The project 'Positive Future' aims at overcoming the obstacles that face immigrants seeking employment. Our way of achieving that goal is to provide individual support and councelling and job-related education in co-operation with local enterprises.

Immigrants excluded from the labour market

A group of long term unemployed immigrants have great difficulties in obtaining jobs. They themselves want employment, to be integrated in the Swedish society and to provide their own livelihood. Unfortunately they are not encouraged by the Public Employment Service and they run the risk of becoming permanently unemployed with all the negative social consequences that follow, both for the individual and for the society.

Whom do we target?

The project is open to long time unemployed immigrants that for some reason are not enrolled at the Public Employment Service. The number of participants will be 20 out of which half should be women. The project started February 1st, 2004, and will be concluded on March 31st, 2005.

What do we want to achieve?

Our main objective is that all participants should get employment. Further goals are:

• To strengthen the self-esteem of participating individuals
• To further participants’ Swedish verbal and writing skills, especially in those areas where they seek employment
• To increase their social competence and awareness of the norms and un-written laws of everyday life, especially in the work field
• To contribute to an increased integration and better quality of life in Mölndal
• Final objective
  The majority of participants will be active employment seekers at the conclusion of the project. We predict, based on earlier experience, that more than half of the participants will achieve that goal. This means that they will have the means to become self-sufficient citizens and that the local labour market will be supplied with competent workers.

Selection of participants

The recruitment will be made through The Job and Family Support Administration Office and participants are selected after interviews and three-party conferences. Those that get employment while in the project, will be replaced by new recruits. Each participant will be thoroughly screened and documented.

Implementation

The participants are divided into two groups; one focused on service and nursing and the other on industry and manufacturing. The main emphasis will be on the participant’s motivation and language skills but also on fundamental computer skills and in certain cases obtaining a driver’s licence. Tutoring will be in study circles and traditional lectures are avoided. There will also be training sessions on how to conduct conversations over the phone with prospective employers, how to write job applications, and also training in how to hande job interviews. Each participant will receive individual tutoring helping them to establish contacts on the job market.

Curriculum

The curriculum for this project is based on a thorough knowledge on our part in how to apply the traditional Swedish method of the study circle. We apply the principles of lifelong learning and active student participation in all phases of their education and student involvement is also insured in deciding curriculum details. The following components will the covered during the project:

• Swedish as a foreign language
• Swedish society and the democratic process
• The functioning of local government
• Swedish trade and industry and the historical development of Swedish labour relations
• Training in job seeking skills
• Basic computer skills
• Driving licence course in simplified Swedish - optional

Cooperation with the local labour market

The participants do not as a rule have a higher education and will be of little interest to the major high tech companies in Mölndal. The project management will concentrate on developing contacts with small and medium businesses and public employers.

Individual plans of action

For each participant the project starts with an assessment of their background, present situation and hopes for the future. A realistic plan of action will be drafted and reasessed during the entire course.

Flexible curriculum

The project management will keep an open mind and make swift individual revisions of the curriculum when the need arises. The goal is to try to reach consensus agreements between the three parties; the participant, the project management and The Job and Family Support Administration Office.

Administration

The day-to-day management will be led by a part time project manager and a full time tutor. Administration and budget matters are handled by a part time employee.
A council comprising of two elected representatives for the participants, one male and one female, and the project manager and the tutor will ascertain the involvement of the participants
 

For more information:

Hans Järnström

Project Manager SV Mölndal

e-mail