INTERIM PROGRESS REPORT

Transcription

1 CARDS 2004 Local Partnerships for Employment Phase 2 This project is funded by the European Union EuropeAid/121013/C/SV/HR: Service Contract No EU CARDS 2004 Local partnerships for employment - Phase 2 INTERIM PROGRESS REPORT No. 1 JANUARY - APRIL 2006 July 2006

2 General Information Report INTERIM PROGRESS REPORT No. 1 Period covered by the report 9 January April 2006 Project number Project title Locations of implementation Date of the commencement of the contract Date of the completion of the contract Name and Surname of the contact person Position Project Office EuropeAid/121013/C/SV/HR: Service Contract No EU CARDS 2004 Local partnerships for employment - Phase 2 The 4 counties of: Brodsko-posavska; Pozesko-slavonska; Karlovacka; Licko-senjska 7 November May 2007 Peter Newman Team Leader Croatian Employment Service - Central Office Radnicka cesta 1, Zagreb Project Telephone number (01) Project Fax number (01) Project Company Address Peter.Newman@hzz.hr WYG International Ltd Newstead Court, Little Oak Drive, Sherwood Business Park, Annesley Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom. NG15 0DR Company Telephone number Company Fax number Company enquiries@wyginternational.com

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction and Summary of Achievements Introduction Summary of Achievements 2 2. Summary of Progress in the period January-April Initial Training Identification of counterparts and information gathering Strategy design Design of local partnership project Implementation of local partnership project Dissemination Key Issues in Implementation Activities Planned for Next Reporting Period Labour Market Analysis Strategy design Design of local partnership project Implementation of local partnership project Dissemination Project Management Revised Timetable of Planned Activities 17 ANNEX List of Documents Previously Submitted

4 ABBREVIATIONS CARDS CES CFCU EC ESF HRD LPE MELE MSTTD NEAP NGO PIU RD ROP TA TNA ToR TWG-HRD VET Community Assistance for Reconstruction, Development and Stabilisation Croatian Employment Service Central Finance and Contracting Unit European Commission European Social Fund Human Resource Development Local Partnership for Employment Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship Ministry of Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development National Employment Action Plan Non-Governmental Organisation Project Implementation Unit Regional Development Regional Operational Programme Technical Assistance Training Needs Analysis Terms of Reference Thematic Working Group on Human Resource Development Vocational Education and Training

5 1. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY OF ACHIEVEMENTS 1.1 Introduction In agreement with the Contracting Authority (the EC Delegation), this Interim Progress Report covers the 4 month period from the end of the inception phase (9 January 2006) up to the end of April The Inception Report is regarded as the formal reporting for the first two months of the project, which commenced on 7 November The Terms of Reference (ToR) identify the objectives of the project as follows: The overall objective of the project is to strengthen the capacity of local actors to design and implement training and active labour market measures within the framework of a local partnership approach and by using European Social Fund (ESF) procedures. The specific objective is to ensure that the regional operative goals as outlined in the Regional Operational Programmes of 4 counties in Croatia are complemented by appropriate human resource development (HRD) measures taking into account the methodology developed through CARDS 2002 Local Partnerships for Employment project. After the inception phase, the five primary phases of the project are: Phase 1: Identification of counterparts and information gathering Phase 2: Strategy design Phase 3: Design of local partnership project Phase 4: Implementation of local partnership project Phase 5: Dissemination The expected results (as described in the TOR) are: 1. Labour market knowledge at county level improved. 2. The ability to foster HRD at county level increased. 3. Awareness of ESF principles and mechanisms among local counterparts in all 4 counties raised local partnerships being the principal approach to planning and implementation. Local partnerships formed in each county and their members properly trained in ESF principles and mechanisms. 4. Unemployment rate at county level reduced. Active labour market measures through local partnership projects in all 4 counties designed and successfully implemented, meeting their activity output indicators. 5. Awareness of ESF rules and procedures raised among HRD regional policy actors. The geographical area covered by the project consists of the four counties of Brodskoposavska, Pozesko-slavonska, Karlovacka and Licko-senjska which were identified in the ToR. In these counties, the project focuses on HRD actions which are complementary to the measures of the relevant Regional Operational Programmes (ROPs). The ROPs describe a socio-economic vision and strategy for each county, with the associated objectives and priorities. 1 It had earlier been agreed with the Contracting Authority that the Interim Progress Report should cover the period up to the end of June (i.e. 6 months after the Inception Phase). However, during July, the reporting period was changed to conclude at the end of April in order to ensure consistency with invoicing timetables. 1

