Basic organisation model

Country name: Belgium PES name: Wallonia s Public Service for Employment and Training (Le FOREM) Basic organisation model Objectives The objectives are to integrate jobseekers into the labour market, counselling employers, providing training adapted to labour market expectations in the region of Wallonia. As part of this mission, Le Forem maintains strategic contacts with other regional, federal and international institutions. Tasks Tasks include individual counselling and providing information to jobseekers, validating their skills, providing training to French speaking citizens in Wallonia and providing specific actions to target groups, including young people. For employers, Le Forem offers information and assistance to employers, including information and access to public subsidies and grants. Le Forem also offers counselling in human resource management, publishes vacancies, inter-regional and international mobility support. It also works with partners to coordinate labour market networks and has strategic contacts with regional, federal and international organisations. Targets Key objectives in terms of performance are as follows: Improve the percentage of quantitative individual counselling objectives (79.5 % in 2013); Improve the qualitative perception of individual counselling service (75 % in 2013); Continue the deployment of the unique employer directorate 1 within regions; and Increase the number of training certifications. Structure, organisation levels and autonomy Employment policy in Belgium is the responsibility of the Regions. Le Forem is the PES responsible for the region of Wallonia. Le Forem is structured in the following way: Head Office, including three directorates in charge of employment, training and support; 11 regional directorates; 32 vocational training centres; 25 skills centres; 12 Carrefour Emploi Formation Orientation (open access information and documentation centres); 60 Maisons de l Emploi local job centres; and Four Relais de l emploi (for disadvantaged groups). Relation to government Le Forem has the status of regional public-interest organisation, which implies that it is not under the direct control of the Walloon Government, although it is accountable to the Walloon Government. Management structure Le Forem is run by a managing board who negotiates and concludes a management contract with the Walloon government every five years. A 2011 decree introduced a new structure, the Strategic Committee which advises the Executive Committee on strategic and financial topics. The Executive Committee ensures everyday management as well as the management of strategic projects. Partnerships Le Forem works with over a thousand external partners who deliver measures and services on the basis of a joint management model. 1 The Unique Employer Directorate foresees that employers will have a single point of contact, a unique reference counsellor delivering all range of the PES offer of services (recruitment, training of employees, information on subsidies ). Until now, employers had multiple contacts depending on the service(s) involved. 1

Partner Public operators (Local Public Centres for Social Action (CPAS), municipalities, education partners ) Non-market operators with agreement (Walloon Agency for the Integration of People with Disabilities, regional missions for employment, work-based training enterprises, socio-occupational integration agencies ) Non-market operators without agreement (non-profit organisations ) Private market operators (limited companies, private limited liability company, natural person ) Objectives of partnership For all partnerships: providing / outsourcing services (training, placement), including services dedicated to target groups such as youth or drop-outs. Special attention is paid to specific fields or sectors of cooperation (e.g. tackling illiteracy). Partnership arrangements Three types of arrangements are possible (they are not linked to the type of partners): Partnerships: partners are equal in the relationship. Example: CEFO (open access information and documentation centres); Cooperation contract Public contracts: Le Forem engages a contractor who provides the service under specific terms. Example: job trials Subsidisation (calls for proposals/initiatives): Le Forem subsidies the partner if they agree to specific terms defined in calls for proposals (all partners) or calls for initiatives (reserved to targeted partners). Example: Guidance plan for unemployed Role of social partners Unions and employers are represented in the Managing Board. An Intermediate Dialogue Committee has been created for the implementation of a social dialogue within the organisation, at all organisational levels. Network and information management Partnerships are managed by Le Forem on the basis of a joint management model. Le Forem has recently introduced a cooperation contract to be signed by all parties. Different channels are used to share information within the organisation: intranet portal, newsletters, email circulation lists and regular staff meetings at all levels. In addition, different databases are used for registered jobseekers records (including personal information, education and professional experience, employment status, used PES services, benefits and allowances status, etc.), company records (including company information, sector of activity, etc) and job offers. Externally, Le Forem uses a website, social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube), newsletters, face-to-face meetings and leaflets/brochures. Financing model Sources of financing The main source of Le Forem s funding is regional funding. PES Sources of 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014* Finances (in million Euros) Total 1 134 9 1 070 3 1 098 8 1 138 6 1 165 8 1 142 7 Walloon region subsidies 952 5 928 0 967 3 983 8 1 008 5 1 054 4 Federal revenue 10 2 10 2 10 2 10 2 10 2 10 2 ESF- ERDF 3 7 12 1 8 1 21 6 19 6 15 6 Reserve account 123 5 81 7 73 7 82 1 88 8 35 8 Other 45 0 38 3 39 5 40 9 38 8 26 7 Note: * based on forecasts 2

