Points covered include learning a flexible work attitude and sufficient knowledge and insight. The accent in the combination of learning and working is mainly on job-specific skills. Attention is also paid to participants' command of Dutch, though they are expected to have a reasonable working knowledge of the language before starting the course.

The town of Hoorn, not far from Amsterdam, has launched a project that offers fifteen older immigrants ('oldcomers') a job in horticulture. Participants in the scheme are being offered one-year contracts. They work four days a week and spend a fifth day on a course which includes language lessons. The project was commissioned by the town council.
Hoorn hopes the project will encourage immigrants to enter the greenhouse horticulture industry. The guarantee of a job is expected to drastically cut levels of unemployment among older immigrants, while at the same time offering local employers a solution to the problem of unskilled labour. Employers themselves train participants in the skills they need.

A test is used to determine candidates' suitability for this work and learn course.

The client for the project is the town of Hoorn. The town's Clusius College agricultural education centre and Centre for Work & Income together approached employers to secure the fifteen jobs. The two bodies are also responsible for oversight on the shop floor. Horizon College (the local regional training centre) is taking care of the specialist language component of the course while theoretical teaching is provided by Clusius College.

Initial results are encouraging. Twelve 'oldcomers' have now been given a year's contract and have thus been removed from the unemployment register.

All the participating parties and society as a whole.

S.Yüksel (Project leader 'oldcomers' policy'), tel. +31 22 9252655

18/02/2004

case

Urban Policy > Economy knowledge & employment > Urban economy

Employment