6 The project Partner Institution is the Croatian Employment Service (CES). Through its network of 22 regional and 92 local offices, the CES is in charge of job mediation; preparation for employment; vocational and career guidance; and the implementation of Croatian labour market policy including active labour market measures. The CES National Employment Action Plan 2004 seeks to promote a multi-agency strategy towards redevelopment, including working in local partnerships of employers, trade unions, public institutions (especially education) and NGOs. The Contractor is WYG International Ltd, and the team of long term experts are referred to as the project team in this report. The draft Inception Report was submitted to the EC Delegation and to the CES Project Implementation Unit (PIU) on 27 January 2006, and formally to the CES on 24 February. Comments were received from CES on 20 March, and from EC Delegation on 27 March. The revised Inception Report was submitted to EC Delegation and to CES on 15 May. Formal approval was received from the EC Delegation on 22 May 2006, and the Steering Committee accepted the revised Inception Report at its meeting on 23 May. This Interim Progress Report: details the progress that was made in the January-April 2006 period; identifies key issues which have been highlighted during implementation; describes the activities which are planned for the next reporting period of May- October 2006; summarises the overall project management situation. 1.2 Summary of Achievements The main achievements during the January-April period can be summarised as follows: Initial Training Through Initial Training, CES staff gained knowledge on EU principles and strategies which set the context for the project; gained a greater understanding of the partnership approach and the implications for the development of a HRD strategy; had an opportunity to share and discuss different views of how the project could be implemented according to local needs and circumstances; observed the importance of and inter-relationship between different development policies within Croatia and within their regions. Project Presentations The Project Presentations raised awareness and ensured visibility of the project. The overall conclusions were that: participants were more aware that HRD was an essential but neglected segment in local and regional development plans; local interest for participating in the project was strong, with many seeing that their organisations would benefit from involvement; a great number of contacts were made with potential collaborators. Hence, local counterparts for partnership activities had been identified and engaged. 2

7 Labour Market Survey The main outcomes were that: CES staff benefited from workshops on general techniques of Labour Market Analysis; a short and highly targeted survey was devised by the project; a total of 334 enterprises were visited by CES staff and survey forms completed; relevant CES staff were assisted in the analysis of the data which resulted from the survey; draft Labour Market Reports for each county were close to completion. Local Structures for partnership development / HRD strategy During this period: agreement was reached on national strategic guidance which set the framework for co-operation at the regional / county level; all counties followed the preferred model indicated in the national guidance; ROP Thematic Working Groups on Human Resource Development (TWG-HRD) were established in each county. These were the Local Partnerships for Employment, as envisaged under this project. Hence, local structures and frameworks for implementation of the project were agreed and functioning. Local Consultants Four posts of local consultants were created, one for each county where the project is being implemented. These posts are funded from some of the budget available for shortterm local experts, combined with a contribution from the contractor. The local consultants have made a valuable contribution towards project implementation, not least because they can provide a continuity of input. They have worked alongside the key expert and the local counterpart, and have deepened the relationship between the project team and the CES regional offices. 3

