&#x201C; maintains a variety of different local partnership arrangements. These include a series of multi-stakeholder partnerships in support of integrated service provision to different target groups of jobseekers, such as disabled people, and in each case, represent a range of different groups associated with the target groups. These Employment Training Guidance Platforms are governed by formal Framework Contracts between the partners and a Steering Committee. 37

Le Forem also has a network of a 60 Jobcentres which reflect a partnership with social services, are established under a contractual agreement and governed by a joint steering committee. Additionally, there are 25 Skills Centres, which represent a partnership between the PES, the regional government, sectoral associations research centres and universities. Other partnerships include Redundancy Training Partnerships with Trade Unions and contracted services with private providers of employment services.

â&#x20AC;˘ Actris â&#x20AC;&#x201C; maintains several multi-agency Jobcentres

across Brussels, which involve a partnership between the PES, social services and not-for-profit service providers at the local level. Depending on the locality and local priorities a range of other actors are also involved in different places. These Jobcentre partnerships typically see Actris dealing with Jobseekers closest to the labour market while those needing additional help are referred to more specialist services provided by other partners.

Also, partnership with private agencies is possible. PES and Partnerships in Italy In Italy PES services are devolved to the regional level and there are effectively 21 PES with very different working arrangements across the country. Up until the mid-2000s, the provision of employment services was heavily regulated and the PES was the sole provider of employment services. Since then, private employment service providers and temporary agencies have started to develop but this is highly variable across the country and dependent in part on local PES practices. So, for 38

example, in Lombardy there is a strong private employment services sector partly because of the PES operating a highly privatised voucher based system of employment services. Here the emphasis is on market base competition. By contrast in Trento privatised agencies play a strong role but the steering mechanism is more hierarchical, based on contracts set by the PES and social partners provide some services. In many areas, however partnerships between the PES and other actors are much less developed. Recent and evolving reform aims to promote greater partnership working through the agency of a much stronger central PES. PES and Partnerships in Poland In Poland, the national labour law mandates the PES and other actors, including voluntary labour corps, private employment agencies, training institutions and social partners. The Labour Market Council facilitates dialogue between social partners on the development of a National Action Plan, new labour market programmes and LMP monitoring. Similar institutional arrangements are in place regionally and locally, and recent legislation now mandates social partners and employment agencies to work together. This national framework therefore lead to a variety of different local partnership arrangements. For example, in the Lubusz region a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Pact for Employmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; has been in place since 2008 and is governed by a formal partnership agreement. It includes a very wide range of partners including the PES, municipalities, employment service providers, social partners, education and training organisations, social entrepreneurs, business support organisations and a variety of public services. The Pact involves a range of sub-partnerships focusing on Vocational 39

Guidance, labour market monitoring, Lifelong Learning and Social Economy. Each has a separate secretariat and works in different ways with varying degrees of formality and depth to the cooperation. The main partnership is governed via a formal partnership agreement which has been in place since 2008. PES and Partnerships in Estonia The Estonian PES has no formal partnership strategy but partnership working is central to the PES three-year development plan, overseen by the Supervisory Board, which itself represents partnership structure of PES staff, government and social partners. ‘Cooperation’ is also one of the three core values of the PES, especially in relation to employers and municipalities. This Estonian PES also maintains service contracts with private provider’s employment services. Some of the most important partnerships for the Estonian PES are: Employer partnerships – For the last two years the PES has been pursuing formal corporation agreements with significant employers in relation to the recruitment of unemployment benefit claimants. These formal agreements (10 are already in place) are a mechanism for the PES to meet its objectives in relation to assisting employers with their recruitment needs, to promote the recruitment of specific groups of jobseekers, to influence employer HR practices, and to strengthen their relationship with significant employers. Partnerships by contract – The PES also partners with a wide range of public and private training providers of both general training, as well as more specialist support for the long-term unemployed and those with the most serious barriers to work. 40

These contracts are let on an ad-hoc basis and tend to focus on payment for services, rather than a determined effort at ‘market management’ and payment by results. Nevertheless, there are plans to move towards payment by results in the future. Partnerships with Municipalities – the Estonian PES works collaboratively on a much more informal basis with municipalities. At the national level, there is a conscious and coherent plan of working with municipalities to share information and identify specific long-term unemployed jobseekers in each municipality, in order to target specialist interventions to meet their needs. At the municipal level the working arrangements are much more flexible, and reflect both a long-term commitment to partnership and a short term ‘Task and finish’ approach to specific local labour market problems. These working arrangements are judges by the PES to be very effective at combining an embedded commitment to partnerships with sufficient flexibility to meet local needs. It is anticipated by the PES that future benefit reform, particularly in relation to disability benefits, will mean that partnership working will become even more important to the PES in the future. With this in mind the PES is currently reviewing the availability of support to disabled jobseekers in the ‘market’ with a view to manage and stimulating supply. Slovenia - Regional scholarship schemes The set objectives of the instrument are:

• inclusion of 4.000 young people in regional scholarship schemes;

• share of young people included in the project, employed after the completion of scholarship – 80 %.

The aim of the operation/programme:

• to grant 12 public authorizations to regional development

institutions chosen on the basis of call for tender (public tender), led by ministry and consequently co-financing of regional scholarship schemes and corporate/company scholarships.

