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CHAIN – Cooperation Holland and Austria Improvement Networking
Background
The published indicators of the European benchmarks claim that the share of early leavers from education
and training should be less than 10% in 2020. Although the project partners show early school leaving
rates below the European 27 average rate the development in the countries has slowed down for various
reasons. The figures of the partner countries Austria and the Netherlands show, that there is still a need
to improve in the above mentioned benchmark area.
Vocational education training has an important role in the fight for reducing the share of young people who
tend to become early school leavers. It provides not only information on the jobmarket and job descriptions
but it enables and supports the contact to the world
of work. Through different kind of measures – varying
in the two partner countries – between school and
enterprises, supported by different network partners
and stakeholders, young people’s employability is
strengthened. Direct contacts to the world of work
and “first hand experiences” support their integration
into the labour market. Initial vocational education
and training is a preventive and successful tool helping
to reduce early school leaving
Aims of CHAIN
Both partner countries want to support and strengthen
the cooperation between schools and companies and
thus – in an indirect way – contribute to the reduction
and prevention of early school leaving by different
activities. The municipality of ‘s-Hertogenbosch has a
great expertise in this working field through different
projects and is strongly involved in the cooperation
between education, municipality and entrepreneurs.
Graz has also great expertise and experiences in
vocational education and training and measures
connecting schools and the world of work.
CHAIN
CooperationHollandandAustria ImprovementNetworking
Topics of the project
1. How to increase the involvement of
companies for education/cooperation with
schools?
2. Lifelong learning (is there any policy on this
in the involved companies in this Comenius
project)?
3. Leading role local government; to stimulate
that companies start their company, that
companies stay in Graz / ’s-Hertogenbosch
(good entrepreneurs-climate), to stimulate
a better connection between unemployed
people and actual and future jobs?
4. Demand orientated approach by local
government, labour office, schools. Basis is
the demand of the labour market; schools,
labour office, local government take this as a
start for their work/approach?
5. Tailor-made
arrangements
(develop
innovative instruments, flexible structures)?
6. Career orientation and career guidance (again
demand of the labour market starting point
for activities by schools/STVG etcetera)?
7. Labour market information; only by good
knowledge of the local/regional labour
market you can prepare young people to the
right jobs/companies?
8. HRM-policy; important to know what HRM-
policy is made by the involved companies.
Schools and local government can focus on
a better way to realise a well-functioning
labour market!
