The FUTURO project brings together 3 separate projects operating in the UK, Spain and Italy. All three projects are focussing on assisting people who are disadvantaged to find and retain employment. The partnership will be active until at least December 2004.

This page will give an overview of each project, together with six monthly update reports. There are also direct links to our partner websites. Please note that the A LUNGO website will be operational from October 2003.

Objectives of the FUTURO transnational partnership

1. To share experience and project learning through a series of 6 seminars and a final closing conference. These seminars will focus on addressing the themes of "methodology", "strategy", and "engaging employers". Each theme will be the subject of 2 seminars and they have been organised as follows:

   Methodology (Venue: UK) Dates: October 2002, November 2003
   Strategy (Venue: Italy) Dates: July 2003, February 2004
   Engaging employers (Venue: Spain) Dates: March 2003, May 2004
   Closing conference (Venue: Italy) Date: October 2004

   The first series of seminars explored some of the obstacles to individuals progressing into sustainable employment. The second series will focus on identifying solutions and making recommendations. These recommendations will be published through the distribution of seminar bulletins.

2. To plan the partnership and monitor progress using regular technical meetings. These have been planned so that they occur a month or two before each thematic seminar.
   
   
3. To exchange project documents, project updates and national strategic papers via our websites. Each project's website will contain a transnational section to host this information. It is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2003.

EMBRACING DIVERSITY PROJECT (UNITED KINGDOM)

Objectives:

1. To transfer the potential of our successful supported employment model to a wide range of disadvantaged groups in our communities. This will see both Bury EST and Stockport Employment Services expand their provision from the service traditionally offered to disabled people so that we can support youths leaving care, drug misusers, lone parents, minority ethnic groups and homeless people into employment.
   
   
2. To increase the capacity of employers to recruit and retain a diverse workforce. Embracing Diversity is working closely with employers to encourage the exchange and adoption of best practice in the recruitment and retention of disadvantaged workers. Both Bury and Stockport have organised employer networks to create a forum for human resource personnel to exchange ideas and pilot innovative practice.
   
   
3. To produce a template for Welfare to Work services across Greater Manchester. This objective is about encouraging the coordination of a wide range of services offered by different organisations across Greater Manchester. For example, we are working with the GM Connexions Partnership, Jobcentre Plus and the Learning + Skills Council to enhance the quality and appropriateness of support available to disadvantaged groups.

Further information and a powerpoint presentation are available on our "Background" section.

ZAMARAT PROJECT (SPAIN)

Information about the Zamarat project will be posted here shortly. In the meantime you can link to the ZAMARAT website.

ALUNGO PROJECT (ITALY)

The project aims at promoting integration and retention into the labour market of disadvantage people depending on local social security services and affected from:

1. severe unemployment;
2. social inclusion problems;
3. educational/vocational deficit.

The Province of Reggio Emilia is characterised by a high rate of employment and by an advanced welfare system, which contributes to a low level of social discrimination. Nevertheless, analysis highlighted the presence of some disadvantaged groups, which suffer from chronic inequality in accessing the labour market and from severe social exclusion problems.

Those problematic issues affect in particular some categories of people, to which the project is addressed:

• (Ex) Drug and substance misusers
• Disabled people including physical, learning and mental disabilities
• Ex offenders
• Ethnic groups and migrants
• People affected by several barriers of social/employment exclusion (especially women) such as:
  
  lack of educational/vocational qualifications
  Low self esteem, confidence and motivation
  Problems of poverty, debt, benefit dependency and insecure housing
  Poor job search skills, lack of a job/career plan, and recent work experience
  Behavioural/health problems

The analysis points out the need for developing new policies and approaches, within the framework of the local welfare and employment system; targets the removal of inequality barriers; and aims at supporting job-retention through the establishment of a network, new models and methodologies involving social, institutional and economical partners in the area.

OBJECTIVES:

The goal of the project is to support social inclusion and employment (integration and job retention) of disadvantaged people through the re-planning of the local network of “public care” by the integration of welfare and employment policies. This experimental model will address the following strategic objectives:

• Development of a local “Observatory” capable of analysing and monitoring “disadvantage” at a local level.
• Identification and assessment of benchmark performances
• Promotion of a “preventive approach” to social/employment exclusion
• Setting up suitable reception tools
• Development of assistance, guidance and mentoring approaches

The project strategy can be described in 4 main steps:

Step 1) ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NETWORK.
The establishment of the network in charge of the project management aims at integrating different actors committed to tackle unemployment and social exclusion.

