Regarding the domain of Labour Market Analysis & Employment Studies, EEO Group has extensive experience of fifteen years. Sustainable economic growth can only be accomplished with complementary measures in the social field. In other words high levels of employment and well functioning labour markets are core to strong economic performance. EEO has a tradition of employment research and consultancy and its experience includes assessment of active and passive labour market policies, modernization of public employment services and implementation of action plans at regional and national level to combat unemployment and tackle worklessness. EEO carries employment research across the full policy cycle, from policy conception to communicating policy results.
Operational Unit of Labour Counsellors for the Public Employment Services in Cyprus (Single Programming Document Objective 3 “Human Resources” 2004-2006): EEO established an Operational Unit of Labour Counsellors in Cyprus and provided individualised services for the effective promotion of the unemployed and marginalized groups to the labour market, their integration in the labour market and the retention of their working places, the improvement of the demand and supply ratio, and assurance of the labour market absorption.
Detailed Action Plan for specific interventions for the social and professional integration of vulnerable population groups: EEO assisted the Managing Authority in The Labour Ministry to prepare an Action Plan which would include all necessary interventions in order to help the vulnerable population develop those skills that would facilitate its integration in the labour market and consequently in the society. EEO work included a detailed analysis of similar interventions in EU15 countries highlighting best practices, current situation analysis for Greece, Action Plan with specific funding schemes and preparation of Technical Fiches for those interventions funded by ESF.
ALKISTIS – Combating Social Exclusion of Women- European Initiative “EQUAL”: The project, which was funded by the Equal Initiative, aimed at reconciliating the personal life of individuals with their professional life via the design and development of friendly supporting mechanisms and organisational forms. EEO was in charge of managing the project and coordinating the Development Partnership. The main actions undertaken in the course of the project include the establishment of 4 operational Centres for Family Support, the creation and operation of a network of advisors, the foundation of a social work volunteers’ network, support actions for equality in the family, actions for information and sensitisation, actions for the promotion concerning flexible forms of employment and the creation of educational packages concerning equality issues.
“FILES” – Future Oriented Implementation of Local Employment Strategies: The FILES project which was funded by Article 6 of the European Social Fund, aimed at improving the abilities to act pro-active on local and regional levels especially considering employment and social sustainability during times of economic change and restructuring. The type of services provided by EEO include: provision of integrated consulting services, subsidised job place offer to the particular team of women, concretisation of measures facilitating women to search and to correspond to the offered places of work, implementation of programs providing small funding to women, in order for them to beginning small scale enterprise activity, provision of incentives to employers for the employment of women.
Evaluation of Active Labour Market Policies in Greece (Greek Public Employment Service-OAED): EEO has undertaken this project in the framework of enriching and supporting the VET system, as well as the Public Employment Service (OAED) in Greece. The study examined the use of subsidy programmes, which have proven to be a powerful measure against unemployment and in favour of employment promotion, a range of qualitative and quantitative objectives compared with national and European directives on Employment, the effectiveness of means used to achieve respective goals, the impact on several target groups and on regional and local levels, viability prospects, strengths and weaknesses of the Programmes, etc. The work also comprised the development of a monitoring system for the on-going evaluation of such programmes, during their implementation. This system was a cohesive proposal to the Greek PES for the establishment of a permanent (as a core service offered by OAED) use for such subsidy programmes in the future, within the context of the implementation of active labour policies.