Target groups

• young people (secondary school students, undergraduate and postgraduate students) and

• employers (under the conditions set in Scholarship Act). Scope and source of funding- EU funding/national funding: Budget: 18.400.000,00 EUR (80 % of that amount represents ESF funds and 20 % is national funding) till the end of the activity in the year of 2022. The partners and in charge for the implementation are Regional development institutions – holders of granted public authorizations for implementing regional schemes for company scholarships. Some of them are profit- orientated, others are public institutions. Public authorizations are granted for the defined termination till the end of 2022. The legal basis for deinstitutionalisation is: Promotion of Balanced Regional Development Act (Official Journal of Republic of Slovenia, no. 20/11, 57/12 in 46/16) as previously described under the point 3 of this document.

Austria - PES working with schools in Austria (example from Vienna) In Austria, secondary schools are legally obliged to provide students with advice and guidance on educational opportunities, existing professions and the job search. PES local offices invite schools to their career information centres to offer students with guidance and advice on further education and how to prepare for the job market. The visit includes a presentation of PES services for young people. Students are encouraged to start thinking about career choices. Advice provided by PES is divided into different modules according to the age of the students and requests from the teachers. The initiative focuses strongly on training the teachers. Where visits to PES career information centres are not available, teachers need to provide the advice and guidance themselves. PES counsellors offer training in:

• latest job market trends, • how to advise students on existing professions, • how to prepare a student to look for a job, • further education, training and apprenticeships available to students.

Teachers provide feedback after their participation. This is used to shape the services offered by PES career information centres. In addition, meetings with teachers are organised during the year to adjust the programme to suit their needs and requests. The initiative promotes cooperation between PES and schools to improve students’ access to information.

The initiative adopts a two-fold and complementary approach: encouraging schools to visit PES and improving teachers’ skills in guiding students into the job market. One of the success factors of the initiative was the involvement of the teachers. The PES has used teacher feedback to adapt its advice and guidance service to better fit students’ needs. The main objectives of the initiative are:

• To provide students with guidance and advice on education-

al opportunities, information about existing professions and practical skills such as how to search for a job, prepare an application and draft a CV;

• to train teachers how to give advice and guidance to their students.

The two long-term goals are:

• To familiarise students with opportunities available when they leave secondary school, both in education and the job market

• To reduce drop-out from school by engaging students with

their future and highlighting the importance of formal education.

PES visits are organised into separate modules to fit the specific needs of the students. For example, PES guidance is adapted to the age of the students involved. In addition, teachers can ask PES to tailor their session to the needs of the school. Teachers play a key role in helping the PES to better understand the needs and challenges of the students. With this in mind, regular meetings are organised between PES staff and teachers to discuss what they want to achieve from the practice. This is very useful for PES to adapt and plan its activities accordingly.

Feedback provided by the teachers and discussion with students show that, following PES advice and guidance, students feel more informed about what is on offer from further education and the job market. It has also been identified that students are more knowledgeable about their future choices. According to the feedback, the initiative has a positive impact on teachers’ knowledge and on their ability to provide guidance and advice to students. (b) Partnership with private sector • civil society organisation

• youth organisations • youth centres • private agencies

The provision of employment counselling and guidance services for Youth Guarantee clients tends to rest heavily on PES and their partner organisations. PES provide a range of employment counselling through face-to-face services and increasingly also through e-services, covering information and advisory matters but also individualised support, matching and action planning. PES rank their capacity to offer employment counselling and career guidance as medium. They indicated particular strengths in ensuring a multi-channel strategy in the provision of both counselling and guidance services and in the capacity to offer individualised services for young clients – even if at the same time many PES have highlighted concerns over high ‘case loads’ caused by the combination of high unemployment rates (and consequent high numbers of jobseekers) and budgetary constraints.

In order to reach young people, services need to become more accessible for young people. The Italian PES, together with partners, has also sought to strengthen early activation and profiling services for unemployed and inactive youth by setting up so-called Youth Corners. As shown by the box below, Youth Corners, are established in places such as schools, universities, private employment agencies and local PES offices – by the PES - to provide unemployed youth and NEETs with more localised and accessible access points to register. Italy - Youth corners The Italian PES set up this practice to provide a network of contact points or ‘operating units’ enabling NEETs to access the services provided within the Youth Guarantee. The priority groups are young people aged 15-18 and 19-24 but they also serve young people up to the age of 29. They are being set up all over the country. Youth Corners are established in places such as schools, universities, private employment agencies and local PES offices, and provide beneficiaries with an access point to register and activate their entitlement to the full range of services available with Youth Guarantee, including guidance and advisory services. Implementation is most advanced in three regions: Piedmont, Lombardy and Veneto. As an example, in Piedmont, 65 Youth Corners have been activated (with common layout and visual identity), to which 13 000 young jobseekers have registered: 1 300 have received services of which 600 have already received a placement. In Lombardy, 747 Youth Corner and 843 Youth Centre training locations have been set up. 46