Annual expenditure Total PES expenditure remained fairly constant between 2009 and 2011. Slight increases have taken place each year between 2011 and 2014. This is also reflected in staff costs. Expenditure on ALMPs has increased from 2011 onwards and most money is assigned to training related ALMPs. PES annual expenditure (in million Euros) 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014* Total PES expenditure 1 032 5 1 006 7 1 024 3 1 057 3 1 098 1 1 142 7 ALMPs (including for 121 2 103 2 96 2 104 7 107 0 111 6 young people), of which: - Employment related 42 2 41 4 37 4 40 72 44 6 45 9 - Training related 79 1 61 8 58 8 64 0 62 3 65 6 Financial transfers 634 4 637 7 660 1 670 7 692 5 727 1 Staff costs 212 4 210 9 213 18 218 5 225 7 238 5 Other 64 5 54 9 54 8 63 4 73 0 65 4 Note: * is based on forecasts. Human resources Number of staff and staff directly serving clients (FTE) Total PES staff and staff directly serving clients 2013 2012 2011 Total PES staff serving clients Total PES staff 2010 2009 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 In 2013, Le Forem employed 3 602.46 FTE persons in total. This included 799.82 FTE persons in the head office and 2 802.74 FTE persons across local offices. Following an important reorganisation of the institution and as some staff mainly serve clients, while others do so on an irregular basis, it is rather difficult to provide a clear and precise picture of the number of staff directly serving clients.. The latest developments show that proportions are similar compared to previous years while heading for an increase of the number of staff directly serving clients. Integration of employment services and benefit provision Le Forem is not responsible for the payment of unemployment allowances and social benefits but undertakes initial registration and on-going monitoring of continued eligibility for unemployment benefits (all recipients of unemployment benefits are obliged to register with the PES). Type of allowance/benefit Unemployment insurance Responsibilities Registration Payments Employment services for recipients Le Forem undertakes initial registration and ongoing monitoring of continued eligibility ONEM (National Employment Office) Mostly Le Forem Some services are outsourced through calls for 3

Social benefits Clients / customers CPAS (local public centres for social action) CPAS (local public centres for social action) tenders and calls for proposals. Jobseekers Jobseeker clients by main groups recognised 2013 2012 2011 Total number of registered unemployed Total number of registered jobseekers 2010 2009 0 100000 200000 300000 400000 Jobseekers per national category 2011 2012 2013 Total registered unemployed Categorised as follow: 245 662 245 330 250 096 DEDA (jobseekers claiming for benefits) 197 850 187 786 196 459 Young job-seekers in integration period (previously waiting period) DEI (Unoccupied job-seekers except unoccupied job-seekers registered on a voluntary basis) DEI libres (Unoccupied job-seekers registered on a voluntary basis) N/A N/A 21 704 N/A N/A 21 055 N/A N/A 10 877 Employers Employers are categorised by sector of activity (over a thousand different categories). Le Forem is developing a central employer database at the moment. Other clients Other clients include partners (such as public training bodies, local authorities, public services of social assistance, etc.) and private employment agencies that are able to access services offered by Le Forem. Types and methods of service provision Services for jobseekers What services do you provide? What target group is the service for? How do you deliver the service? Registration service All jobseekers Web, face-to-face No Individual counselling All jobseekers Face-to-face interviews No Collective job search sessions and career guidance All jobseekers Group coaching sessions Do you work with partner organisations to deliver this service?, sometimes with local institutions, employers, etc. 4

Interregional/ international mobility counselling Services for employers What services do you provide? Human resources management counselling Recruitment counselling Public aid management of specific schemes Clients who are willing to work in a different city or country What target group is the service for? All employers Face-to-face interviews, phone, email, standard mail How do you deliver the service? Visits from PES staff to employers premises, website information, face-to-face meeting with a PES counsellor No Number of employers reached in 2013 (yearly figures) 8 069 missions to companies 231 560 job offers managed 19 273 recruitment counselling Le Forem conducts evaluations on the efficiency and the results of ALMP programmes and employers services. More information is available at: https://www.leforem.be/apropos/leforemendetail/rapport/rapport-d-activites-et-resultats.html Job vacancies, market share and performance Collecting information on job vacancies Employers report vacancies to Le Forem on a voluntary basis. To collect vacancies, staff have regular contact with employers through face-to-face meetings or multi-channelling techniques (teletext, SMS, interactive posts/job points, emails). In order to improve the sharing of vacancies, partnerships have been established with other regional employment services (VDAB, Actiris) and temporary work agencies. The EURES network is also used to reinforce European labour mobility. N/A 300000 New vacancies 250000 200000 150000 100000 50000 0 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 In 2013, 233 724 new vacancies/positions were reported to Le Forem. Data on vacancies/positions filled is not available for all managed vacancies/positions, as it is gathered on a voluntary basis from employers. PES market share and performance No data, or estimate, is available on the market share of the Le Forem. In 2013, 267 956 individuals left the unemployment register, accounting for 51 % of the registered unemployed (522 084). Matching supply and demand Supply and demand on the labour market is analysed on a regular basis by Le Forem. Studies and statistics are produced by the Department Analyse du Marché de l Emploi et de la Formation, on different sectors and companies in order to anticipate future needs. More information is available on the Le Forem website: https://www.leforem.be/chiffres-et-analyses-du-marche-de-l-emploi.html. The results are used to plan training actions. 5