8 2. SUMMARY OF PROGRESS IN THE PERIOD JANUARY - APRIL 2006 The summary of progress is now presented within the overall framework of the 5 phases identified above. However, it is recognised that there is inevitably some overlap between the various activities which have been undertaken, and that activities do not necessarily fit simply into one phase. Equally, as described in the Inception Report, the actual activity of partnership development is not specifically covered in the ToR, although it is an integral part of the project. Furthermore, there was one new activity which had been agreed during the Inception Phase, and this is considered first. All reports, documents, letters etc. referred to in this interim progress report have all been previously submitted to the EC Delegation and CES, as individual papers and/or Annexes to monthly reports. For convenience, a list of these documents is annexed to this report. 2.1 Initial Training During the Inception Period, it became apparent that it would be beneficial for the CES staff to develop more in-depth knowledge and understanding in respect of the overall context of the project, thereby assisting the future development of the local employment partnership processes. This context consists of: the underlying European principles and strategies; the creation and implementation of development policies at different levels; the processes of local partnership and strategy development. In response to requests from the CES regional staff, a proposal for initial training (additional to the formal training envisaged in Phase 3 of the project) was developed, including a 2-day programme. This was approved by the CES Director-General, and then by the EC Delegation which agreed that the costs could be met from the training element of Incidental Expenditure. It was agreed that the Initial Training would be delivered to the staff from CES offices from two counties working together, thereby facilitating a wider discussion and a greater exploration of the issues. The training took place as follows: CES staff from Pozesko-slavonska and Brodsko-posavska counties - 12 and 19 January; CES staff from Licko-senjska and Karlovacka counties - 26 and 27 January. In total, 21 CES staff participated in the Initial Training. The main training topics were: - European Employment Strategy, national and regional employment development policies; - The local contribution to the implementation of employment strategies; - Labour Market Survey envisaged outputs, and processes to draw; - Human Resource Strategy - envisaged outputs, and processes to draw; - Principles of development under EU finances with special attention to partnership approach; - European Social Fund main objectives and procedures of using the fund with related examples. 4

9 The main outcomes were that the CES staff had: gained knowledge on EU principles and strategies which set the context for the project; gained a greater understanding of the partnership approach and the implications for the development of a HRD strategy an opportunity to share and discuss different views of how the project could be implemented according to local needs and circumstances; observed the importance of and inter-relationship between different development policies within Croatia and within their regions. 2.2 Identification of counterparts and information gathering Identification of Counterparts / Project Presentations The project ToR had envisaged that there should be one project presentation in each county during the inception period to raise awareness and ensure the visibility of the project. It would also seek to confirm and enlarge the support of relevant institutions and their participation in the project. It was agreed with the EC Delegation that it would be more effective to have these presentations in January 2006, following the inception phase. A proposal for the project presentations was developed, and this was approved by the CES Director-General, and then by the EC Delegation. A project leaflet was also prepared. The four project presentations took place on the following dates, with the number of persons attending as shown: Pozesko-slavonska 17 January persons attended Brodsko-posavska 18 January persons attended Karlovacka 24 January persons attended Licko-senjska 25 January persons attended The total of 173 persons who attended the presentations consisted of representatives of local administration; the non-profit sector; trade unions; the business community; the PMU implementing Regional Operational Programmes; vocational schools; and the media. In all cases, more than half the participants expressed an interest in working with the project as Local Partnerships for Employment were formed and HRD strategies were developed. Hence, a large number of counterparts had been identified and engaged. The Project Presentations clearly met the objectives of raising awareness and ensuring visibility. The high numbers attending demonstrated that local actors could be mobilised. The overall conclusions were that: participants were more aware that HRD was an essential but neglected segment in local and regional development plans; local interest for participating in the project was strong, with many seeing that their organisations would benefit from involvement; a great number of contacts were made with potential collaborators. As had been indicated in the Inception Report, the ToR are not specific about the exact point during the project when the local partnership for employment should be created in each county. In effect, the process of creating partnerships began immediately after the Project Presentations in each county. This ultimately led to the Thematic Working Groups on HRD which are considered in detail later in this report. 5