PES is the main actor in the Youth Corner network. Regional administrations in charge of PES manage the accreditation of private providers. Key partners include private employment agencies, training providers, universities and municipalities. The management of the Corners is based on a result oriented approach with the funding increasing on the basis of the number of young people engaged and supported. PES in Belgium submitted examples focusing on the increased individualisation of employment counselling for young jobseekers. The measures are largely designed to better guide young jobseekers through the process from initial registration and skill assessment, to individual action planning, matching and placement. Measures rely on a case management approach. This approach involves designated employment counsellors taking the role of case managers to work with a defined number of young jobseekers until they have received the help they need or completed a successful transition to the next phase of their life â&#x20AC;&#x201C; instead of facing a more complicated pathway through numerous different employment counsellors, services and professionals. Case managers offer continuity in terms of being able to work with the jobseeker over an extended period of time. Belgium - Le Forem - Individual guidance (Accompagnement individualisĂŠ) Le Forem introduced this practice in 2010 to address the individual needs of those registered with the PES and improve their chances of finding a job through a more individualised, joined-up guidance service based on a case management method. PES is the main implementing body but it works in close collaboration with providers of specialist services, such 47

as training providers, agencies providing social support services and municipalities. Individual guidance is provided based on a unique guidance pathway: regardless of the demand from a client, one coach will offer support to them throughout the process rather than being served by a range of counsellors. The coach is responsible for a portfolio of clients. Following PES registration, a coach will contact the participant to set up a meeting, during which the coach will propose a plan of action. The coach is then responsible to oversee the planâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s implementation. At risk groups are prioritised in terms of urgency of the initial contact. In 2012, 108 741 individual coaching sessions were conducted, which was an increase of 14.6 % on the previous year. However, it had been intended for 130 000 session to be carried out in 2012. The economic context was, in part, to blame for not as many participants being supported, as it prevented some of the unemployed from returning to work and thereby requiring more support for a longer period of time than anticipated. This meant that the case load of coaches was higher than planned (166 actual per coach vs. 160 planned). Belgium - VDAB - Online guidance for highly educated jobseekers The service began in November 2013 and following a successful pilot phase, it was agreed to introduce it to all highly educated jobseekers under the age of 25. It is funded and implemented by VDAB. The service consists of obligatory guidance delivered by a dedicated team of e-coaches. The service comprises four steps: mail, phone call, first conversation and guidance. In the first 48

step, the participant receives an e-mail explaining the online guidance process and what is required for setting up the first appointment with a counsellor (an e-coach) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; importantly, the jobseeker can choose the date and time of the first e-appointment by using an interactive online calendar; the second step is a phone call to schedule the first appointment if the jobseeker has not set one up; in the third step, the e-coach will contact the client at an appropriate time through an agreed channel for their first conversation (note: the jobseeker can choose the main channel of communication such as phone, video chat, email); and, finally, participants are provided advice on the job seeking process. This includes same advice than is given for jobseekers who attend such guidance session in person. The evaluation in June 2014 agreed that the measure meets the needs and expectation of the highly-skilled, young target group. Of the participants that used the pilot service, 85 % would recommend it to their friends. The online calendar which gives a possibility for jobseekers to choose the date and time of the first meeting has been regarded as a big success and a new project has established to introduce this system more widely. The service allows VDAB to advise jobseekers swiftly (e.g. 1 minute response time for a text chat) and to reach a large audience with a relative small team. The service provided has been found to be at least of same quality than face-to-face service but there is still no evidence about the efficiency of the service in comparison to mainstream channels. Estonia - Job clubs Job clubs were set up by the PES in 2009, in order to provide a service for the unemployed and employees who have just been made redundant. Since 2010, the clubs have been organ49

ised for specific groups of jobseekers, including young people who have different information, guidance and counselling needs in comparison to older jobseekers due to their lack of experience in the labour market. Job clubs are counselling services that help to prepare users for job search and preparing their job search skills, networks, while also providing an overview of job opportunities. Generally, job club sessions last three hours and participants will meet ten times. In the sessions, participants learn how to find, prepare themselves and approach different types of work, through activities such as preparation of documents needed for applying for a job and training job interview skills through role play. The intended outcome of these sessions is a better understanding of the desired profession and an action plan, for each participant. PES is the lead organisation in the measure, although the delivery is mostly outsourced. Lithuania – Certified Youth Workers and trained staff to work with youth at-risk Twenty-three PES employees working with youth received certificates after participating in the “Development of Integrated Youth Policy” project and activities of the “Implementation of the Youth Worker certification system”, which was implemented by the Department of Youth Affairs under the Ministry of Social Security and Labour. The purpose of the Youth Worker certification system is to establish and maintain high-quality work with young people, and ensure effective cooperation between experts from public institutions and non-governmental organizations. In Autumn 2014, the Lithuanian Labour Exchange in cooperation with a partner – Education Exchanges Support Foundation 50