Active Labour Market Policies LMP services (category 1) The General Directorate in charge of employment manages individual counselling services. These are delivered in-house, some of them specifically target youth. LMP measures (category 2-7) The Decree on Individualised job support plan defines the guidelines of individual counselling service which is delivered in-house. Some services specifically target youth. Target time for different phases of intervention Le Forem has some target times concerning different phases of support. Action Target time Achievement First interview Individualised action plan agreed Between one month and six months depending on the customer s profile Between three and twelve months depending on the customer s profile 103 510 clients processed 102 100 clients processed Placement on an active measure Supporting young people - Youth Guarantee Between three and twelve months depending on the customer s profile The Youth Guarantee was introduced in Wallonia on 31 December 2013. Policy context Regions have worked in strengthening the relationships between education policies, training and employment. On the basis of a federal initiative launched in 2013 the creation of 10 000 workplace integration traineeships for young school leavers with at most a secondary school certificate has been set as an objective. Regional authorities have adopted the required legislation for the implementation of adapted and tailored-made Transition traineeships schemes at regional level. Responsibility for Youth Guarantee At the federal level, SYNERJOB (Belgian Federation of public services involved in employment and VET) is the coordinator for the Youth Guarantee in Belgium. The national Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan (YGIP) is structured according to the four regional implementation plans. In Wallonia, Le Forem is responsible for establishing and managing the Youth Guarantee scheme and coordinating partnerships across all levels and sectors. Other actors involved include: Youth council; International youth office; Youth community centres; IFAPME (training public operator for self-employers and SMEs); Skills centres; Enseignement de Promotion Sociale (further education); CPAS (local public centres for social action); Mires (regional missions for employment, non-profit organisations aiming at social and occupational integration); and EFT/OISP (work-based training enterprises and socio-occupational integration agencies). N/A PES and the implementation of the Youth Guarantee Some Youth Guarantee actions will be integrated in Le Forem s mainstream activities (adaptation of existing services to better answer specific needs and issues of the target group) while other specific actions will be developed separately. Le Forem will partly implement Youth Guarantee actions via its General Directorate of Employment and its General Directorate of Training. In addition, Le Forem will: Develop cooperation contracts to lay the foundations of partnerships; Identify potential beneficiaries for subsidies in the early stages of the project; Introduce calls for proposals or public contracts to mobilise third parties. In terms of staffing Le Forem will identify a youth referent among staff, recruit school relations officers 6

and a partnership relations officer. Reaching out to young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs) Le Forem does not make contact with young people who have left school but not yet registered with the PES. However, there is a plan to put mechanisms in place for sharing information on young people who have left school but have neither found employment nor registered with the PES. Within the context of the Belgian YGIP, it is intended that regional authorities and Public Employment Services, and other organisations will work together more closely to share this information. It is planned that Le Forem will recruit school relation officers. Preferred partners are social and occupational integration organisations, guidance organisations, youth sector and education. Quality of guarantee The criteria that defines a "quality offer" is established in legislation. Trainings, traineeships and job offers must comply with the rules stated in the Decree and related legal framework. Partnerships Le Forem has recently developed a cooperation contract to be signed by all parties in order to guarantee the quality of partnerships and the quality of the services offered to customers. Type of partnership Partnerships to ensure that young people have full information and support available Partnerships aimed at increasing employment, apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities Partnerships aimed at supporting transitions from unemployment, inactivity or education into work In place? Y Y Y Details Ongoing partnerships with further education providers. Ongoing partnerships with major employers such as the Belgian army or the federal police. One-off cooperation with some private companies (H&M, Quick, etc. in 2013). Conventions are concluded with temporary work agencies. Conventions are concluded with other regional public employment services. Funds allocated to the Youth Guarantee No funds have been allocated so far as implementation started on 31 December 13 but a specific budget for the Youth Guarantee is foreseen in 2014. Activation measures for young people, within the context of the Youth Guarantee Types of intervention Personalised guidance services Individual action planning Outreach Strategies Brief description Adapt methodology to reach public target Identify a youth referent Ensure training of counsellors Ensure coordination Adapt methodology to reach public target Ensure training of counsellors Organise information sessions for young people Develop partnerships actions with NEETs support expert partners Brighten up communication and interactions means (develop communication supports and interaction) Develop an online potential assessment tool for young people Is it new? (modified) (modified) 7

without qualifications Work-based integration School-based integration Subsidies paid to employees or trainees Allow a great number of young people to get into business internships or in any other form of organisations such as NGO, municipalities, local authorities, etc. Initialise legal framework for traineeships Implementation of sponsorships for young job-seekers Organise internships to discover self-employment Create a new legal framework for young job-seekers alternate training Finance traineeships abroad for youth under 30 years of age Integration traineeships No 8