10 Information Gathering - Labour Market Analysis The two main elements of the information gathering activity consisted of a review of existing information and the design and implementation of a regional labour market survey. Together they constituted a labour market analysis. Mr Thomas Kinch-Jensen was proposed and approved as the short-term international expert to lead this task. Shortly before the arrival of Mr Kinch-Jensen, it was learned that CES was in the process of introducing a labour market survey. This was to be a nationwide survey, focussing on a 20% sample of private sector companies with more than 10 employees. In fact, the survey forms were distributed through Regional CES offices during February. This development set the context within which Mr Kinch-Jensen carried out his work. In his initial period at CES Central Office, he met the Heads of the Analysis and Statistics Departments. This was followed by a 2-day visit to each county during February. During these county visits, Mr Kinch-Jensen: (a) carried out fact-finding, including the use and availability of data; (b) provided a workshop for CES staff on general techniques of Labour Market Analysis; and (c) held familiarisation meetings with potential partners and CES staff. Taking into account the fact of the concurrent CES nationwide survey, it was concluded that a very short and highly targeted survey could reveal a great deal of information about the labour market in the 4 counties - particularly as a basis for identifying trends. This would ensure that the size, nature and focus of the project survey in the 4 counties were very different from the CES survey. On this basis, it was agreed that the CES staff would carry out the survey visits during March / April, with support from project staff. A simple survey form was designed, along with notes of guidance. Mr Kinch-Jensen then spent a further day in each county to introduce the survey in detail. Essentially, each economic sector was to be taken in turn - with a maximum of 12 enterprises being visited in each sector - based on: a maximum of 4 small enterprises; maximum 4 medium enterprises; and maximum 4 large enterprises in each sector. Enterprises were to be selected (according to the criteria of economic sector, size and geography) by CES staff. The sectors to be surveyed were in the following priority order: (i) Construction; (ii) Financial and Real Estate; (iii) Sectors relevant to ROP; (iv) Sectors felt by CES Office to be important. The number of sectors to be covered (following the above priority) was completely dependent upon the availability of CES and project staff resources. As a capacity-building exercise, data to be obtained by CES staff from Official Statistics and from Administrative Records was also identified. In March / April, CES staff carried out survey visits to enterprises in accordance with the agreed framework, covering as many sectors as permitted by the availability of CES resources. The final position was that 334 enterprises were visited as follows: Pozesko-slavonska 79 enterprises visited Brodsko-posavska 89 enterprises visited Karlovacka 101 enterprises visited Licko-senjska 65 enterprises visited 6

11 The data from the completed survey forms was input into an appropriate data-base by project staff, except in Licko-senjska where the CES themselves chose to do this. Each office also made efforts to obtain the statistical data which had been identified. During April, Mr Kinch-Jensen spent 3 days in each CES Regional Office. He worked closely with relevant CES staff to supervise / assist with the analysis of the data from the survey. Staff were encouraged to prepare their own local report as a learning exercise. This would complement the overall reports for each county which would be prepared by Mr Kinch-Jensen. By the end of April, draft Labour Market Reports for each county were close to completion. However, it was becoming apparent that some of the information in the databases would have to be revised. Despite this, the draft reports nevertheless provide a useful basis for the work of the Thematic Working Groups on HRD (see later in this report). The Timetable of Planned Activities in the Inception Report had indicated that the Labour Market Analysis would be completed by the end of April. This did not allow for the process of moving from draft reports to final reports, nor for the unexpected necessity to revise the collected data in some cases. 2.3 Strategy design The main element here is the creation of a HRD strategy in each county. Partnership development was seen to be an critical part of this process (although not specifically covered by the ToR). It was quickly recognised that there had to be an integrated approach with the ROP structure, particularly in view of the project's specific objective. Accordingly, the methodology as described below was followed. Linkage between ROPs and Local Partnerships for Employment A critical issue which had emerged during the inception phase was the importance of cooperation and co-ordination with other CARDS projects, particularly the CARDS 2004 project in Ministry of Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development (MSTTD). This County Development Capacity and Management project is implementing the Regional Operational Programmes (ROPs) in the same four counties as the Local Partnerships for Employment project. The EC Delegation had confirmed that the two projects were designed to complement each other and to concentrate development efforts. It was felt that in order for this local working together to be fully effective, there should be strategic guidance from the national level which would set the framework for co-operation at the regional / county level. This had been agreed at a meeting on 13 December 2005 (facilitated by the EC Delegation) of the three relevant national institutions (CES; Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship Directorate of Labour; MSTTD). Agreement was reached on the principles which could set the national strategic guidance and would underpin the linkage between the projects. In January, approval had been given to the content of a draft letter that stated the principles which set the framework for local co-operation, and identified a preferred model for such co-operation. In February, formal letters were prepared in respect of each county, and these were circulated for signature by the three institutions. On 15 March, the signed letter was formally issued to the President of the Regional Partnership Committee, the Head of ROP PMU, and the CES Regional Director in each of the four counties. 7

