PES Network publishes 15 new PES practices

With over 250 inspiring PES examples, the PES Practices database offers practitioners concrete examples of both operational actions and strategic approaches implemented across the Network.

This year's new practices highlight four key areas of innovation:

Inclusive access to employment services is being strengthened through several new practices that tackle structural barriers limiting access to employment. In Belgium, Actiris' Complementary childcare support helps parents overcome childcare-related barriers to training, job search or accepting a job. Practices address the inclusion of persons with disabilities, including Ireland's EmployAbility programme, offering tailored employment and recruitment assistance through personalised coaching and employer engagement. Meanwhile Czechia's Integration Job pilot equips counsellors with tools to facilitate labour market integration and is being prepared for national rollout.

Digital transformation is driving new ways for PES to design and deliver services, with practices showcasing advances in data use, profiling and matching to deliver better services. Estonia's AI-powered Decision Support Tool assists counsellors in designing the counselling process, allowing them to spot needs early, activate the appropriate services sooner and shorten the path to employment. France's Data AI Transformation Programme facilitates engagement with PES staff at every stage to prioritise their needs and collaborate on solutions. The programme offers an independent, PES-owned infrastructure to protect sensitive data and avoid dependency on external AI providers. In Belgium, VDAB's Competent 2.0 taxonomy provides staff with a standard reference for career guidance, job matching and training, ensuring consistency and transparency. Slovenia's Labour Market Platform centralises, analyses and forecasts labour market data, including professions, competences and employment trends.

Strengthening skills provision in response to evolving labour market demands is a key theme across new practices. Greece's voucher based training programme aims to re- and upskill unemployed and employed individuals in high-demand sectors, with a particular focus on digital, green and financial skills, tackling skills gaps and mismatches between the workforce's skills and employers' needs. Latvia's Education Accelerator leverages labour market demand data to shape education pathways and enhance high school students' career readiness. The initiative promotes public-private cooperation to build engagement with the private sector and bridge young people's career choices in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) with labour market needs.

Addressing skills shortages through mobility and international recruitment, the new practices demonstrate a coordinated and ethical approach to connecting employers with suitable candidates. Finland's Work in Finland platform addresses labour shortages and fragmented employer services for international recruitment by offering guidance to employers, along with services for labour-market integration.

Portugal's labour mobility agreements establish bilateral labour mobility agreements with third countries to facilitate legal migration pathways for employment and ensure ethical recruitment. In Belgium, Actiris' One Stop Shop pilot in Brussels provides a multilingual support pathway linking integration services for third-country nationals, with tailored guidance to facilitate their transition into the labour market.

Further information:

Want to find out more? Search the PES Practices database to see the full collection!

The PES Network Knowledge Centre also has a wide range of information and inspiring practices on the organisation and services of Public Employment Services across Europe.

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