Kansen voor West II

Mid-term Evaluation ITIsAdri Hartkoorn – Bucharest 20-21 June, 2019

What is it?

• Multi-level partnerships – 4 Provinces

– 4 big Cities > 4 ITIs

• Multi-fund – ERDF and ESF

• ITIs– Sustainable urban development through integrated actions (4

APs)

– Through multiple priority axis (1, 4, 8, 9, ESF Social Inclusion)

• Dedicated monitoring– Priority axis 8 (employ/labour mobility) + ESF Social Inclusion

Evaluation process

• Combined effort MAs > ERDF and ESF

• Coordinating/contracting role for ESF

• Preparatory meetings for ToR (Dec. ‘17)– Reps: Two MAs, ERDF MA/IB, Municipal ESF rep.

• Competitive negotiated procedure – four

consultancy firms

• Assessment (May ’18), Start interview (Jun ’18)

• Supervisory meetings

• Validation meeting

• Concept (Jan ’19), Final report (Feb ’19)

Theory Based Evaluation

• Theory of change– Does the intervention contribute to the set goals?

– Evaluation Guidelines EC (Refit)

The questions

• Central issue: – What is the additional value of ITIs, and what are the learning

points in respect to organisation and implementation

• Main questions:– Relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of the input

– Positive and negative effects of the integrated approach

Introduction

• Job market supply and demand are not always well

synchronized in Dutch G4 cities

– G4 - greater (youth) unemployment, lower participation job

market, higher school dropout. Job market supply and demand

requires better coordination, better alignment of skills and

competences, and info at the right moment

• Coherent approach from the ESF and ERDF

– Integrated approach to the mismatch in the employment market,

in specific urban areas. ERDF > on employment potential and

high-quality employment/business locations; ESF > social

inclusion and employment counselling

Findings

• Relevance– Number of job vacancies rose, but still groups have difficulty

finding work. Qualifications do not match to employers needs.

– This (ITI) dedicated job-market programme focusing

comprehensively on supply and demand offers added value.

– Integration between social-economic policies. ITIs offer an

integrated approach beyond the bounds of single policy areas.

– Knowledge institutions, businesses and government

representatives can find each other much better.

– Greater mutual understanding – creates potentially a better

municipal policy with regard the job market.

– And highly important to deal with the mismatch in a lasting way.

So, future sufficient funding must be reserved in its support.

Findings 1

• Effectiveness – Reducing the mismatch between supply/demand job market.

– ITIs contain the right projects, but the degree in which it happens

is difficult to determine, mainly due to external factors.

– Bilateral ERDF/ESF approach in one project is limited. Mainly

due to different application periods and accountability of costs.

Integration needs to be seen at a higher (program) level.

– Support and cooperation by the municipality and municipal

departments increase the chance for a jointly initiated project.

– Joint projects uniting educational programmes, businesses and

municipalities, indicate that the ITIs indeed contribute to a more

integrated approach.

– Attention; how to measure employment of matches over the long

term?

– Location focus is hindrance and success factor at the same time.

Findings 2

• Efficiency– Financing the implementation, according to plan.

– Start was not smoothly. Unclarity about ESF deployment and

accountability new types of expenses. Both have been solved.

– Implementation costs are limited.

– Applicants experience a high administrative load. For ERDF the

application procedure and accountability during the project; for

ESF, initial unclarity regarding eligible costs, accountability

during the project, and control standards for final declaration.

– Acquisition of ERDF projects is sometimes difficult. Due to the

unfamiliarity of the instrument as well as the image problem of a

European fund grant.

– Sharing success stories can help create a more positive image

for ESF and ERDF, and hence for ITI.

Conclusions

– ITIs are added value for a programme that oversees job market

supply and demand in an integrated way.

– Integrated approach creates more collaboration and mutual

understanding between social and economic policy areas.

– Integration of ERDF/ESF primarily took place at the programme

level and less at the project level.

– Implementation costs for ITIs for the MAs were reasonable

because they are embedded in the existing ESF and ERDF

structures.

– The negative impact on efficiency is when integrated projects are

being blocked because funding rules come from two separate

European funds.

– The primary issues being the preparing of the application and

accountability.

Recommendations

– The integrated approach is extremely important in tackling the

mismatch, so sufficient funding must be reserved.

– Possible future various models should depend on:

1. Continuation of the ITIs under the current ERDF and ESF

regulations: Create the right conditions such that integrated

joint projects are easier to implement. Therefore optimize

simplification of regulatory frameworks project funding from two

European funds can be realized more easily;

2. Continuation of the ITIs under a separate regulation: Far-

reaching integration can be accomplished by means of one

fund only, under one regulation. Thought should be given on

how objectives, budgets and implementation costs can be kept

in balance.

Perspective on 2020+

– Economic & social > mismatch Labour market

– ‘Demand driven’ approach

• Open view towards the labour market

• All educational levels

– Territorial focus vs regional supply

– Organisational• Proportional to the amount of funding

• Smart use of capacity

• Integration of ERDF and ESF (single counter)

Europe in Rotterdam

• Long tradition (track record)

House of skills Amsterdam

A physical and online space

– ROCs (Regional Training Centres) and over 500 companies

– Inform employees and employers about life-long development.

– Assessing competencies, skills assessment and passport; register for modular

training courses, internships and learning environments; information about

potential career paths, promising professions, further training options.

– For employers it is a point of contact for the career development of their

employees and an opportunity to fill their vacancies quickly.

– Total costs €10.6 million, with a 35% contribution from Opportunities for West

and 15% from the ESF.

Knowledge and practice centre for

energy transition, The Hague

– The ROC Mondriaan, The Hague University of Applied Sciences, the

municipality and 40 partners from the business community and knowledge

institutions

– Demand > well-trained staff to carry out the Energy Transition

– Set up of a knowledge and practice centre for energy transition.

– Focus is on the match between education and the demand of the labour

market and the practical preparation of students to work in the technical

sector.

– The total costs amount to €1.4 million, with a 50% contribution from

Opportunities for West.

South-Connected, Rotterdam

– Startcollege, National Programme South Rotterdam and employers

– Changing labour market and changing (training) requirements.

– 100 internships per year at elementary or lower professional level.

– Work packages: Intensive guiding young people, continuous link with

companies; developing an ecosystem of learning, working, and living where,

stakeholders work together to keep young people out of a negative spiral.

– Young people between the ages of 16 and 27 who are unemployed and

have no start-qualification. Collaboration employers healthcare, technology,

logistics and (facility) service sectors.

– Total costs €1.5 million, 50% contribution from Opportunities for West.

Werkspoorkwartier: Creative Circular

Manufacturing Area, Utrecht

– Consortium of building owners, developers and SMEs from the construction

and manufacturing sector

– Improve the business climate in the Werkspoorkwartier business park.

– Development of a circular test site, ‘Hof van Cartesius’, including space for

start-up creative entrepreneurs, transformation of the Werkspoorfabriek into

a site for new business activity, development of a Circular Hub for recycling

building materials, and transforming the Werkspoorhaven into a public

space for meeting and recreation. The area will be marked as a 'creative

circular production area'.

– Total costs €3.3 million, with a 38% contribution from Opportunities for West.