12 Establishment of Local Partnerships for Employment - the Thematic Working Groups on Human Resource Development The above letter had an immediate impact in all 4 counties, with all indicating their intention to follow the preferred model and to begin the process of establishing a Thematic Working Group on Human Resource Development (TWG-HRD) as part of the structures of the Regional Partnership Committee. This TWG-HRD would be the Local Partnership for Employment as envisaged under this CES project. It became clear that the establishment of the Working Groups would be occurring at an earlier stage than originally envisaged by the project team. The original intention within the project had been: to support partnership development; to create the local partnerships as part of the process of developing the HRD strategy; and then to integrate these partnerships into the ROP framework. The momentum of the impact of the letter had provided an opportunity to now create the basic structure, and then develop the HRD strategy and the partnership working within that structure. In conjunction with the CARDS 2004 project which is implementing the ROPs, initial meetings of key persons were held in each county. The topics under discussion at these initial meetings were: Membership / tasks / roles / responsibilities of the TWG-HRD; Mechanisms for gathering and taking decisions within the TWG-HRD and the wider County Partnership for ROP; Funding initiatives and linkages with (a) ROP (b) The County Strategy for HRD. In all cases, agreement was reached on the establishment of the TWG-HRD, with membership to come from a wide range of institutions/organisations covering the 3 main sectors: public, private, and community. As the membership became confirmed in each county, arrangements were made for the first meeting. The first meeting of the TWG- HRD took place in Licko-senjska on 27 April, and arrangements were made for meetings in May in all 4 counties. Hence, local structures and frameworks for implementation of the project were agreed and functioning. HRD Strategy / Partnership Development By April, the TWG-HRD in each county was seen to be the basic forum for the development of the HRD strategy, with the involvement of other stakeholders as appropriate. The TWG-HRD is the Local Partnership for Employment as envisaged under this CES project. Consequently, partnership development continued as part of this process. There had been initial concerns that any delay in the establishment of the TWG-HRD could lead to a corresponding delay in developing the HRD strategy. These concerns proved to be unfounded, as the TWG-HRD were quickly established. In fact, draft planned schedules were developed, showing the tasks to be carried out until July in order that draft HRD strategies could be completed by then. The Timetable of Planned Activities in the Inception Report had indicated that the HRD strategies would be completed by the beginning of July. However, it became apparent that this timetable would not allow for sufficient consultation to achieve agreement at county level. It was therefore agreed that draft HRD strategies should be completed during July and distributed for consultation. After the consultation period, the HRD strategies will be finalised by the end of September. 8

13 2.4 Design of local partnership project According to the ToR, this phase of the project is concerned with the training of counterparts firstly on the ESF approach and secondly in the design and management of a local project(s) which could attract funding through the grant scheme or from alternative funding sources. The first training on ESF will be more technical and specific and will be aimed at the CES. The second part of training will be aimed at representatives of the local partnerships for employment which have been created at the local level, including CES representatives. Training of local counterparts on the ESF approach After consultation with CES Regional Directors, the dates of 6-8 June were identified as suitable for the 1 x 3-day residential training module for CES staff on the ESF approach, in accordance with Phase 3.1 of the ToR. In February, a proposed framework for this training was submitted to the CES Director-General and the EC Delegation, and approval was received in March. In consultation with the CES offices in respect of available venues, there was a general consensus for a hotel in Baska on the island of Krk. This proposal and associated costing was submitted to the EC Delegation and subsequently approved. During April, CES regional offices identified the total of 20 staff who would be participating in the training. A Training Needs Analysis (TNA) was carried out by the project team. The key messages of the TNA in order to develop the training programme were: balance between presentations and workshops; practical examples; clear explanation of processes; relationship to participants own working experience; materials in Croatian language (there are many official materials on ESF which had not been translated into Croatian). By the end of April, a draft training programme had been developed, and the production of materials was planned. Training for local counterparts in the design and management of a project As indicated above, this second part of training will be aimed at the representatives of the local partnerships for employment which have been created at the local level, including CES representatives. It is planned that there will be 3 x 3 day modules during September and October (as described in the Inception Report). Preparation for this task will begin in May. 2.5 Implementation of local partnership project According to the ToR, this phase of this CES project deals with the on-the-ground implementation of local projects which have been designed through the partnership process and which have succeeded in obtaining funding or other resources for their execution. Hence, this activity will not commence until local projects (which have been designed with the assistance of the training described above) actually receive funding - either from the grant scheme associated with this CES project or from other sources. Consequently, this activity will not begin until October 2006 at the earliest. 9

