Powering a New Future: 12 December 2008, Lisbon

The objective of the project was to develop a regional model of education and training to offer a place of study for every young person finishing basic education. The model is based on multi-vocational guidance and support, flexible co-operation in working life, support to educational responsibility as well as enhancing the students' life management and increasing their experiences from working life.

This project aimed at improving the position of migrant youth in education and in employment and preventing migrant students from dropping out of school.  She describes empowerment as an effective tool in the fight against discrimination within the labour market.

The objective of this network of Member States is to stimulate learning and build= capacity among ESF programmes managers to ensure successful implementation and promotion of transnational actions under ESF (2007 – 2013). The main message for ESF project promoters is ‘Go transnational!’

The goal of the "Beneath the Surface" project was to raise the issue of sexual orientation and homophobia in school - a working environment that has carefully avoided working practically with discrimination in these areas. Gunnar explains how they trained more than 3000 teachers and school staff around Sweden to achieve its aim.

Facilitation of Lifelong Education in Rural Conditions project focused on facilitating education for inhabitants of remote rural locations with limited public transport services and limited opportunities for lifelong learning.

This project focused on the fight against human trafficking which it is described as a major complex phenomenon that needs to be further analysed.  ‘Knowledge is an essential key in the fighting human trafficking’ as this knowledge can be used to influence initiatives and policies. She calls for the continuation of innovation and transnationality as key factors of any future projects.

Action for Carers and Employment (ACE) National DP developed and tested innovation in supporting unpaid carers, people looking after family, partners or friend who are ill or disabled. Six out of ten carers give up work to care and can be out of work for long periods, facing significant barriers to returning. Madeleine highlights the extent of the problem as the UK has currently 6 million carers and the amount will increase up to 9 million in the next 25 years.   This is a critical issue for an ageing workforce. The project took to government an arguable case for embedding support for carers, wanting to juggle work with care, into mainstream service delivery. ACE changed the policy direction at the local and national level, changing legislation to achieve long lasting support for carers beyond EQUAL. Her message to ESF is ‘let the innovators innovate’.  Her message for the innovators   ‘your good ideas are only as good as their implementation next year, the year after and into the future’.

He explains that the next step after the conclusion of EQUAL is to recognise the useful and constructive experience and knowledge EQUAL developed. He highlights that more than 200,000 people benefited from the success of EQUAL in integrating disadvantaged groups into the labour market, breaking up the gap between inactivity and activity.

He addresses the issue of financing innovation within communities and reinforcing networks and capacities of local social organisations to engage them effectively in the work. He highlights the importance of adopting a holistic view of communities and the problems to be addressed as the financing available is sometimes compartmentalised so there is a need to link up different initiatives to ensure bigger impact.

This project had the aim to provide training to asylum seekers on various topics as well as offering them the necessary support and guidance. This helped to empower asylum seekers to become self-sufficient and independent, prepare them for employment in Malta and overseas, and to build a sense of community between asylum seekers themselves as well as within the Maltese society. He explains how dissemination of information and the use of media played a key role in changing attitudes regarding asylum seekers.

There are currently three Member States (MS) involved in this Community of Practice, Ireland as a lead partner, Lithuania, and Belgium Flanders. She describes how important it is to to learn and exchange the wide range of expertise and know-how in relation to quality programme management that has evolved within the management of EQUAL, identifying amongst the MS what tools they use and how people work with them. The COP has developed and tested a peer-mentoring programme and a peer-review programme. They hope that over time membership of the Community will expand and make strategic relationships with other relevant communities.

He highlights that the key message in going forward and understanding the lessons of EQUAL is ‘that innovation has to happen and has to be captured from the ground up’. He explains how this is the big shift for governments and people across Europe; ‘You cannot make good policy without people in communities helping out without their learning,  experience and their ability to shape the way they approach their skills and ambition’.

She explains how the region of Extremadura has participated in EQUAL with 6 different projects. She highlights the importance of the mainstreaming of the EQUAL principles and methods based in innovation, cooperation and transnationality. She describes the value added of transnational cooperation and expresses an interest in continuing working with different Member States, as well as to further develop social innovation.

Martin Hirsch notes the high number of EQUAL partnerships that were created and successfully completed in France. A number of these projects focused on childcare services, to help parents to smoothly return to work even when they had long or irregular working hours. Other projects combated discrimination with regard to access to social housing. EQUAL was fully complementary to national and local funding, but helped to create new partnerships. In France, EQUAL was used to further social experimentation, which, when accompanied by rigorous monitoring and evaluation, can help to truly understand what works well and under which circumstances. He also says that they are counting on the fact that a part of the ESF budget can be put aside for transnational projects in the field of social experimentation.

In response to a question during the press conference on the quickly changing socio-economic circumstances in the EU and the increasing recession, the Commissioner explains that, for the European Social Fund, there are proposals to enable reprogramming of the fund in case Member States would require this. Another possibility to tackle socio-economic challenges would be the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, the first results of which are highly promising.