EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Heerlen: Teleworking in the neighbourhood

Heerlen: Teleworking in the neighbourhood

Introduction

The URBAN II area in Heerlen has a high level of unemployment, a low level of education, a lack of job vacancies and relatively many disadvantaged groups. The project ‘Teleworking in the district’ is tackling these specific problems head-on.

Problem

Teleworking centres are being used to create new job opportunities in the URBAN II area, thereby stimulating the neighbourhood economy.

Description

Within the project, flexi-time jobs are being created in the field of automation, telephone services and administration. The flexi-time arrangements ensure that care duties are not compromised. People (particularly women) who live a long way from the labour market are motivated to become part of the labour market again. There is a low-threshold approach: work and education take place within their own neighbourhood.

Approach

The spearheads within the Heerlen programme document are:

Innovative neighbourhood philosophy: links between policy levels (regional and local level) in the approach to problem areas.
Neighbourhood development programmes: promoting self-activation in the neighbourhoods.
Following on from and fitting in with the developments and innovation pilots from government.
Station district Centrum-Noord: station district is pilot point between the privileged and the under-privileged.
Working on self-awareness and improving one's image.

Results

The creation of new job opportunities.
Stronger neighbourhood economy.
Increased participation in the labour market by women and vulnerable groups.
Stronger economic ties in the region.

EU involvement

URBAN II is an initiative of the European Commission. The aim is to support innovative projects in the field of urban regeneration in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The URBAN II projects will set an example for national urban policy. In the Netherlands, areas in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Heerlen have been allocated for the period 2000-2006. In Heerlen the URBAN II project involves six neighbourhoods with a total of 43,806 inhabitants, in the north and east of the city.

Financing

European subsidy: € 333.408
Total cost: € 868.140

Contact info

The local programme management, tel. +31 45 5604209

Project start date

01/02/2004

Document type

case

Themes

Urban Policy > Economy knowledge & employment > Working patterns

Keywords

Remote working