14 2.6 Dissemination The dissemination of the project is important to sustainability and capacity development. This began with the Project Presentations in January 2006 and the distribution of a project leaflet, and has continued with the formation of TWG-HRD and the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders in the activities of the project. Specifically, this phase of the project includes: review of existing materials developed through CARDS 2002 LPE project; identification of needs for producing further material; and organisation of a final wrap-up event. The CARDS 2002 LPE project has provided their project leaflet and a "Beginner Handbook on Implementation of ESF in Croatia" which forms useful background material towards the training on ESF under this project. Other CARDS 2002 LPE material will be reviewed as it becomes available. 10

15 3. KEY ISSUES IN IMPLEMENTATION In the section on issues for consideration during project implementation, the Inception Report identified some Project Management Issues and some wider challenges to project implementation. These remain unchanged. During the January-April period, the following issues were highlighted. Steering Committee It took more time than anticipated for the Steering Committee to be established. Those members who attended the meeting of the Steering Committee for the CARDS 2002 Local Partnerships for Employment project in December 2005 agreed with the suggestion that the same membership should serve as the Steering Committee for the CARDS 2004 project Local Partnerships for Employment - Phase 2. The non-attending members were subsequently asked to give their own approval to this suggestion. Despite the efforts of CES, it was not until the middle of March that the membership could be confirmed. The final position was that the Steering Committee consisted of members of the CARDS 2002 Steering Committee or their replacements. Arrangements were made for the first Steering Committee Meeting to take place in May. Involvement of Counterparts As indicated in the draft Inception Report, each Regional Director had identified a local counterpart to work alongside the project key expert. In Licko-senjska Regional Office, the local counterpart was unable to be present on a consistent basis because of medical reasons. At the end of January, a replacement was identified, and she took on the role in February. Implementation in Licko-senjska At the end of January / beginning of February in Licko-senjska, misunderstandings between the CES staff and the project team on the nature of the project intervention led to some operational difficulties. As a result, the Team Leader met with the CES Regional Director in order to reach a common understanding about roles and responsibilities. A detailed discussion reached a satisfactory conclusion on various operational matters, and a full agreement was achieved. The subsequent employment of the local consultant (see later in this report) and a clarification of the consultancy role with the key expert further contributed towards creating a sound basis for the future. Limited Inputs of Key Experts As indicated in the Inception Report, an issue that could affect the capacity building activity of the project was that the time allocated to the four key experts in the regions was approximately two weeks per month over the period of the project (in accordance with the ToR). It was felt that this could pose a danger that the momentum and continuity of the project actions could be lost during the time when the key experts were not present. This was one reason why the posts of 4 full-time local consultants were created (see later in this report), one in each of the 4 counties where the project is being implemented. These posts were funded from some of the budget available for short-term local experts, combined with a contribution from the contractor. 11

16 Whilst the 4 local consultants are making a valuable contribution towards project implementation, the fact remains that the key experts can only be present for 50% of the period of the project. It may well be that difficulties could arise as a result of this, particularly with regard to the scheduling of activities. Clearly, the project team will be as flexible as possible, within the constraints placed by the ToR and the associated financing of the project. 12