- organized training for 80 local labour exchanges and youth job centres specialists to enhance their counselling skills quality in working with complex and unmotivated target groups and assessing their competencies. The training programme was elaborated focusing more on the content relevance and competence development of staff working with young people, new methodological tools assimilation and practical client’s skills assessment tool management. One of the new methodological tools – “Labyrinth of Professions” (2013) - was created by the Lithuanian Youth Centre. This vocational guidance board game helps young people to learn more about themselves and what they want to do in a friendly and non-formal way. The game “Labyrinth of Professions” aims at providing an interactive, fun and educational experience for people of all ages. Young people can play and learn more about the different professions and career paths available for them. Youth specialists at job centres have tested this game and use this guidance tool in advising young people. Education and trainings for unemployed young people are common ALMP in many countries. Mostly their aim is to enlarge employability of young people, develop and/or strengthen their competences and prepare them for labour market. Many times, those educational and training activities are led by sub-contractors, external agencies, organisations, authorities or non-governmental 8youth) organisations. The objective of the measure from Slovenia is to increase the employability of young people through additional training and education and to provide support to unemployed young people on their road to more permanent and better forms of employment. An updated Project Learning of Young Adults (PLYA) 51

programme will be implemented, assisting participants in rehabilitation and surpassing the factors causing them to find themselves in distress, assisting them in developing their interests, key and vocational competencies and personal traits through which they will improve their assertiveness and proactivity and along with this, also their success in the labour market and in social life. Slovenia - Project learning for the young adults (PUM-O) The overall aim of the programme is the integration of vulnerable young people into the labour market. The programme aims primarily at improving their skills and enhancing their employability through project-based learning in groups and personalised support. Target group is young people (aged 15 to 25 years) not in education, employment or training (NEETs). The programme is financed from ESF (12 million from 20162021), with aim of 3.000 inclusions of young during this period. The ministry works in partnership with the Employment Service of Slovenia. There are 12 partners, contractors of the programme at this moment (plan is 14 in near future). They come from different sectors: 10 of them are non-profit and 2 profit. Their central activities are: a development of individual learning plans tailored to participants. A key condition for carrying out these plans is the coaching and mentoring programme to provide one-to-one support. The mentorship approach is based on specialised assistance from highly qualified professionals. The program will be also carried out during this new programme period 2014-2020 and will continue a good practice since 1995, when this program was first implemented.

The legal basis for deinstitutionalisation is: Labour Market Regulation Act In Ireland there has been a measure implemented with a wide variety of different actors, including employers and the case of Ballymun is recognised as one of the successful measures. Ireland: Ballymun Youth Guarantee Pilot project – working with young people and employers to reduce youth unemployment through training and securing placements. The unemployment register reduced by 29 % as 88 % of project participants were provided with a good quality offer of employment, training, further education or an apprenticeship. The project was deemed to have successfully met the needs of young people in the area. Important lessons learnt include the necessity for tailoring communication methods and content to the needs of the target group – in this case both young people and employers – so that it’s engaging and ‘fit for purpose.’ Young people, who are the most marginalised, often require a multi-disciplinary approach to help them to address and overcome multiple barriers. In such cases, they may not be ready for education, training or employment within four months. For employers, a proactive, personal approach proved key to engaging them. This was done through telephone calls, face-to-face meetings and breakfast briefings. Partnership among a lot of different actors were involved:

Department for Social Protection + A national steering group also brought together the following stakeholders:

• Employer and trade union organisations: Irish Business and

Employer Confederation, Activating Dublin and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions;

• Youth

and development organisations: National Youth Council of Ireland and Irish Local Development Network;

• Education

and training organisations: SOLAS and City of Dublin Education and Training Board;

• Government

departments: Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Department of Education and Skills, Department of Social Protection.

The target group for the pilot project was all newly registered unemployed young people and those already on the unemployment register (many of whom were long-term unemployed), all aged between 18 and 24. The target group was divided into three specific groups:

××Those with very low-level educational attainment (35%); ××Those holding a high school ‘Leaving Certification’/some work experience (47%);

××Those with 3rd level qualification/good work experience (18%). Employers were also an important target group and this included large and small and medium-sized enterprises. The pilot project had three broad objectives: 1. To develop and deliver a model Youth Guarantee tailored to the needs of a disadvantaged urban community; 2. Test the effectiveness of this model in Ballymun; 54

3. Extract the lessons learnt to inform the further development and implementation of the national Youth Guarantee. The aim was to provide the target group with a good-quality offer of a job, apprenticeship, traineeship, work experience or continued education within four months of registration at the public employment service or within four months of an initial guidance interview (depending on the young person’s circumstances). The pilot project activities provided quality guidance services and focused on providing client-centred interventions to ensure that quality offers fit to the needs of each young person. Each young person’s journey in the pilot project broadly followed the following steps: 1. Identification and selection of participants; 2. Youth Guarantee assessment and development of a career plan. This was followed up with further training where relevant, including: basic skills development; personal skills development; specific skills training; preparation for education and training; or work experience; 3. Where relevant, entering a course or training in mainstream education and training; 4. For all participants, entering employment.

If a young person failed to participate in relevant activities they were faced with the possibility of sanctions. The Irish PES was very proactive in reaching out to employers. In some cases, they made initial contact via the telephone to explain ‘what’s in it for them’ and the support that they could provide to the employer if they wish to hire a young person. Face-to-face meetings also took place between the PES and employers where PES explained the different ways they could 55

get involved. In addition, meetings and events were organised at times that suited employers, for example breakfast briefings. At the end of the pilot project, young people on the unemployment register in the area reduced by 29% in comparison to a national average reduction during this time of 19%. The previous record reduction in Ballymun in the ten years’ prior was 6.5% (in 2010). In terms of participants, by the end of the pilot project 593 (88%) young people were made a good quality offer. 98% of the offers were made within the 4-month deadline. Moreover 57% of these were for education or training and 43% were for work experience, an internship or employment (covering publicly-funded employment programmes, full-time private sector employment, part-time employment and internships, and work experience/blended learning programmes). Almost 70% were happy with the process and would recommend it to a friend. (c) Partnership with • training providers

• social partners, • businesses/ employers/ entrepreneurs • and experts

High quality vocational training is important in equipping young people with work-related skills that can then make them more attractive to potential employers. Two PES presented practices in which PES are working with a range of stakeholders, from social partners, chambers of commerce and VET providers to youth organisations, to put in place suitable basic and further VET programmes.

