Description
The YOUTHShare employment Centre with one employee experienced in coaching and counselling who is responsible to act as a liaison, career coach, life coach, facilitator and a diverse manager (in between role of KAM) aims at impacting on workplace inclusion policies approach in Greece. KAMs’ envisaged tasks are: a) map the needs of firms in social economy regionally, nationally (and transnationally in MED EEA area), communicate efficiently with them and build a network of key potential employers of NEETs; work with stakeholders b) at the same time, the same person (Key Account Manager) should work with a foreseen number of vulnerable NEETs and ultimately successfully match them with key employers from social and sharing economy in MED EEA Area.
The Key Account Managers (KAMs) is a key feature of YOUTHShare Transnational Employment Branch in YOUTHShare. Their work is crucial, as they are able to recognise employers’ needs and help employers find the right person for the right job. KAMs act as job agents or job brokers, and they provide the link between employers and the unemployed and disengaged NEETs.
KAMs take on an “in between role”, providing support both to employers and to the unemployed. Thus, their responsibilities refer to:
Α) Their role as a recruitment officer that:
- Facilitates employers’ recruitment processes; and
- Provides follow-up services to employers before, during and after recruitment processes of vulnerable jobseekers.
B) Their role as career/life coach that:
- Offers the unemployed clients coaching and career counselling support, revealing their hidden skills, identifying their interests and their training needs for upskilling; and match them with potential employers
C) a mentor or knowledge broker to employers by facilitating them to meet their job vacancies with a specific profile of young people listed in the YOUTHShare database.
The Key Account Managers from all the Branches meet every 15 days and co-organise the same actions internationally.
Beneficiaries
Low-skilled Native Young Women 25-29 years old and Refugees/Migrants, both men and women, of the same age, who are not in education, employment or training.
Refugees living in hot spots in Greece was another key target group.
Level of implementation / Scope
Stage of implementation
Since April 2020 and ongoing.
Aims of policy/initiative
The main aim of the Transnational Employment Branch of YOUTHShare in Greece is to adopt, adapt and elaborate on the new practices for work inclusion based on Ripples in the Water Methodology from Norway -NHO- Confederation of Norwegian Enterprises). Based on this methodology, the key objectives of the YOUTHShare employment Centre is to build a network of key potential employers, match them with interested, trained in social economy NEETs, and thus succeed in youth inclusion to MED-EEA labor market. At the same time, based on NESC experiences in vulnerable groups, the same person (Key Account Manager) should identify, reach out, empower, refer to training or work-based learning a foreseen number of vulnerable NEETs and ultimately successfully match NEETs with key employers from social and sharing economy in MED EEA Area.
Features and types of activities implemented
- Networking Activities, linking Employment Centre with authorities, business environment, NGOs and academics (focus group organized at the beginning of the project for raising awareness on Branches activities and scope).
- Communication activities for promoting the operation of National Employment Centre (i.e. https://www.facebook.com/YOUTHShareNESCGreece)
- Activities of Outreaching/Engaging and Motivating NEETs and Firms through personal F2F or online meetings and refer them to YOUTHShare training opportunities or other training or upskilling events based on their vocational profile.
- Mentoring Support to NGOs/ social cooperatives and social enterprises; identify firm’s vacancies and recruitment needs that can be related to NEETs’ profile;
- Counselling sessions with NEETs free of charge aiming to personal empowerment and professional development of the NEETs (three-stage coaching sessions should be elaborated throughout the projects’ term). Coaching and counselling sessions up to now are online due to COVID-19 restrictions. Sometimes, chat therapy with Viber and WhatsApp groups is endorsed. Training in labour market navigation techniques.
- Organised training webinars for NEETs
- Managing Databases, Monitoring actions transnationally through constant skype meetings, Evaluating tailor-made employment interventions
Resources
1 Key Account Manager
1 Administrative Staff
Total budget related to the activity: 46.685 EUR
YOUTHShare Project (https://www.youthshare-project.org/)
EEA and Norway Grants
Fund for Youth Employment
Evaluation of the measure
Not available yet.
Evidence of effectiveness of the measure
Up to now more than 102 women were reached out and got some advice from our centre.
82 migrants and refugees were also reached out, engaged and trained somehow. The majority of them comes from the Kavala hot spot-based on key agreement with the Director there. This agreement is still going on with different actions elaborated in the hot spot.
More than 94 have been able to participate and got a Certificate of Attendance following strict rules and evaluation (in total 180 hours of training).
More than 20 Social Enterprises are willing to be host for an intern during the next months.
6 Learning Agreements for Internships are already signed and 6 NEETs (5 women and 1 asylum seeker) are on the work placement today.
Success factors
The personal relations and commitment of the Key Account Manager and NESC’s team. Hard work, training, and constant communication with a trustful person build a dynamic ongoing relationship. Be able to adjust to circumstances and learn to work despite problems and challenges.
Be able to listen to employers and targets group needs for better matching opportunities.
