South London Equal Workforce Futures Partnership Subregional Focus

1
The Equal Trans-national Delivery Partnership

• South London Equal Workforce Futures Partnership
  (Sub-regional Focus)
• PEOPLE Project (Apel -National Research Focus)

2
The South London Workforce Futures Partnership

• Formed in 2001 as a strategic partnership
  including 11 key delivery partners
• Prioritises engaging Small and Medium-Sized
  Enterprises with interlinked pilot projects aimed
  at Equal Target Groups
• 5 Key Pilot Projects (The Personnel Plus Service,
  The HR Locum Service, Business Round Tables
  Equalities Seminars, Path Positive Action
  Programme, Interactive Action Research Programme,
  Small Firms Learning Accounts)
• Focus on Recruitment, Retention Training within
  SMEs, using a business case for diversity and
  raising individual empowerment for employees

3
Structuring the Activities between the
Development Partnerships
Strengths Analysis
Of Trans-national Development Partnerships
Of Partner Agencies within each Development
Partnership
Identified key leaders and a wider partnership
Identified four key themes
Formed 4 Thematic Working Groups
Formed Trans-national Project Management Group
Appointed Trans-national Coordinator
4
Overview of the 4 Trans-national Thematic Group
activities

• TWG1 Joint Development and testing of a
  competence assessment tool for small businesses
  relevant to a diverse workforce
• TWG2 Exchange and transfer of best practice on
  changing employer attitudes on diversity
• TWG3 Transferring knowledge and exchange of best
  practice concerning Life-long learning support
  structures
• TWG4 Transfer of a new approach to interactive
  process based research to the UK from Sweden

5
Key Processes

• Agreed and developed Actions on a rolling 6 month
  basis for each TWG.
• Progress review at each bi-annual Plenary Meeting
• Activities map and matrix produced
• Development of common indicators on Empowerment
• Use of common approaches to the Trans-national
  budget.

6
Case Studies

• TWG2 Changing Attitudes of Employers,
  Transferring the PATH Positive Action model from
  UK to Sweden

7
Key Issues

• Existing tried and tested PATH UK model currently
  applied to larger public sector employers being
  transferred to small businesses in Sweden in the
  manufacturing sector
• UK model focused on the integration of well
  qualified indigenous black and ethnic minority
  employees versus integration of newly arrived
  immigrants in Sweden

8
Methodology
Jointly Identify transferable elements from
Path UK to Swedish context
Using a Peer to Peer Approach
Using a UK Expert to Train and Mentor
Continual evaluation
9
Case Studies

• TWG4 Use of Integrated Process Research as a
  method to support the empowerment of target
  beneficiaries SME and Workforce targets

10
Key Issues

• Existing research model piloted in Sweden through
  the Institute of Working Life
• Transferring the innovative research approach to
  the UK context to the South London EQUAL project,
  supporting trans-national work mentoring of the
  UK research team.
• Use of co-research concepts as a tool for
  empowerment.
• Integration of research as a key tool to support
  the overall delivery

11
Outcomes

• Development of a new mechanism to facilitate the
  monitoring of empowerment joint indicators
  between the UK and Sweden
• Joint Research Paper on Empowerment applied to
  UK and Swedish context. Adding value to each
  others research approach
• Innovative approach already recognised (SEEDA now
  implementing)

12
Presenters
Sanja Stevic Equal Coordinator Workforce Futures
Development Partnership
Jenny Tooth Trans-national Coordinator Equal
Work-Life Futures Partnership
Carina Aberg Equal Coordinator PEOPLE DP Apel
Institute for Working Life
sanja.stevic_at_lsc.gov.uk
jenny.tooth_at_jtec.globalnet.co.uk
carina.aberg_at_apel.nu