Greece – Experimental Apprenticeship Schools (PSEK) The Greek VET system has undergone significant reform in recent years, with apprenticeships having been extended to cover the whole spectrum of VET qualifications. In addition to the PES having 51 Apprenticeship Schools across the country, it has recently opened two Experimental Apprenticeship Schools (PSEKs), both focusing on tourism. They are intended to facilitate labour-market integration of young high school graduates, aged 18-20, oriented toward technical and vocational education and training, namely in tourism. The PSEKs offer three-year programmes that lead to qualifications recognised in Greece and Germany in three different areas: cooks, hotel employees, and food and beverage managers. Four months each year is dedicated on theoretical training. This is conducted during the tourism off-season, so that the students can put theory into practice throughout the sector’s high-season months. The scheme pertains to a Dual System of Education; whereby personal and field skills are developed through the effective involvement of students in their specialty area. PES is the main implementing body but it works in collaboration with social partners, businesses and experts. In its first year of implementation, 75 students enrolled. In its second academic year (2014-2015), 120 students have been admitted. The practice will be evaluated at the end of the first three-year programme. Spain – Vocational training for employment This measure is being introduced and it will provide participants with the skills needed for young people to adapt to the labour market, prioritising certain occupations and the corresponding 57

high-priority certificates/ qualifications. It is targeted to young people under 30, with emphasis on those who are unemployed and low-skilled. The PES works in partnership with social partners. Activities funded under this measure will focus on three areas. Firstly, training activities leading to recruitment and respond to specific qualification requirements. Secondly, class-room based training that is linked to high-priority areas. Thirdly, training activities aimed at equipping the participants with foreign language and ITC skills. No outcomes are available yet as the measure is just being introduced. In Hungary, there is a need to improve the allocation of ALMPs in terms of their delivery and resources to ensure that they are relevant, up-to-date and avoid â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;deadweightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; effect. Hungary - Active labour market programmes to improve the employability of the disadvantaged with increased focus on young unemployed The programmes, including ESF funded programmes and First Job Guarantee, address the needs of young people who are looking to enter the labour market for the first time who may need support or necessary work experience. The target group is young unemployed people aged under 25, or 30 in the case of new graduates. The PES is working with NGOs, youth organisations, social partners and education and training institutions. The ESF funded programmes have been in place since 2011, and they have focused on young people since 2012-2013. They came to an end in 2014 and 2015. The First Job Guarantee Programme ran in 2012 and 2013. PES is the main implementing body.

The programmes provide the target group with personalised and tailor-made programmes that included labour market services, subsidies and training. They include general and vocational training, wage subsidies, support for self-employment, mobility support and housing allowance. They also included the provision of information, advice, job search assistance and mentoring. Under the ESF programmes, over 45 000 young people have been involved (up to July 2014). The First Job Guarantee Programme involved 7 600 young people in 2012 and 10 800 young people between March National and ESF funding. Several countries implement ALMP offering young people a first professional experience through subsidised employment or internships. France - Jobs for the future In France, the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Jobs for the Futureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; programme supports the labour market participation of young people with lower levels of education, from deprived areas or with disabilities. It uses subsidised contracts for three years (both in the for-profit and non-profit sector), complemented by mandatory training (formal-qualifying- and non-formal) and counselling. Most the mandatory training within the project leads to certifications that are relevant to the needs of the sector concerned. The French PES works with employers in the planning stages and throughout the subsidised contract to ensure that the training offers are adapted to local needs. In all cases, the con-tracts are re-negotiated within the three-year timeframe to ensure they are meeting the needs of the employer and the young person. The French PES has observed that the adapt-ability of the programme to differing local contexts has contributed to its suc59

cess. Face-to-face contact with employers and close collaboration with Mission Locales (local youth agencies) have also been critical success factors in matching the right young person with the right opportunity. Nowadays, there is also a strong encouragement to increase entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial skills. Finland â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Start-up workshops for young entrepreneurs The entrepreneurial workshops were originally coined by young people themselves, for themselves (young people/jobseekers interested in starting their own business): the first of which was held by PES at the end of 2013, with a third planned for the end of 2014. The workshops are intended to provide young entrepreneurs with expert advice and mentor support from an experienced entrepreneur in the first phase of business planning and set up. In the start-up workshop the business ideas of the young entrepreneurs are developed and worked up further. The practice includes teaching, guiding and supporting the young entrepreneurs. PES is the main implementing body but it collaborates with education / training providers. Around 30 % of the first workshop participants have received a start-up grant for their business. The plan is to introduce the model at a national level. Slovenia - Encouraging female entrepreneurship Public agency SPIRIT Slovenia, together with the Slovenian PES and the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, prepared a program of entrepreneurship training for unemployed women with tertiary education who want to start an independent entrepreneurial career. After completing 100 60

