Kongens Enghave has, as many other deprived neighborhoods, a larger share of people on welfare benefits than the average in this country. Local employment projects have been a way to respond to the local concentrations of unemployment problems.

The Green Jobhouse was established in 1999 in connection to Kgs Enghave area-based renewal project and it works as a local employment centre in the community. In 2002 a cooperation was launched with the 'Kista'-district in Stockholm concerning a job matching project.

The job-match model builds on mobilisation and partnerships with private enterprises. In cooperation with the enterprise a targeted training programme is produced, which is tailored the relevant job. After that, the jobs are posted as regular jobs where it is up to the unemployed themselves to apply for the job.

The project has a 'quid pro quo'-philosophy; by giving a job guarantee the enterprises gets a customized co-worker and at the same time it is an incentive for the job-seekers that they have been assured a job when accomplishing succesfully.

The method in Kongens Enghave is to create a job-matching model where matching is made between the jobs that are posted vacant and the qualifications of the job seekers. In that way there is an upgrading of skills directly aimed at a specific job in exchange for a job guarantee, if the upgrading of skills has been accomplished with satisfaction. The composition of the mobilisation strategy, the reasonable time frame and the actual job opportunity all together creates the motivation for the unemployed.

Unemployed job seekers in Kongens Enghave.

The project has achieved good results; in 2004 70% of the ca. 100 participants found a job, of them 62% has immigrant background. The job-matching cooperates with seven larger enterprises, among others the supermarket chainstore Netto and Danske Fragtmænd. Moreover, in 2005 the project was in touch with around ten enterprises concerning a cooperation, a.o. Jysk and Silvan.

An increase in employment does not just benefit the person who finds a job; needless to say it has clear economic gains to get unemployed on welfare benefits employed.

In 2005 the job-matching had 8 employees.

The start-up of the jobhouse was primarily financed by 'kvarterløft'-funding, i.e. public funding, but the operation of the jobhouse after the end of 'kvarterløft' has primarily been financed by the municipality.

Københavns Kommune - Municipality of Copenhagen
Denmark
Toni Matz

01/01/1999

case

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Integration of social groups

Ethnic minorities