Workers’ Welfare Association Andreas Bartels, Senior Expert for European Affairs

ESF for social economy in Germany A new Partnership programme Within the new federal Operational Programme (OP) for the ESF the non-statutory Welfare Association negotiate together with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs a new Partnership programme, called „Tail Wind – for staff and enterprises in social services“ ( esf.de), based on article 6.3 of the current ESF-regulation. esf.de Background Social services in Germany have 2 main challenges: –Economic growth sector –Lack of new staff and problems, binding existing staff and recruiting professional staff ©AWO Bundesverband

Investment priority Objectives and Target groups ESF priority Promoting employment and supporting labour mobility Objectives Improvement of individual adaptability and employability Improvement of the demographic situation in social enterprises Recruiting new target groups for jobs in social economy Target groups Qualified and unqualified staff in social services Potential new staff: job returnees, (disadvantaged) young persons, migrants

Promoting areas Personnel development to improve adaptability and employability Age appropriate personnel development Vocational qualifications, advice and coaching by the job Measures to support own employability, especially for older staff Vocational qualifications to support own adaptability Personnel recruitment: campaigns, coaching of interested persons in social economy Social perspective oriented personnel management

Promoting areas Organisational development to improve the demographic situation in social enterprises Healthy working conditions Compatibility of family and work life Increasing the rate of women in leading positions Coaching of job returnees Leadership and business culture Development of appropriated working time models Support of inclusion Support of innovation management and regional process of coordination

Current problems The partnership programmes underlie the state aid regulation, here the training aid Currently the DG Competition plans a reform of the regulation. This means: decreasing of the aid intensity, especially for SME’s, and trainees’ personnel costs and general indirect costs (administrative costs, rent, overheads) are only recognized as eligible costs for SME’s ESF programmes for staff are at risk due to the mentioned exclusion of social enterprises which have more than 250 staff

Current problems Funded Projects in social economy can currently not financed due to shorted own reserve fund (e.g.: in Germany social enterprises are mainly not for profit organisations) The commission on the one side promotes in official statements and briefing papers the political and financial support for social enterprises on the other side the commission avoids the participating of social enterprises in the European structural and investment funds due the planned reform of the state aid for training. A paradox situation!