EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Enterprising Recruitment

Enterprising Recruitment - Haarlem, the Netherlands

Introduction

Two external project managers have been active since 1998 as mediators between entrepreneurs and the local authorities. They provide efficient service to new companies, provide good housing for businesses and launch initiatives that positively influence the urban economy.

Problem

How can an investment climate be promoted at micro level?

Description

Providing efficient service to new companies is not the only objective of Ondernemend Werven. Housing companies in the right place, launching initiatives with an economic impact in the city and maintaining contacts with entrepreneurs is also part of the the two project managers’ job responsibilities.

Approach

Since 1998 Ondernemend Werven (Enterprising Recruitment) have worked as two freelance project managers. They are the eyes and ears of the municipal organisation in the city. In the beginning, the emphasis lay on housing new companies in the most suitable places (Haarlem has little space and must juggle its resources). Little by little, moves were made to look at the full extent of the economic mainstay of urban policy, so that culture and sport were also handled.

Results

The number of jobs created in Haarlem was much higher than the target of 150.

Reactions from entrepreneurs show that they are completely satisfied with the approach.
Records serve as a gauge for a quantitative analysis but also as a basis for a report of what 'went wrong' and what 'went right'. When does an initiative get off the ground and when doesn’t it? What factors are responsible for this? What can municipal bodies learn from this?'

Lessons learnt

The success of the project cannot only be gauged according to the number of jobs created by the the project. Some contacts may yield fewer jobs, but do have an important effect on, for example, the goodwill of entrepreneurs or on the knowledge of the local economic structure.
New routes are opened up by using external project managers. These external managers can also effect a cultural change in the municipal organisation.
The addition of a third project manager who originates from the municipal organisation increases the bond between the two organisations.

Resources used

The costs for the third phase of the project amount to 220,000 euros for a period of two years.

Contact info

City of Haarlem
A. Alberga, tel. +31 23 5113832

Project start date

13/01/2003

Links

City of Haarlem

Document type

case

Themes

Urban Policy > Economy knowledge & employment > Urban economy

Keywords

Business support