A recent webinar from the European Network of Public Employment Services (PES Network) showcased inspiring examples of how PES and their partners are reaching people at risk of being marginalised from the labour market. The examples showed highly transferable approaches for outreach focused respectively on migrants, young people and women who have taken time out of their careers.

© PES Network

A recent PES Network Webinar on 'Improving outreach to groups farther from the labour market' highlighted the importance of reaching out to groups at risk of marginalisation from the labour market in order to accompany and support them into roles that match their potential and skills.  Outreach has become a growing concern for many PES in recent years, being central to initiatives such as the Youth Guarantee.

Over 300 webinar participants heard PES’ and partner organisations’ practices on how they work to reach out to, engage and build the confidence of specific target groups for entering or returning to the labour market.

Firstly, the High Commission for Migration of Portugal presented their Local Migrant Integration Support Centres – decentralised offices in four different territories implementing a one-stop-shop approach to providing services aimed at migrant integration from various institutions (including PES) in one place.

Secondly, the Belgian regional PES, Actiris (Brussels region) presented their initiative to reach out to young people in the region – whether registered with the PES or not. They work with grassroots organisations and specialised partners to reach young people and provide user-focused support to build confidence, create opportunities and open doors to work.

Thirdly, the City of Munich presented their ‘power_m’ initiative aiming to support women (and occasionally men) to re-enter the labour market after a career break – typically to care for children or relatives. The initiative demonstrated a particularly strong approach to branding and marketing to reach out and engage the target group, which is often highly skilled but disconnected from the labour market and unsure how to re-enter.

Key messages and discussion focused on the importance of partnership approaches to NGOs and municipalities in particular to not only make services available but to pro-actively reach out and engage the identified target groups. Other messages include the importance of providing genuinely user-focused services, working to build people’s confidence to (re-)enter the workforce and ensuring a focus on quality jobs that truly match individuals’ skills and competences.

A recording of the webinar is available on YouTube.

Looking for more good practice examples of approaches to outreach? Check out the PES Practices database and the PES Network Knowledge Centre sections on support to vulnerable groups and  young people.