Step 2) DESIGN OF THE MODEL.
The Model will be designed taking into consideration the following elements:definition of pathways and tools to survey

• social and employment territorial services
• trend of the labour market and job opportunities available
• professional profiles and training needs
• connection of the project activities and partners with the public employment service system and the above mentioned “Territorial Units”
• activation of the collaboration between public and private bodies

Step 3) EXPERIMENTATION OF INNOVATIVE ACTIONS.
The experimental activities, which are fundamental part of the overall strategy, are of two types:

1. SUPPORTING ACTIONS TO JOB INTEGRATION/RETENTION

• Individual Training to empower self-esteem, confidence, motivation, behavioural aspects etc.
• Individual Training addressed to the lack of educational qualifications and core/basic skills
• Promotion of an awareness campaign on these issues addressed to the social, institutional and economical actors of the “environment”

  2. ACTIONS FOR JOB INTEGRATION/RETENTION

• Definition of individual pathways to job integration
• Tutoring on the job
• Workshop for vocational training

Step 4) MONITORING AND EVALUATION.
A Managing Committee is in charge of co-ordinating and monitoring the activities and the Technical Staff, which is in charge of the practical implementation of the project, composed by managers of transnational activities, evaluators, accountancy staff, researchers, public relations staff and consultants.

ALUNGO's Development Partnership:

ALUNGO’s Development Partnership includes the following partners:

CENTRO DI SOLIDARIETA’ DI REGGIO EMILIA
Role:

• Project manager within the DP Managing Organisations: Mr MARCO MIETTO
• Co-ordination of activities
• General project management

CESRE

CESRE is a non-governmental organisation dealing with vocational training and social integration, particularly referring to drug abuse. It has 4 sites for residential and semi-residential therapeutic treatments, 7 sites for residential welcome in the province of Reggio Emilia and2 sites for detoxification. It employs 60 people (employees and staff – about 20 of them are involved mostly in vocational training and guidance) and about 500 voluntary assistants.

CESRE provides social services for addicted people and their families;preventative work; information and training both for disadvantaged people and for social services operators, teachers and voluntary assistants; rehabilitation;international projects relating to work-insertion of former addicted people; and services for seropositives. Great relevance is given to their rootedness in the local territory. The organisation has encouraged a high number of enterprises to be hosts of rehabilitative programmes for training on the job.

PROVINCIA DI REGGIO EMILIA
Role: Co-ordination of the project team and of international activities.

AZIENDA UNITA’ SANITARIA LOCALE DI REGGIO EMILIA (A.U.S.L.)
Role: Co-ordination and monitoring of experimental activities.
The AUSL of Reggio Emilia is the local health unit, managing hospitals and health services. The AUSL works to respond to citizens’ needs and health expectations, managing available resources and assuring prevention and effective care services.

CONSORZIO SOLIDARIETA’ SOCIALE “OSCAR ROMERO”
Role:

• managing of training activities supporting social cooperatives
• survey of work placement policies
• internal evaluation
• mainstreaming towards regional and national social networks.

The Consortium is aimed at supporting and encouraging the development of social solidarity co-operatives. Its main activities are the enhancement of co-operation towards disadvantaged people and dropouts; general contracting and fund raising; research and training; co-ordination with public bodies such as municipalities, provinces, Regions; and the organisation and management of integrated services, particularly on environmental health subjects.

CONSORZIO COOPERATIVE SOCIALI QUARANTACINQUE
Role:

• managing of training activities supporting social cooperatives;
• survey of work placement policies;
• internal evaluation;
• mainstreaming towards regional and national social networks.

The Consortium is aimed at supporting and encouraging the development of social solidarity cooperatives. Its main activities are the enhancement of cooperation towards disadvantaged people and dropouts; general contracting and fund raising; research and training; co-ordination with public bodies such as municipalities, provinces, Regions; and the organisation and management of integrated services, particularly on environmental health issues.