Brief description
Removing barriers and creating better conditions for employment and human resource development, and for greater mobility and flexibility of the labour force.
Region Intra Western Balkan borders
Countries
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) – Montenegro (MNE)
Location BiH: The area under the jurisdiction of the Employment Bureau of Trebinje (Republika Srpska)

MNE: The area under the jurisdiction of the Employment Bureau of Nikšić

Some of the project activities covered a wider cross-border area:  the municipalities of Trebinje, Berkovići, Ljubinje, Foča, Nevesinje, Gacko, Bileća and Kalinovik in Republika Srpska (BiH); and the municipalities of Nikšić, Plužine, Šavnik, Herceg Novi, Tivat, Kotor, Pljevlja and Žabljak in Montenegro.
Type of project partners Public bodies/institutions
Size (total budget including EU grants) € 50,000 to € 200,000
Main themes Employment, labour mobility and social inclusion
Local and regional governance, planning and administration capacity building
Keywords (Types of Activities) Study visits, exchanges and networking
Research and studies
Institutional building
Marketing, promotional activities, awareness campaigns
Keywords (Aspects of Good Practice) Genuine cross-border dimension
Genuine cross-border impact
Innovative
Good dissemination
Good sustainability
Other

Background and Objectives To strengthen cooperation, exchange experience and improve the efficacy and quality of services of the public employment services (PES) for greater employment and human resource development in the border region.
Main activities The main activites of the project were structured in four groups:

  • Systematic review of the services offered by the public employment services (PES), through workshops, overviews of PES services for customers and other local actors, and preparation of recommendations for improvements.
  • Networking among PESs and exchange of good practices, through study visits and conferences.
  • Matching supply and demand through a pilot survey to find out about the labour demand needs; employment fairs, and round tables with employers.
  • Dissemination and mainstreaming through employment fairs, promotion materials, (brochure, leaflets, posters, etc), and other promotion activities.
Main results The main results of the project were as follows:

  • The cooperation between the participating offices of the PESs strengthened through various joint activities.
  • PES services for various groups of customers improved.
  • Employers’ needs in key sectors identified.
  • Competences of the project partners increased.
Aspects of good practice The project achieved a multi-dimensional cooperation on a cross-border basis with long-term prospects.

All project activities were carried out as a combination and interaction of good practices from both sides. A range of activities allowed advisors from both PESs to exchange knowledge and experience on applied methods and procedures for their common benefit. Moreover, the partnership activities under this project had a significant effect in strengthening cooperation, not only between the two PESs, but also with other stakeholders from both sides of the border. An important part of the exchange of experience was carried out through cooperation with employers, including a survey of their needs, both in terms of their expectations from the PESs and their needs in terms labour force skills.

This common survey on employers’ needs provided a stimulus to the continuation of such activities beyond the project implementation period. Additionally, the cooperation with employers for defining their needs has been mainstreamed so that in the future the labour market institutions may influence the trends in formal and informal education and training, by providing inputs on matching the education offer with market-driven demands. Furthermore, the promotional campaign served as a role model for other institutions in the cross-border area and stimulated partnership, contacts and networking.
Start and completion dates: 11.02.2011 – 11.02.2012
More information http://www.zzzcg.org

http://www.zzrs.org

Partner MNE: Employment Agency of Montenegro – Human Resource Centre

Aleksandra Racković, aleksandra.rackovic@zzzcg.me,
Nada Radovanić, nada.radovanic@zzzcg.me,
Irena Perić, irena.peric@zzzcg.me
Partner BiH: Employment Agency of Republika Srpska – Employment Bureau Trebinje

Petar Marinković, petar.marinkovic@zzzrs.net