hours of training, the participants will have received a certificate, which will be at the Employment Service of Slovenia providing a subsidy for self-employment in the amount of â&#x201A;Ź5,000. According to the GEM survey, Slovenia ranks at the tail end of the involvement of women in early-stage entrepreneurial activity (27.9%). Worse are ranked only Tunisia (26.23%), Egypt (24.29%) and interestingly Netherlands (24.24%). Entrepreneurs were faced with a lack of information, contacts and access to networking, gender discrimination and stereotypes and often face difficulties in reconciling business and family obligations. The program should facilitate the way to entrepreneurship and to encourage the creation of jobs in enterprises, enhance their economic and social role and encourage their creative and innovative potential. Thus, the agency this year prepared a program of entrepreneurship training for unemployed women with tertiary education who want to embark on an independent entrepreneurial journey. Successful completion of the program will be a condition for obtaining a subsidy to set up business at the Public Employment Service of Slovenia. Training will be held for two months at five locations in Slovenia. At five locations, will be training in both periods participated in more than 400 unemployed women. The purpose of the training is to prepare and equip entrepreneursâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; initials with the necessary knowledge, information and contacts for new entrepreneurial path and acquaint them with all measures and incentives offered by the state and the business environment in the field of entrepreneurship. The contractor is Slovenian Chamber of Commerce, which will be providing mentors and partners. 61

Also, partnership based on social economy can be a good and innovative practice to address challenges in society and ensure employment. The example of this is REVES that was founded because local authorities and social economy in different EU member states and neighbouring countries share the belief that partnership between both actors, compared to traditional public private partnerships, has an added value. Social economy pursues objectives that are like those of a local authority. Economic activities are based on the principles of social inclusion, anti-discrimination and sustainable local development. Participation of employees and beneficiaries in their decision-making processes is a key element in the set-up and functioning of social economy. Poland The creation of the Sopot Model of Social Economy (SMSE) began in September 2012, when the Social Economy Local Agreement was signed by the Mayor of Sopot, some local companies and the following NGOs: Caritas Gdansk, Association “On the expression road” (Stowarzyszenie Na Drodze Ekspresji), Association “Friendly Sopot” (Stowarzyszenie „Przyjazny Sopot”), St. Brother Albert Aid Society (Towarzystwo Pomocy im. Św. Brata Alberta Koło Gdańskie) and Foundation of Sustainable Development and Professional Activation of Disabled (Fundacja Zrównoważonego Rozwoju i Aktywności Zawodowej Osób Niepełnosprawnych „Zadba”). The objective of the partnership was to solve local social problems. In particular, the goal was to develop social economy ac-

tivities in Sopot, aiming at social and professional reintegration of socially excluded inhabitants. The result was the establishment of “Kooperacja”- Social Cooperative as well as setting foundations for Sopot Social Entrepreneurship Incubator (SIPS), whose construction was completed in April 2015. Unemployed people were involved in the creation of SIPS from the very beginning. AQUA Sopot, in cooperation with the Municipal Social Welfare Centre in Sopot and the District Labour Office in Gdynia, has established social construction brigades composed of eight long-term unemployed and homeless persons. After finishing the construction of the incubator, these eight persons were permanently employed by the company and sent to courses and professional trainings. In addition, seven workers employed by the cooperative “Kooperacja” were involved in the building of the incubator. As a result of the activities undertaken in the incubator, the unemployed will gain new qualifications and will function independently in the community. Partnership within the Sopot Model of Social Economy is constantly developing and is based on the idea of “socially responsible territory”, which consists in making better use of Sopot’s natural resources as well as other resources, including the cultural and human capital. In the process of participatory management, services are designed to increase the quality of life in our region by increasing social cohesion, sustainable development, economic efficiency and activation of citizens. Sopot Model of Social Economy received a special mention for the REVES Excellence Award 2015. 63

Germany The German programme „Verbundausbildung“ (promoting vocational training in networks) was specifically created to provide young people who did not find any apprenticehip training positions on the so-called first labour market with the possibility to successfully complete vocational training. The objective is to increase the number of training positions particularly in small and medium enterprises through the involvement of an additional partner organisation that would take over specific tasks in order to discharge enterprises offering vocational training. Federal government, Bundesländer and enterprises thus share costs and tasks. Pfefferwerk Stadtkultur gGmbH in Berlin participates actively in the implementation of the programme (to date, more than 200 young people successfully passed their final exams). What does this mean? Pfefferwerk Stadtkultur gGmbH

• is allocated a specific number of publicly co-funded training positions for pre-defined professions (e.g. computer specialists, media designers, sound engineers, event technologists or clerks),

• selects apt candidates, negotiates and concludes the training contract for the whole duration of the training,

• searches

for interested and adequate partner enterprises and concludes contracts with them,

• provides the apprentices, in the beginning of the training pe-

riod, through its own staff and in its own premises, with basic theoretical knowledge and practical skills for the professions (after six months, the apprentices continue their training in the partner enterprises),

â&#x20AC;˘ coordinates the training schedule, over the whole training period, with vocational schools and enterprises,

â&#x20AC;˘ pays the training allowance and takes care of the apprentices with regard to content of the training and organisational questions,

â&#x20AC;˘ acts as a contact also for the partner enterprises.

