The initiative emerged as a response to the specific needs of groups isolated from the labour market: people over 45 years old, women, long-term unemployed or people without unemployment benefits. Instead of tackling employment and social needs in a separate way, employment is placed at the heart of the local policy, understanding it as a cross-cutting priority for the City’s different departments.
At the operational level, a network of relevant local stakeholders such as social organisations and businesses, are articulated in the field of employment: Municipality of Barcelona, Global Justice, Feminism and LGTBI Affairs and Barcelona Activa (local employment services), in cooperation with Entitats Catalanes d’Acció Social (a federation of social assistance organizations), Federación de Empresas de Inserción de Cataluña (federation of intergration companies) and the Red Cross.
Participants access the programme through social and specialized public services, such as those related to housing or mental health. On the basis of an integrated approach of their needs and characteristics, participants are supported and accompanied through individual counselling and personalized integration pathways aimed at developing their skills, until they take part in a selection process.
- In 2018, 6,225 people were served and 5,799 job applications were submitted to companies.
- Compared with the general population at the city level, the programme showed higher hiring rates among women (with a 9% increase) and people over 45 years old (37% increase).
Impact evidence
- In 2018, 6,225 people were served and 5,799 job applications were submitted to companies.
- Compared with the general population at the city level, the programme showed higher hiring rates among women (with a 9% increase) and people over 45 years old (37% increase).
- In 2018, the programme’s overall labour integration rate was 28%, being similar (27%) among participants who needed more intensive support.
The intervention uses a skills-based methodology placing participants at the centre to cultivate and foster knowledge, competencies, skills and behaviours acquired throughout their lives.
Once the skills have been mapped and a professional objective has been set, orientation and training teams support participants on a range of matters to transfer these to the labour field: curriculum improvement, access to targeted education (such as technical and vocational, language, or emotional management courses), employment search and interview preparation. Activities can either be provided by public services or social organisations.
Itineraries conclude once participants are back to the regular labour market or access a pool of reserved job positions. Companies and organisations that integrate this pool receive support from the programme so that the recruitment process meets their needs. In addition, employing programme participants can be counted as part of a corporate social responsibility strategy which leads to economic incentives and hiring bonuses.