17 4. ACTIVITIES PLANNED FOR NEXT REPORTING PERIOD The main activities planned for the May - October period are now described. 4.1 Labour Market Analysis The four draft Labour Market Reports will be completed, translated into Croatian and distributed to the respective counties for comment. It is anticipated that some issues in respect of the collection and processing of data in some cases will result in the need for respective regional CES offices to revise the information in the data-bases. Once this process of revision is concluded, the final Labour Market Reports will be completed. Despite the need for revision in some cases, the draft reports nevertheless will provide a useful basis for the work of the Thematic Working Groups on HRD. Using additional data i.e. statistical data which was either collected by CES staff or obtained directly from the Central Bureau of Statistics, Mr Kinch-Jensen will prepare an inter-regional study (comparison between the four counties and Croatia as a whole) and an international study. Once finalised after comment, these will be integrated with the County Labour Market Reports to produce the Labour Market Analysis. 4.2 Strategy design HRD Strategy / Partnership Development Formal approval will be given to the membership of the TWG-HRD in all 4 counties, with membership coming from a wide range of institutions/organisations covering the 3 main sectors: public, private, and community. The TWG-HRD will have a series of meetings until July, focussing towards the development of the HRD strategy for the county. Hence, the following issues will be included: identification of employment-related issues and problems facing the county; draft labour market reports; SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats); definition of strategic goal and objectives for HRD; definition of vision, mission, and core values for HRD; identification of priorities and measures; identification of monitoring and evaluation indicators. Draft HRD strategies should be completed during July and distributed for consultation. After the consultation period, the HRD strategies will be finalised by the end of September. Design of guidelines for grant scheme Under strategy design, the project ToR (section 2.2) includes the design of guidelines for applicants for a grant scheme. A short-term international expert will be identified to lead this task which will be completed by end June / early July. It is intended that the timing of the subsequent call for proposals (for which CFCU is the Contracting Authority) will be in synchronisation with the dates of this project's training on the design and management of a project (see below). 13

18 4.3 Design of local partnership project Training of local counterparts on the ESF approach The finalised training programme and all the prepared training materials will be submitted to the EC Delegation and the CES PIU. The training materials will then be translated into the Croatian language. The training will take place on 6 / 7 / 8 June in Baska on the island of Krk. All participants will receive a volume of training materials in the Croatian language at the beginning of the training course. Participants will be asked to complete an Evaluation Questionnaire at the end of the training. Training for local counterparts in the design and management of a project This second part of training will be aimed at the representatives of the local partnerships for employment which have been created at the local level, including CES representatives. As the TWG-HRD is the Local Partnership envisaged under this CES project, it will provide the basis for identifying participants for the training. It is planned that there will be 3 x 3 day modules during September and October (as described in the Inception Report). Over the next months, the following main activities will be carried out: May / June: suitable dates will be identified, and a proposed framework for the training will be submitted for approval; July: - potential participants will be identified by the CES and the TWG-HRD; - a Training Needs Analysis will be carried out; - an overall draft programme for the 3 training modules will be developed; - suitable venues will be identified; July / September: materials will be produced; September / October: the training will be delivered. By the end of the training - and with associated on-going support in the 4 regional CES offices from the project team - participants should have developed projects ready for implementation. These projects should meet national and local strategic priorities and should be eligible for ESF-type funding. If the timing of the grant scheme associated with this CES project is as intended, then these local projects can form the basis of applications to that scheme. 4.4 Implementation of local partnership project This activity of supporting the implementation of funded projects will only commence when funding is received - either from the grant scheme associated with this CES project or from other sources. There may be some preliminary support activity in October 2006, but the main input will be in the final 6 months of the project. 4.5 Dissemination The dissemination of the work will continue, particularly as the draft HRD strategies are distributed for consultation and the final Labour Market Analysis is issued. Other CARDS 2002 LPE material will be reviewed as it becomes available. 14

19 5. PROJECT MANAGEMENT The Project Team Leader and the Office Manager are located in the Central Office of CES. As described in the Inception Report, there is one key expert for each county where the project is being implemented. Each expert is accommodated in the relevant CES Regional Office. As mentioned earlier in this report, EC Delegation approval was given for the appointment of a short-term international expert to lead the task of Labour Market Analysis. Local consultants As indicated earlier in this report, there was some concern during the inception phase that key experts were only available for approximately two weeks per month over the project period, and so momentum and continuity could be lost. After consultation with the EC Delegation, it was agreed that the project would create the posts of 4 full-time local consultants, one in each of the 4 counties where the project is being implemented. These posts were funded from some of the budget available for short-term local experts, combined with a contribution from the contractor. It was agreed that these local consultants would be recruited locally, would have an appropriate professional background as well as good language skills, and their function would be: to work alongside the key expert and the local counterpart in the development and implementation of the project; to provide a permanent project presence within the regions (the key expert days only cover 50% of the project period); to provide knowledge and experience of the local area and of issues for HRD; to provide working interpretation where required with local counterparts; to deepen the relationship between the project team and the CES regional offices, by providing an interface to ensure that there are no misunderstandings. The posts were advertised through the normal systems of CES for job vacancies and also through Moj Posao, a recognised job-broking service. Searches were also made of the CES data-base of unemployed persons. The successful applicants for Karlovacka and Licko-senjska took up their posts by the middle of February. However, it proved to be more difficult to recruit persons for the other two counties. Two separate interview sessions were necessary before a suitable candidate could be identified for Pozesko-slavonska, and she began at the end of February. In Brodsko-posavska, four separate interview sessions took place before the successful applicant began on 6 April. The EC Delegation approved the appointment of all 4 successful candidates. 15