5. EXAMPLES OF NATIONAL LEGISLATION ALLOWING PARTNERSHIP Organisation of partnerships There is no single model of PES partnership and partnership management in operation in any of the PES included in the study. Rather, most PES engage in a range of different partnerships which have different characteristics and organisational principles. Table 4: Typology of PES partnerships in use Form/Context  Purpose  Strategic Orientation

Market

Hierarchy

Network

Type A examples:

Type C examples:

Type E examples: NL Covenants?

UK Work Programme Prime Providers

NL Covenants? UK Local Enterprise Partnerships?

Estonia - Governance Board BE – Synerjob UK Local Enterprise Partnerships? PL – Local partnerships

Operational / Service Delivery Orientation

Type B examples:

Type D examples:

Type F examples:

UK Work Programme Supply Chain

UK Local Support Framework?

Italy Voucher Schemes Actris – local contracted services Le Forem – Contracted services

Estonia PESMunicipality partnerships Le Forem – CEFO, Jobcentres, SkilsCentres PL – Local Partnerships

In this PES partnership typology the main Type A partnership identified among the participating PES is the UK Work Programme. This involves a quasi-market system of organising the supply of employ66

ment services via a series of top-tier â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Prime Providersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Despite its central governance feature being the payment by results system, there is also a Work Programme Partnership Forum where providers and other stakeholders meet to discuss common strategic issues and an Operational Forum where live and ongoing operational issues are discussed and resolved. The Partnership Forum includes representatives of all Prime Providers and the Employment and Related Services Association (ERSA) as the industry representative group for private employment service providers. The Partnership Forum has a remit to discuss labour market policy and the development of the Prime Provider relationship and the managed market of private employment services. Other types of national PES parthership could be fonund in the following pages.

1. Slovenia: Promotion of Balanced Regional Development Act (Official Journal of Republic of Slovenia, no. 20/11, 57/12 in 46/16) foreseen the tendering procedure on which appropriate and selected legal entity, which proves the competence to perform those duties, gets public authority/public power. This is done to carry out other development tasks, which include the implementation of regional schemes of scholarships. Implementation of a regional scheme of scholarships is based on a partnership between employers, selected contractors of public powers and the country. To carry out these tasks of the state there is the public interest, for these tasks are carried out at the regional level, by institutions of regional development. In this case, these are regional development agencies and other legal entities that are part of regional development network and operate under ZSRR-2. In accordance with the definition in the third paragraph of Article 20 this is a legal entity with a public-owned majority. Public authorizations are granted for the defined termination until the end of 2022. 2. Czech Republic: Advisory Boards (ABs): After an evident need to deepen the mutual awareness of the local labour market and enhance the communication among participating actors a new practice was implemented (set by the Act. No 435/2004 Coll. on Employment). With aim to engage all regional and local actors of the labour market with the labour market management through establishment of Advisory boards by the PES. Beside this, the board ought to coordinate the imple68

mentation of the ALMPs, to advise on the creation of socially beneficial jobs and community service work, programmers of structural and organizational change as well as programmers on retraining and organization of counselling activities. Concrete results that have been achieved and not yet measured conclude that ABs are central to ALMP implementation and criteria setting, they have refined the target groups for regional pilot and mainstream projects, they have improved and facilitated information sharing process as well as the cooperation and communication among labour market key stakeholders. The main factor for the success of all members of the ABs is active participation of all members, irrespective of their personal interest as well as the development of local empowerment. 3. Poland In Poland partnerships â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as regard Public Employment Services - can be established on local and regional levels. The process of identification and structuring of the stakeholders operating on the labour market is presented in the Act and in implementing regulations by indicating the specific groups of entities. The Act on employment promotion and labour market institutions guarantees the participation of partners in the implementation of labour market tasks. The labour market policy is implemented by the public authorities based on dialogue and cooperation with social partners, in particular within the framework of:

â&#x20AC;˘ Activities of labour market councils. Labour market councils are situated at all levels of employment services and are consultative bodies on the labour market for the minister competent for labour (Labour Market Council), 69

the voivodeship marshal (regional labour market councils) and the poviat staroste (local labour market councils).

â&#x20AC;˘ Local partnership. The regulations provide for support from the local government for local partnership institutions which, as partners, jointly carry out specific activities and implement various initiatives for the benefit of the local community, in particular in the area of employment promotion, vocational activation of the unemployed and the unemployment prevention.

â&#x20AC;˘ Supplementation and expansion of the offer of the

public employment services by social partners and employment agencies.

According to the Act, the regional labour office or the local labour office, within the limit of funds allocated in the budget of a given local government, may commission the provision of labour market services (i.e. job placement, career counselling, training organisation). The Act enables cooperation of market stakeholders for activation of the unemployed and improvement of the situation on the labour market within the framework of: 1. Special programmes, which are a set of measures, comprising labour market services or instruments and specific elements supporting employment, aimed at adapting the existing or acquiring new professional qualifications and skills and at supporting jobs that are at risk of being liquidated, or the existing and created jobs. The measures may be carried out by local labour offices on their own or in

