Open audit Smolyan- Bulgaria with World Café

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OPEN AUDIT

SMOLYAN – BULGARIA

  • 20th of May, Smolyan, Bulgaria
  • 27 participants were representatives of labour market offices, career guidance centers, agency of social assistance, centre for community support, disability alliance, youth workers, youth mediator, young people and NGOs staff.
  • Agenda: Introducing COMWORK project and the developed products within the project. Open discussion
  • Tools: presentation, world café, discussion,

During the Open Audit within ComWork project we talked about NEET phenomenon – young people, who are not in education, employment or training. The aim was to gather together young people and professionals, who are working with youth and NEETs. They all could share their opinions about the existing services and how they could be changed in a way that are satisfying young people’s needs.

                  On the event ComWork project was presented and all the representatives were introduced to project’s aims, target groups, developed intellectual products. Existing programmes and measures for young people were introduced so that youth at the event could be aware of the existing services.

During the presentation discussion was opened. Professionals could share what are the key points working with NEETs and what are the difficulties that they face in their work. In Bulgaria NEETs are mainly with Roma background with low degree. Their low education is an obstacle for them to be involved in most of the current services for activating NEETs to change their status. Nevertheless, when the youth mediator goes and talks with them, they show interest. When the effective work of the mediator foster NEETs to register themselves in the labour market offices then the connection between the mediator and the NEET breaks. There is no traceable information what is happening with the NEET after his registration in the labour market offices. This is one of the biggest problem in the work with NEETs. In some cases NEETs are becoming demotivated of the bureaucracy and the long process for starting a programme for employability and they give up the programme. Even in the rare cases when they start work the lack of work habits leads to disciplinary dismissal. After being involved in one programme the NEET does not have the chance to apply again in the same programme and they go “back to normal”- out of the education, training and employment.

The career guidance consultants shared that according to them there are not enough forms for complementary or continuing education. Even VET centers are not alternative since for obtaining certain job there is minimum level of education which is higher of the most people in NEET situation.

Another obstacle that is met in the work with NEETs is lack of continuing trainings for the professionals. After acquiring certain competences for working with NEETs the professionals a

facing new different problems in the reality and they need more competences but the only chance they have is to gain them through work experience. Mediators shared that to big extend their work is linked with the labour market officers who are not specially trained to work with NEETs. That leads to difficulties in applying innovative approaches.

To deepen the topic we asked the guests at the event to ask some questions with the method “World café”. Answers could be seen below:

  1. What is your opinion for the provided services for youth with the aim to include them in the educational system or at labour market?
  • youth are not familiar with the link between their opportunities and the required qualification for the certain occupation. Therefore there is a gap between expectations and reality
  • lack between theory and practice
  • lack of connection with the real business/manufacture
  • personal attitude of the mentor is a cornerstone – if he/she will be engaged and devoted to his/her work
  • if a young person studies part time or distance learning, he/she has enough time to work but there is no appropriate programme for her/him since he/she does not have the status “unemployed”
  • “Youth guarantee” and the national programme “Start in the career” do not provide enough time for adaptation at the work place, to become part of the team or to obtain work habits and to develop skills
  • too much bureaucracy
  • lack of proactive approach of the institutions
  • youth unemployment
  • employers should be convinced to become part of the programmes
  • lack of the link between education and business
  • young people expect higher salaries then the programme offers;
  1. Do existing services meet young people’s needs?
  • lack of coordination between different institutions >> need of cross-sectoral interaction/cooperation
  • most of the services are targeting at adults (18+) and the chance NEETs between 16-18 years old to be involved in the programmes is small
  • education is not adapted to the needs of young people
  • parents of youth between 16 and 18 years old are not well informed about the opportunities for realization (educational or professional). During that age period parents are still a factor in youngsters’ life.
  • young people do not have real perspective about the opportunities that they have and what is the situation at the labour market – preferred occupations, valued skills and competences
  • Consulting services are provided by too many and various organizations

Recommendations:

  • As national policy for developing work habits at young people youth brigades to be organized
  • Young people’s needs to be researched
  • National priority to be: developing a link between education (schools, universities) and business. Employers to:
  • present different companies and to provide work opportunities to students;
  • promote internships and “open door” days in the smaller cities;
  1. What could be change that the provided services to be adequate to young people’s needs?
  • more open space for youth to express themselves
  • employers to be prepared how to work with ex-NEETs and young people with disabilities
  • sustainability of the taken measures
  • requirements for recruiting youth to be adopted with their degree. The job places available are mainly for people with rich work experience.
  • more information for the existing programmes
  • programme for work with parents as a precautions in family environment. Parents responsibility to be encouraged with legislative documents
  • synchronizing the work of the institutions
  • easier process in hiring youth between 16 and 18 years old
  • employers to train young people
  • relation between business and schools
  • comprehensiveness of the existing services
  1. Do the outlined strategic competences for work with NEETs meet the needs of the professionals? Development of what other skills do you need?
  • Individual approach
  • Originality and innovation
  • Information to be understandable
  • Information about cultural and religious diversity to be presented
  • Building relationship and work with a psychologist
  • Flexibility and empathy
  • Not enough dissemination about the existing opportunities and services
  • Lack of feedback what happens with the NEETs after they are forwarded to educational system or labour market
  • Lack of mechanism/system for transfer of experience with other social and educational professionals all over the country
  • Deepening the knowledge about legislative framework
  • Not enough trainings to work with NEETs


Recommendations:

  • promotion of volunteering as a way for youth to develop skills before becoming NEETs;
  • motivating professionals to work with NEETs;
  • sustainability of the programmes
  • Evaluation of partner organization

The professionals from almost all institutions which deal with NEETs were presented. Young people were presented too. People felt encouraged and enthusiastic about the fact that their voices were valued and that their opinions were asked. The form of world café gave the opportunity to people to share their sincere opinion in small groups and several discussions around the topic took place. The Open Audit took place in a relatively small town, where people know each other and have more personalized approach whereas in the big cities, when it comes to such initiatives, the procedures are much more formalized. This affects also the direct work with the NEETs.

The conclusion after the Open Audit is that more coordinated actions should be taken. In the process of work with NEETs many institutions – NGOs, labour market offices, municipalities, career guidance centers, schools, VET organizations, universities, employers and young people should discuss how to collaborate effectively together and find the way to cope with the problem with NEETs. Provided services at the moment should be adapted to the needs of NEETs. Guidelines and Training Model includes useful information for the professionals and the recommendation from the professionals is that it should be developed in a way that is easy to use. The language should be more understandable for people who do not have pedagogical education and sections should be kept simple.