The service-corporation offers employment for one year to long-term unemployed people and training and qualification in the environment sector.

The company developed out of the initiative of two associations, BAN and AG Müllvermeidung. The present manager of the company was employed by the association BAN, which carried out environment, recycling and renovation-projects and wanted to continue that work on a professional level. The formation of a company (instead of an association) appeared apt for this plan, since economic independence (of the Labour Market Service, of other companies or the Municipality) should be maintained. Chaff -cutting services on a small scale were at the start, the size of the company and the range of services has grown steadily.

One problem of the founding phase was the scepticism on behalf of the Labour Market Service, whether integration was possible in working with this target group. It took some time to secure the financial support. Furthermore, the Chamber of Trade and Commerce expressed great doubts, whether ÖKO-Service could compete with the already existing companies. Thus, the legal form of a corporation was chosen, trade licences registered, etc. ÖKO-Service is now acting as a regular company, being an integration measure for unemployed people at the same time. Niches on the ecological market are constantly looked for.

Practical work in the environmental sector and work stays in private enterprises are combined with theoretical training and qualification as environmental and recycling worker. In order to cope with their problems, the transit workers are provided with profession-pedagogical guiding, get help with regulation of debts, assistance in administrative matters and outplacement support after the transit year. A high level of tolerance is kept up at the start. After the one year employment in the company approx. 74 % of the transit workers are reintegrated into the labour market, most of them in the environment sector.

Social and Indirect Effects
The company does not appear as a social project in public, but as a regular private business company, the social objectives are not stressed in dealing with the users. Impact on the target population is their integration concerning qualification, social and employment matters. ÖKO-Service has become a model for other projects, on an national and international scale (Belgium, Finland, Sweden, Ireland). There are public presentations of the company's fields of services every now and then, information on the working method, support and counselling in theoretical and administrative matters for interested visitors from other initiatives.

Assessment-Innovation-transferability
The innovative aspect is the thorough realization of the ecological idea in all fields of the company itself (waste separation, use of bio-diesel-oil for the cars) and above all the development of innovative recycling-ideas: bottle tops are recycled into insulation material, old cooking oil is collected and a mobile dish-washing-machine is rented (Das Geschirrmobil - an alternative to plastic plates and glasses).

New niches in the market are constantly looked for, f.ex. the construction of designer watches made of electronic waste (RecyClock). The company has received the ÖKOPROFIT-award 1996 and 1997 and the Award for the Protection of the Environment (1997) from the Municipality of Graz.

Within the environment programme Graz - Ökostadt 2000 (Agenda 21) ÖKO-Service takes part in a co-operation with Wirtschaftshof Graz, the association BAN (waste management) and Arge Müllvermeidung (qualification measure environment counselling) to promote environment services and awareness raising.

Prospects
More financial independence and a higher level of professionality is aimed at, the extent of socio-pedagogical guiding of the transit workers will be reduced. Counselling and assistance-function for other projects and initiatives has to be reduced as well, since it demands too much time-capacity of the staff. Furthermore, it is planned to train apprentices, which would be a further step towards professionalization.

ÖKO-Service gGmbH
Mr. Berthold Schleich (Manager), tel. +43 316 261555

01/01/1994

case

Urban Policy > Economy knowledge & employment > Urban economy

Employment