Page 69 - Socially-responsible-restructuring-Effective-strategies-for-supporting-redundant-workers

Socially responsible restructuring
Effective strategies for supporting redundant workers

combine this with efforts to prevent the need for redundancy in the first place.
This particularly cohesive approach is illustrated by two flagship schemes in
Wales.
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The first – ProAct ( ) – provides training for employees, helps businesses to
retain skilled staff who might otherwise be made redundant, and grants financial
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incentives to both companies and employees ( ). The second, and
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complementary, programme – ReAct ( ) – supports career guidance of
individuals whose jobs have been made redundant and funds appropriate
training. However, these are early developments. While the case study evidence
can say something of the effectiveness of the ReAct arrangements, it remains
premature to understand the value of the integration or distinctively of the
medium term employment protection gains from the ProAct programme (Case
study 16). Combined, these programmes represent a significant departure from
the policies being employed in England and resemble schemes that have long
existed in Germany, France and the Netherlands and which have also been
recently introduced in Ireland (Gibbons, 2009). The combination of proactive and
reactive programmes as a feature in socially responsible practice seems unusual
in Europe; the Welsh approach to dual and integrated schemes are highly
innovative.

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( ) For further information see:
http://wales.gov.uk/topics/educationandskills/foremployers/proactskillsgrowthwales/?lang=en
[cited 10.5.2010].
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( ) Unlike ReAct, the scheme provides limited information and advice to employees; however, it
does provide advice to companies on appropriate training.
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( ) For further information see:
http://wales.gov.uk/topics/educationandskills/learners/worklearning/gettingbacktowork/redunda
ncyaction/what/?lang=en [cited 10. 5.2010].

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