Priority 3b of the Operational Programe for Employment Austria 2007-2013 / ESF calls for innovative projects for the integration of persons distant from the labour market. New challenges arise for TEPs in 2007-2013 as the TEPs develop and co-fund projects at regional/sub-regional/local level to reach out those on the margins of the labour market and bringing them into the mainstream, thereby building on results of EQUAL-DPs.
The overall strategic aim of Priority 3b is to improve the integration of marginalised groups into the labour market via testing and developing innovative measures and improved cooperation of institutions.
Why can TEPs help?
- The responsibility for supporting the target group lies within the Labour Market Service as well as the Regional Governments and cities and municipalities.
- A well established cooperation between above mentioned institutions is a necessity for an improved assistance for the target group (personal, social and labour market problems need to be solved).
- The above mentioned institutions already cooperate within the TEPs and now should deepen their cooperation for the specific target group.
The first call for proposal was launched in winter 2007 for projects at the interface of labour market and social policy (target group: beneficiaries of social welfare, persons without any subsidies). All 38 projects had to be based on a joint analyses, strategy and implementation plan of all actors. Furthermore, only innovative projects and measures were funded (new projects or adapted projects of EQUAL-DPs). The projects budgets (first round) ranged between € 1 Mio. to € 9 Mio. per TEP (for the 2 years periode 2008-2009; co-financing of 54% is to be provided by regional means).
The second call for proposals was launched in summer 2009 - again for projects at the interface of labour market and social policy (particularly for the target gorup: people with migration background). The TEPs implemented around 60 projects in the 2 years periode 2010-2011 (second round was again funded by the ESF, priority 3b and cofinanced by the TEPs).
The third call for proposals (runtime: 2010-2013) focuses at the interface of labour market and social policy in relation to the integration of the needs based minimum wage. The project budegt will amount about € 14 Mio. in total with regional co-funding provided by the TEPs.
In order to allow for finding a common understanding between the TEPs in Austria quality criteria were established by the TEPs together with the Nation-wide Coordination Unit (Kooo) comprising
- criteria for TEP structures such as e.g. TEP is responsible for the overall project, all relevant partners are integrated, enlargement of action space of TEPs, overcome institutional, financial, legal and economic barriers, minimize communication gaps, etc. as well as
- criteria for project implementation such as e.g. criteria are established for the overall strategy as well as for the quality of actions, sustainability and monitoring and evaluation. Criteria range from system development to the implementation of holistic & integrated approaches for solving problems (e.g. integration chains, mix of actions and target groups, etc..
Priority 3b assists in closing gaps between policies (labour market and social), strengthens the TEP’s role in implementing innovative measures, improves the situation of the poorest, presses the partnerships forward to make best use out of their unique position (the cooperation) via enlarging their scope of activities, supports structural and systemic developments as well as innovations and contributes to mobilising reforms in the field of social and labour market policies.
Further information on the TEP projects for a better integration of marginalised groups into the labour market (supported by the Austrian Operational Programme for Employment 2007-2013, Priority 3b, ESF) is available in German.