Hear how the Public Employment Service (PES) in France experienced its recent peer assessment by colleagues in the PES Network (also known as ‘benchlearning site visits’) - and how this will feed into ongoing improvements to its work. All in the latest episode of PESPod – the podcast of the European PES Network!

In episode 11 of PESPod, host David Poyser speaks to three representatives from the French PES (Pole Emploi) about their valuable recent experiences of undergoing a peer assessment under the benchlearning methodology of the PES Network.

Hear Deputy Director-General, Paul Bazin, explain how “enriching” the peer assessment was overall: “At Pole Emploi performance is our daily work… to be sure that we deliver the right services to the right people at the right time.” In this context, “We welcome with great interest the advice and recommendations coming from the outside.”

Isabelle Charelle of the PES office in Bourg-en-Bresse provides a local perspective, talking about how the assessment looked into the reality of service delivery on the ground. This included questions about “how we deal with recruitment difficulties in jobs with shortages… and how we manage relations with our partners”.

Meanwhile, Director of International Relations, Florence Dumontier, highlights the positive impact of the process: “The assessors’ very good knowledge of our documents and the quality of the exchanges were and will be useful to us in the long run in several aspects…. We are [now] planning a meeting with two countries that are recommended to share their best practices. It’s a good step for us.”

What is Pole Emploi’s key recommendation to other PES undertaking a peer assessment? “One word: preparation”. Listen out also for reflections on how the peer assessment took account of changes made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of sharing the lessons with all staff.

Any comments about PESPod? Write to us at: EMPL-PES-SECRETARIAT@ec.europa.eu. Finally, do not forget to subscribe to PESPod wherever you listen to your podcasts. Or listen to all episodes of PESPod online.