cooperation with other entities dealing with labour market problems or with employers. 2. Regional programmes initiated by the voivodship marshal and implemented by the regional labour office based on an agreement with local labour offices. Due to the involvement of regional labour offices, regional programmes provide an additional possibility for activation of the unemployed. 3. Cooperation of local labour offices and social assistance centres: (a) Cooperation in providing support to the unemployed using the forms of assistance stemming from other acts, carried out by social assistance institutions or social employment entities. The cooperation between local labour offices and social assistance centres is based on the agreement between the institutions and entails an obligation to exchange information about the planned measures for the unemployed. (b) Cooperation in referring the unemployed for socially useful jobs by local labour offices. Socially useful jobs are a form of professional activity organised by local labour office in social assistance organisational units, organisations or institutions with statutory tasks in the field of charity or acting for the benefit of local communities. (c) Cooperation under the Activation and Integration Programme (AIP). The AIP is formalised cooperation between local labour officers and social assistance centres, social employment entities and entities conducting statutory activity for vocational and social integration and reintegration of persons at risk of social exclusion or counteracting addictions and social pathologies. The AIP is addressed to persons most distant from the labour market, i.e. to the unemployed for whom assistance profile III has been determined, who

receive social assistance benefits, especially those executing a social contract.

The cooperation of local labour offices with other labour market stakeholders than social assistance centres is based, apart from the abovementioned regulations, on the Act on social assistance, the Act on public benefit activities and volunteering and the Act on social employment. 4. Commissioning activation measures to employment agencies to find jobs for the unemployed and solve the problems of the unemployed which prevent them from taking up work. Such actions are initiated by the Voivodeship Marshal who determines the scope and conditions of commissioning activation measures in consultation with local labour offices. The recommended form of cooperation in this case is partnership within which regional authorities cooperate with poviats and the contractor (employment agency) assigned with the task of activation of the unemployed. 5. Cross-border EURES-T partnerships â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the possibility of establishing such partnerships stems from the Commission Implementing Decision implementing Regulation (EU) No 492/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the clearance of vacancies and applications for employment and the re-establishment of EURES. 6. Accreditation of entities to provide job placement services within the EURES network â&#x20AC;&#x201C; possibility to include the entities other than PES and Voluntary Labour Corps, mainly employment agencies, into the EURES network and granting them the status of a EURES member or partner is one of the elements of the EURES network reform that has been implemented by the European Commission for sever-

al years. The accreditation is granted by the minister competent for labour. 7. The EU projects under the Human Capital Operational Programme for 2007-2013 (HC OP), the Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development for 2014-2020 (OP KED), regional operational programmes for 2014-2020 (ROP). The cooperation with labour market stakeholders, also in the form of partnership, may also be defined in Action Plans (e.g. regional action plans for employment), programmes of cooperation with non-governmental organisations, etc.

6. CONCLUSIONS The report shows some examples of how partnership can be successful and what needs to be taken in consideration while establishing partnerships. It provides the compilation of examples from different countries that can serve as an idea. But it is important to acknowledge that a method of â&#x20AC;&#x153;copy-pasteâ&#x20AC;? does not always work. At each national, regional or local level, practices implemented need to serve the needs of its environment. Each environment faces different challenges, legal limitations, history and its own culture, therefore the partnership should be build case by base. Nevertheless, there has been several recommendations for PES to look outside their own structures and connect with other institutions- public, private- profit and non-profit. When working with young unemployed people the tailor-made support has been recognised as successful. And in order to do

this, the right stakeholders and actors must work with young people. Many times, youth organisations, civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations and youth-friendly actors have more outreach to this group of people. Also, the actors working at the field, with young people or regular basis know the needs of young people and can therefore address it more appropriately. Upon many recommendations already listed in the research additional suggestions are: In order to make active measures more accessible (visible) to young people:

• Develop social innovations in Active labour measures policies in regards to ways of informing young people about existing measures of active employment and its use

• Develop partnership aiming to improve the outreach,

focusing on marginalised, NEET and especially discouraged young people for ensuring the awareness of possible ALMP

In order to make active labour market measures more efficient and to encourage the provision of innovative social services in the field of employment

• Ensure support of accessible services that work direct-

ly with marginalized groups of young people that are yet to be recognized

• Strategically defined the area and develop policies that are cross-sectorial. A creation and design of the work-

ing program for the institutions in the employment system can be done.

â&#x20AC;˘ Actively promote of the concept that entails participation of different actors in the implementation of employment and employability programs

Partnerships with private sector- profit and non-profit-can bring new dimensions and this can lead to new solutions, also at the labour marker services. The civil society has a great potential to take a stronger part in the society and to facilitate the deinstitutionalisation. This does not only give greater feeling of participation, commitment, but also acceptances of the policies and it increase the awareness of the policy measures. Therefore, public institutions should focus of bringing social innovations to their services and build partnerships.

Glossary PES- Public employment services ALMP- Active labour measures policies NEET- young people not in employment, education or training

Sources: The document has been made from different existing reports on the subject, gathering relevant information from mentioned reports, researches and compilations.

• PES PARTNERSHIP WORKING:

http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1163&intPageId=3447&langId=en

• Analytical paper: Trends and developments in PES partnership-working

• Implementation of The Youth Guarantee – Challenges and Success Factors (2016)

• PES Practice: Ballymun Youth Guarantee Pilot Project • PES Practice: PES working with schools in Austria- with focus on practice in Vienna

• Exploring the diversity of NEETs in Europe; Massimiliano

Mascherini (Employment and Change Unit- EUROFOUND European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions)

• https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/re-

port/2012/labour-market-social-policies/neets-young-people-not-in-employment-education-or-training-characteristics-costs-and-policy