European Employment Forum 2011
The traditional Employment Week underwent a transformation this year and was dubbed the European Employment Forum. This annual conference and exhibition will continue to be held in Brussels. Held on 22–23 November 2011, the event was attended by more than 500 people and some 40 exhibitors, from all over Europe. The central theme was examination of the labour market in light of the changes in the global economy. Examples of topics addressed in the presentations are youth employment, the importance of SMEs in the labour market, structural reform and flexicurity.
The Finnish participants in this year’s European Employment Forum were the nationwide ESF development programmes Open Learning Environments (and its coordination project called ‘Aktiivi’), From Work to Work, and Enterprise Finland. In addition to the project employees, the delegation included representatives of the Ministry of Education and Culture; the Ministry of Employment and the Economy; and the Lapland Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment. Visitors to the Finnish stand were given brochures on the development programmes and the related projects, as well as small business gifts, which were very popular. Also, all 150 joint brochures for ESF development programmes that had been brought along were distributed to interested people. The design of the stand was very Finnish and received very favourable feedback from other participants and organisers.
In general, the Employment Forum provides a good opportunity for nationwide ESF programmes to present themselves and network with partners working with similar themes in other EU countries, according to Outi Viljamaa, from the Ministry of Employment and the Economy. The greatest opportunities for networking are found when the event has clear, focused themes that create a framework for the event. Focusing ensures more in-depth discussion and facilitates the establishment of international partnerships.
At this year’s event, visitors to the Finnish stand were interested in the Finnish model for change security and the Finnish model for nationwide ESF development programmes, among other topics. Also, the EU’s central theme for next year, ‘Active ageing’, was discussed at the Finnish stand. Active ageing will probably receive even more attention in EU-level networking events in 2012, so Finnish best practices in this sector will certainly be identified next year, Viljamaa says.
Personnel from the development programme ‘From Work to Work’ were present mainly to provide information, since the work is already nearing completion, says Riku Hautamäki. An English-language brochure entitled ‘Services for Change Management’ was available at the stand. It contains information on services related to personnel reductions, which can help prevent redundancies and facilitate the transition of those made redundant from their old work to new work. The brochure attracted the interest of organisations offering services to businesses, such as consulting firms that participated in the event. A few company representatives said that their company provides corresponding services but that they had not heard about the state administration in their country having any brochures on the range of services offered. Hautamäki also gave a presentation on the outcomes of the From Work to Work programme.
Riikka Vataja said that the presentation on the importance of SMEs for European growth was particularly interesting. It contained nothing new as such, but it confirmed the impression that the contents of the Enterprise Finland project are on the right track also from a wider, European perspective. According to Vataja, all kinds of questions were asked at the exhibition stand. A large proportion of them were fairly specific: enquiries were made about Finnish policy on foreign students, for instance. Events such as this are important for the development programmes for purposes such as international benchmarking. However, as an improvement proposal to the organisers for the coming years, it would be easier to find the relevant reference groups if the exhibition stands were more commensurate with one another.
Satu Huikuri, from the Lapland Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, found the Employment Forum useful from the perspective of both networking and information distribution. Communications related to the preparation of benchmarking for the creative industries were agreed upon with participants from Edinburgh. A Hungarian entrepreneur had an interesting website on the provision of multidisciplinary support (www.lifegarden.hu). Intensification of cooperation was discussed with Northern Swedish participants. Huikuri introduced the Open Learning Environments development programme to the Czech, Romanian, French, Austrian and Azerbaijani delegations. In addition, there were discussions with countless individuals, from various countries.
The topics discussed included the use of open learning environments, engagement of citizens through digital networks, the development of libraries into multiple-service centres, the new service models of museums, the education of the Sami people, and the employment rate in Finland, Huikuri lists. An English-language brochure was prepared in the development programme with introductions of pilot projects and articles in line with the theme. It was a great help when the fundamental idea of the extensive development programme had to be explained quickly to various people. In such situations, the core message must be well thought out in advance.
All in all, visitors to the Finnish stand found the event to be a positive experience and encouraged Finns to participate in the future as well. A carefully considered and designed stand and a delegation that matches the theme of the event well are the preconditions for successful participation.
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