20 Use of resources Up to the end of April, the number of person-days used is shown in the following table. Position Person-days Budget Person-days Used Percentage Used Team Leader % Key Expert: Brodsko-posavska % Key Expert: Karlovacka % Key Expert: Pozesko-slavonska % Key Expert: Licko-senjska % Short-term International Experts % Short-term Local Experts % Up to the end of April, the position regarding Overall Incidental Expenditure was as follows: Description Budget Amount Used Percentage Used Overall Incidental Expenditure % The position in respect of particular items of Incidental Expenditure which had received specific approval was as follows: Description Budget Amount Used Balance NOT Used Initial Training Project Presentations

21 6. REVISED TIMETABLE OF PLANNED ACTIVITIES It is now recognised that the timetable of planned activities in the Inception Report did not fully take into account the consultation periods that will be necessary to convert draft documents into final documents. It is now apparent that the timings shown on that timetable reflect the deadlines for the preparation of draft Labour Market Reports and draft HRD Strategies, rather than the final documents. This does not affect project implementation, since the draft reports nevertheless provide a useful basis for continuing work e.g. the draft Labour Market Reports assist the work of the TWG-HRD. A proposed revised timetable of planned activities is attached, incorporating the above and making some minor adjustments to reflect other points identified in this report. 17

22 LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS FOR EMPLOYMENT - PHASE 2 Phase Inception Phase Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Year 2005 Month Activity Securing engagement and support 0 from Stakeholders Establishment of Office in Zagreb and 0.1 in 4 counties Recruitment of local support staff & 0.2 local experts Meetings with key national and county 0.3 level institutions Meetings with teams from EC and 0.4 other donor projects Project promotion & stakeholder 0.5 engagement in each of 4 counties Preparation of support for National 0.6 Steering Committee Identification of counterparts and 1 information gathering Identification of local counterparts and 1.1 partnership structures Review of existing labour market 1.2 analyses Design of regional labour market 1.3 survey Implementation of regional labour 1.4 market survey Labour market review and 1.5 assessment for each county 2 Strategy Design Development of a human resource 2.1 strategy and plan for HRD in each Design of guidelines for Grant 2.1 Scheme 3 Design of local partnership project 3.1 Training of local counterparts on the ESF approach 3.2 Training in partnership projects & HRD projects 4 Implementation of local partnership project 4.1 Project implementation November December January February March April May June July August September October November December January February March April Weeks Final meeting with stakeholders 5 Dissemination Phase 5 Management and administration 5.1 Review of existing material 5.2 Identification of future needs for material 5.3 Final Conference Project Management and Administration Project management, supervision & administration National Steering Committee Meeting Inception report Monthly reports Six monthly progress report Final report 18

23 ANNEX TO INTERIM PROGRESS REPORT No.1: January - April 2006 List of Documents Previously Submitted Date Document Reference Comment 12 December 2005 Introduction of 4 posts of full-time local consultants S/3/12/05 10 January 2006 Proposal for Initial Training S/6/12/05 10 January 2006 Proposal for Project Presentations S/7/01/06 10 January 2006 Project Leaflet - Sent by 24 February March March 2006 Proposed Framework for Phase 3.1 Training of Local Counterparts on the ESF approach Letter: Linkage between Projects Implementing Regional Operational Programmes and Local Partnerships for Employment Letter: Training of Local Counterparts on the ESF approach - venue and costs S/28/02/06 Klasa: /03-01/87 Ur.broj: / S/52/03/06 April 2006 Draft Schedules for TWG-HRD and HRD Strategy Development - Annexed to Monthly Report - April