The project JAN aims at integrating long-term unemployed persons into the labour market by offering induction, training and support for job seekers. The participants are supported in order to get them used to a regular work-rhythm, to render them ready for a job.

The project goes back to the initiative of social workers. A probation officer rented flats for his probationers, later on the association was founded in collaboration with the Municipality with the objective to provide housing. In the course of the probation-work the necessity of providing job-opportunities became increasingly obvious. Thus, the refurbishment of the flats owned by the association was started with the help of the youths who were paid for this work. Initially this was financed through the labour market policy programme Action 8000.

On the proposal of the Labour Market Service (AMS) the project was transformed into a socio-economic enterprise. No considerable problems emerged in the foundation-phase, the experiences concerning handling the clients and transit-workers, acquisition of contracts, etc. could be used and the key persons in the staff remained the same. Main difficulties were financial ones: the attempt to get financial support from the Municipality of Vienna failed, the general financing modalities of the AMS are problematic. So the association has to make investments at its own costs.

In order to achieve the objective of rendering the participants ready for a job, the participants have to pass a month of probation before being employed for one year within the initiative. In the course of this transit year, the participants are helped to get used to a regular work-rhythm and - if possible - further qualification. 60-65% of the participants are successfully integrated into the labour market, 40-50% hold their job for more than 1 year.

Social and Indirect Effects
As for the effects of the initiative on the users, the project management aims at the sensibilisation of the clients for the problems of long-term-unemployed people and their solidarity and tolerance with regard to the accomplishment of the contract. Similar social initiatives with employment possibilities exist in the field of construction and related fields.

Assessment-Innovation-transferability
The initiative has not undergone any evaluation nor is such planned. The initiative is innovative in so far as it creates a general enterprise also for private clients and minor orders; instead of a number of experts from different fields one enterprise takes the whole order. Hereby a need was identified and met which could function as a model for other enterprises. The initiative is considered to be transferable to other initiatives (in the country as well as in the city) yet so far no other initiatives on the base of the depicted are known.

Prospects
It is intended to stabilize the project so it is possible to go into long-term-planning. Considering the number of orders, the personnel could be increased from 20 to 25 people, but the financial means are not sufficient since this increase would not be subsidized. It is also planned to go professional, i. e. to offer training in painting or joinery.

Mr. Michael Ulsperger (project manager), tel. +43 1 597 66 84 31

01/01/1984

case

Urban Policy

Social inclusion & integration