Employability Thematic Network

The Thematic Network for Employability has been engaged in both exchange of information activities and structured planning since the beginning of the year. Two thematic meetings have taken place, a large networking event in February and a smaller meeting involving the employability co-ordinators in June.

Initial work for the network involved analysis of key activities within each of the ten employability projects, grouping this activity in terms of key action areas and then establishing thematic priorities.

In tandem with this process was the need to define and develop an appropriate working structure for the network i.e. a structure to maximise the potential for learning, exchange of good practice within the network and also the identification and development of thematic outputs relevant to the national mainstreaming group and thematic activity at a European level.

Setting Thematic Priorities
In identifying the thematic priorities for the network, the TSS undertook an analysis of all 10 action plans. From this analysis, 57 distinct actions were identified. Over 50% of these actions will be undertaken by more than 3 projects during the lifetime of the programme. From the above analysis four thematic areas of activity emerged:

• Innovative Employment Actions – this largely relates to active labour market practices, for example pre/post employment supports, or targeted interventions for specific groups;
• Integrated Service Provision – actions within this theme relate naturally to improving or impacting on service provision from a multi-agency perspective. Fundamentally this impacts on “partnership building” within and across agencies or systems;
• Building Links with Employers – here the emphasis of activity is on “change management” from the initial link with employers to sustaining this key relationship, to developing tools and resources to adapt to a changing if not diverse workforce/labour supply;
• Equality and Diversity – within this theme activity relates to the training of access officers within agencies and employers, developing and rolling out equality and diversity training, E-marking service provision.

Agreeing the Structure
Given the size of the network, which includes the ten employability projects and 1 entrepreneurship project, it was agreed that the network would work largely through a sub thematic structure.

Key Outcomes of Thematic Activity

• Educational inputs - One of the more interesting aspects of this activity has been the educational inputs provided to the group concerning Equality Policy in Ireland theory and practice, and the European Employment and Social inclusion Strategies – Key policies for EQUAL.;
• Equality and Diversity Questionnaire - setting the ground work for joint action by the employability projects in this field. This working group has been in operation since last year when the network was first convened. The questionnaire provides the basis for this group to begin substantive work at a thematic level with the potential to feed into ongoing work by some Adaptability projects in this area.
• Building links with Employers - here the working group has agreed to exchange information and support via a web based bulletin board
• Innovative Employment Actions - will be Working with People with Disabilities – more recently, and given the fact that this is a specific priority at European level, the network has agreed to engage in specific work in terms of people with disabilities. There is potential for this grouping to evolve into a transversal thematic network given the fact that EQUAL projects within the other pillars of the programme focus on this target group. However for the time being, the work at national level will filter directly into the European thematic working group on people with disabilities, which is currently developing a questionnaire on innovative practice, which will be launched at the next meeting of the working group in October 2003.
• Further actions – in June the group formally agreed to work within the context of the sub-thematic structure outlined above. With a two-day event planned for next September. Also discussed was the possibility of running an exchange mart type event to involve the broad network, members of the mainstreaming working group, Employability projects from Northern Ireland and also transnational partners.
• Formal links established with the National Mainstreaming Working Group – the following DP’s will represent the Employability Thematic Network on the national mainstreaming working group – Rural Options, Westmeath EQUAL and RosEQUAL.
• Establishing the connections with the European Thematic Network, the following DP’s will represent the National Thematic Network at European Level, Access Ability (people with disabilities), Blanchardstown (Convincing and involving employers), North East Training (integration of agencies and supports)
• Irish DP’s take the initiative at European Level. The national thematic network was represented at the inaugural meeting of the ETG by Terry Fahy from Access Ability, Terry McCabe from Blanchardstown and the TSS. The outcomes from this event were extremely positive and will see Ireland taking a lead function in both the convincing and involving employers working group and the working with people with disabilities group.

- Employability European Thematic Group