Page 123 - Socially-responsible-restructuring-Effective-strategies-for-supporting-redundant-workers

Socially responsible restructuring
Effective strategies for supporting redundant workers

(e) aptitude tests are important especially for formally unskilled workers to
determine actual skills;
(f) assistance is provided with systematic use of Internet job search resources;
(g) internships allow getting to know prospective employers and identifying
needs for further qualification measures;
(h) qualification measures are sometimes also necessary to certify or solidify
existing skills.
All members of the transfer company have equal access to these services.
Specific suggestions to individual employees are based on their actual need,
identified mainly in individual counselling and aptitude tests. A special concern for
high-risk employees is somehow inherent in the set-up, since vulnerable groups
make up a large part of Karmann’s workforce and Silberstreif focuses on
individual counselling.
The integration of family members into the counselling process is quite
common, especially if there are plans to start an own business or move to
another country for work. Attention is also given to assisting with personal
problems which prevent workers from concentrating on finding a new job:
indebtedness, addiction, and intra-family conflicts. Clients are advised how to get
professional assistance on these matters, and encouraged to do so.
Cooperation with employment agencies is very close, not least because this is
essential to securing joint funding by the BA-ESF programme, which is vital for
maintaining the level and quality of services offered. The other reason is the
desire to benefit mutually and avoid the potential conflict of, for example,
inconsistent advice. The use of Silberstreif’s regional labour market analyses by
employment agencies for planning purposes shows this cooperation in action.
The effectiveness and competence of PES advisers, however, was criticised
by interviewees. PES counselling appears to be most often too superficial,
though it is acknowledged that this is a consequence of the large number of
clients each adviser has to take care of and of the PES advisers’ non-familiarity
with specific sectors. Also mentioned was the slow reaction of employment
agencies to changes in labour market demand, in terms of adjusting their
planned qualification programme.
Qualification measures and some business start-up advice and training are
carried out by external educational institutions contracted by Silberstreif. Private
and public institutions are employed as often are the educational resources of
Chambers of Trade. Selection criteria are the quality-price ratio and the ability to
deliver requested services promptly. One obstacle mentioned in the context of
cooperation with further external service providers is the constraint on provider
selection when measures are jointly funded by PES. Providers contracted are

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