DME
Diversity Management Extended
YEAR: 2014 - 2017
INTERNATIONAL
PARTNERS: JKVG (BE), National Training Centre (BG), Euroface Consulting s.r.o (CZ), Syntra West (BE), Andragoski zavod Ljudska univerza Velenje (SL), Stichting Kenniscentrum Pro Work (NL).
MOTIVATION: Youth unemployment is a growing concern throughout the European Union and deserves to be high on the political, social and economic agenda. Our society needs to invest in inclusive employment for all, also and especially the most vulnerable: early school leavers and youngsters with low education levels or physical/mental impairments. A common geographical or transnational approach is required to address this economic and social challenge. Traditionally, diversity management propagates an inclusive human resources management, covering the employer-employee relationship. “Diversity Management – Extended” broadens this approach by targeting 4 stakeholders:
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Youth: persons with a distance to the labour market. To be concentrated on a target group of persons aged 16 to 30 years;
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Professionals: teachers/schools, employment counsellors, social workers, etc;
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Employers: increase awareness and willingness to invest in (vulnerable) youth;
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Governments: compare the legal environment with regard to Government support in the member states of the project partners.
The local legal environment is crucial to correctly adapt diversity management to local employers;
PURPOSE: In line with the objectives of the ‘Lisbon Strategy’ and Europe 2020, DME elaborates on the transition process of guiding (vulnerable) students and unemployed young people towards the labour market. This project will be carried out in line with the EU aims and the broader economic and social needs.
RESULTS:
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Research: Overview of the legal framework with regard to employment supporting measures and subsidies in the project partners’ countries; The overview will be the basis for focus on methodological approach towards schools and the labour market; When suitable, a project partner can formulate a (government) policy based on other countries’ legislation and good practices.
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Counselling and Coaching: Methodology used by project partners in their support of vulnerable (and/or unemployed) youngster targeting the labour market; Assessment of 300 students; Assessment, guidance and/or counselling of companies and internship providers.
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Diversity Management: JKVG’s registered methodology with regard to Diversity Management (Empower® methodology) to be translated and expanded to serve the projects’ goals; Train 150 professionals in diversity management to stimulate them to spread the word on diversity management (long-term result) and/or to organize better internship experiences or labour market entrance (short-term result); Advise & counsel 75 employers in diversity management.
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ICT Development: Based on the defined methodologies, web tools will be created to support schools and employers in serving the projects’ goals; A digital infrastructure is available, including a virtual community and & database in the respective national languages and in English to support target group and stakeholders in: (a) knowledge, tools, methods & info sharing, (b) peer-to-peer counselling, (c) partnership network (d) handbook.
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Good Practices: Each partner will share good practices which add value to the projects’ goals (in the partners’ countries).
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Dissemination: Produce leaflets, documents, website, manual on diversity management; Produce a newsletter 2x/year; Organize 4 (inter)national dissemination conferences (reaching 200 participants); A Research Report/policy document is set up including barriers, possibilities, available instruments and policy and recommendations for the target group per partner-country.