Applications and the guidance of young people
Those who are applicable for the scheme are young people who fall under the official CWI (Job Centre) category 4. This means that they have no qualifications and are living on unemployment benefit. Once they have passed through the selection process they come into the employment of the council and are thus formally civil servants.

A reintegration bureau is responsible for the recruiting and selecting of the young people, who are then introduced to the foreman. He or she is a council employee with experience with young people and with leadership skills. The foremen go to work with the team every day, and give one-on-one guidance where necessary. A teacher from the Wellantcollege in Houten is present two daily periods a week for instruction.

Duties
The young people work in teams and start on a project together. They perform a diversity of duties in public spaces. These vary from upkeep of parks to street maintenance and from planting trees to installing bicycle racks. They are also employed in projects involving electrical engineering and metalwork. This allows the participants to get a taste of various professions in the public sector and to gain work experience.

Starting in phases
The teams start in phases during the course of the year. The first team started on March 1, 2007 in the Overvecht district. The second team started on June 1 in Kanaleneiland. The third and final team for 2007 started in the north-west of the city (Zuilen and Ondiep districts). The remaining two teams will start in 2008.

Teaching materials
During the initial weeks, the teacher inventories each individual; their interests, their background and their plans for the future. Based on this information, he draws up a teaching programme for the coming year. The young people are taught at mbo-1 level, using the so-called Aankomend Gekwalificeerd Assistent (AKA) method (Technical). This is a nationally recognised qualification for technical assistants.

Internship
During the second half of the year, the team members partake in an orientation internship, two days a week. During the first six months, they have worked at a number of professions such as metalwork, decorating and street or park maintenance. After this, they can decide in which profession they wish to follow an internship with the municipality. If they cannot be accommodated within the City's Service Department, the council will look for positions with private contractors or landscapers. During the internship they keep in contact with the other team members by taking lessons together one day a week and by working as a team a further day a week.

Source: Utrecht City Council

The first team has recently completed the course. The progress of the various teams can be followed on the regularly updated City of Utrecht website (see link below).

Gemeente Utrecht
Postbus 16200
3500 CE Utrecht
The Netherlands
Phone: 0031 (0)30 286 00 00
www.utrecht.nl
Natasja Jonker (Project manager), tel. 0031 (0)30 286 84 61

01/03/2007

case

Urban Policy > Economy knowledge & employment > Urban economy

Employment