Breaking out of long-term unemployment: A map of services in Tyrol?

MCI students identify ways out of long-term unemployment with Tyrolean Public Employment Service (AMS) and "arbeit plus"

Long-term unemployment is a complex problem that comes with a variety of challenges for the people affected. In most cases, it involves various individual and structural factors that hinder access to the labor market, be it the regional labor market, a low level of qualification, language barriers or illness. The majority of the long-term unemployed are older than 50, almost half have health issues and have no more than a compulsory education. Thus, long-term unemployment is a serious obstacle to a stable existence with future prospects for many people in Tyrol.

The practical project of the MCI's Nonprofit, Social and Health Management program focuses on this very issue. During their Ars Docendi-winning project semester, the students, together with the Public Employment Service Tyrol (AMS Tirol) and the "arbeit plus" network, investigate how people facing various challanges and persistent unemployment can get support and (re)enter the job market.

The primary goal is to create a detailed map of services for sustainable, individual and targeted support of people in long-term unemployment. The map will serve as a practical source of information for the various organizations dealing with the issue. In order to increase the chances of employment, the transparent presentation of all possibilities of support and the second labor market is beneficial. In this way, targeted measures can be selected, combined and coordinated, which support the stabilization of life situations as well as strengthen the connection to the labor market. Generally, the first places to go are education and support institutions (BBEs), which offer customized services for people who have no or difficult access to the labor market. BBEs aim to support the services offered by the AMS and, in addition to helping people cope with addiction, debt or family problems, also offer assistance in finding a new job. Examples of BBEs in Tyrol are Innovia Youth Coaching, Arbeitsassistenz Tirol and Zentrum für Migrant:innen in Tirol (ZeMit). In addition, "transit jobs" play an important role. This is a second labor market measure in which people in long-term unemployment work in a socioeconomic enterprise and temporarily receive individual counseling sessions by qualified professionals. Thus, they are given the opportunity to strengthen their skills and competencies in order to increase their chances of finding sustainable employment that meets their needs.

In order to get detailed insights into the existing offers in Tyrol, the students have set themselves the goal to involve not only the BBEs but also socio-economic enterprises (SÖBs) such as Volkshilfe, Wams and Ho&Ruck in creating a map for services for long-term unemployed people in Tyrol.