Case Example Estonia Working close to people

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Case Example Estonia Working close to people

• Ivika Nõgel
• NGO Partnership

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The presentation is based on the experience of

• PHARE Youth Employment Project in 2004
• ESF Job-Coaching in South East-Estonia in
  2005/2006

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Partnership NGO

• Unites people that were actively involved in
  Baltic Rural Partnerships Programme in 2000-2003
• Main focus on South-East Estonia (pop. 100 000)
• Provides its expertise in rural development,
  social inclusion and local employment on national
  level.
• The principle of work is that of partnership.
• The presentation is based on the experience of
• PHARE Youth Employment Project in 2004
• ESF Job-Coaching in South East-Estonia in
  2005/2006

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Partnerships and LED

• In 2001 3 Local Area Partnerships were created to
  tackle the issues of poverty and social
  exclusion.
• Partnerships brought together local governments,
  statutory organisations, entrepreneurs and 3rd
  sector.
• Võru Partnership Board identified local
  employment development as their strategic
  priority.
• Their pilot initiative in 2003 prompted
  participation in PHARE Youth Employment Project
  and was followed by ESF funded job-coaching
  project.

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Arguments for Local Employment Development

• Employment development has so far been
  responsibility of central government.
• Neither employment nor business development is
  legislative responsibility of local government.
• Problem that occur
• Central government structures cannot reach
  inactive part of the target group.
• Local government revenues depend on employment
  rate.
• NGOs have increasingly stepped in to fill the
  gap.

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PHARE Youth Employment Project in 2004

• Initiated from central government - policy advice
  component was designed into the project.
• The project contained parallel pilot action
  component for 600 young unemployed (16-24).
• The success of the project in committed
  consortium of local actors and innovative
  approaches.
• The project initially included professional
  training component, work practice and subsidised
  work.
• The implementing team added adjustment training
  network of tutors, group counselling (job-clubs).

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Policy Impact

• Work practice has been fully integrated into the
  list of public services as one of the active
  measures.
• Government has decided to preserved subsidised
  work measure, which is effective for groups of
  low competitiveness.
• New Labour Act has guaranteed the unemployed who
  participate in active measures with health
  insurance.
• New Labour Act has raised the compensation limits
  for transport and accommodation, which clearly
  improves accessibility.

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Job-Coaching in South-East Estonia

• The project aims to solve the problem of limited
  access of rural communities to employment
  services.
• Addresses structural unemployment by building the
  bridge between local employers and the
  unemployed.
• Job-coaches do not have control functions thus
  they can build true relationship of trust with
  their clients.
• Job coaches work in 21 rural municipalities,
  whereas local governments provide working
  facilities.
• NGO Partnership is responsible for management and
  development of methods and approaches.

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Perceptions in early 2000.

• Central government had difficulties in
  understanding the value of partnership and
  obsessed with hierarchy
• If there are many actors who is responsible?
• Who can we blame if things do not work?
• If both central and local government deal with
  employment - isnt this overlap, waste of
  resources?
• We certainly cannot rely on NGOs - they are far
  too weak.

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Perceptions are changing.

• The main question is how to create the
  framework to allow local actors (municipalities,
  entrepreneurs, NGOs) tackle the problem of
  unemployment?
• ESF provides the resources, but are the measures
  accessible for local actors and appropriate for
  LED?
• Remaining problems on national level
• Lack of partnership and cooperation between
  central government structures.
• Limited understanding of local situation and
  local needs.

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Lessons learned

• We need to promote actions that build horizontal
  partnership relations on regional and local level
  as well as vertical partnership with national
  authorities.
• Working with more difficult, inactive target
  groups requires input from people and
  organisations that understand well their
  situation the role of local NGOs in social
  inclusion is crucial.
• We should be less obsessed with quick results in
  job-creation and employment learn to value
  mid-steps and see different forms of social
  involvement as results.
• More attention to youth future
  employers/employees.

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Thank You!

• Ivika Nõgel
• partnerlus_at_partnerlus.ee
• 37 2511 5914