Short work paths for optimal networking

Starting position/challenge

Close cooperation and ideally a network of all involved municipal institutions is necessary for the labour market integration of refugees and recent immigrants. Important participants are the employment agencies and job centres as well as their joint employer services, the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, immigration counselling, central immigration authorities, social welfare offices, and adult education centres. The cooperation is based on mutual knowledge and expertise of the tasks and responsibilities of the individual partners. Personal contact is also optimal, because it minimises inhibition thresholds for inquiries on both sides. In order to create new structures, the “Regional Workshop” concept was initiated as part of the project “Intercultural Opening Through Exchange of Expertise between Stakeholders” in the Network IQ Saxony.

Implementation of the format

All municipal stakeholders in a region must be identified and associated with their tasks in order for integration processes to be efficient. In some cases, there are already existing partnerships, which facilitates the establishment of contacts. The “Regional Workshop” concept forms the basis for all involved participants to work together on the requirements and processes and find solutions.

The appropriate partners for cooperation can be defined individually for each municipality or region within the framework of the format. Ideally, the core of the network is made up of all stakeholders of the statutory bodies, which are legally responsible for the essential steps towards integration. Among them, one or more partners should act as organisers and plan the next steps within a regional workshop. It is recommended to limit the size of the group to a maximum of 20 to 25 people for a successful cooperation. The participation of decision-makers of the institutions involved is also very important.

To establish a functioning network in a city or region, important partners and institutions should meet regularly. This allows them to exchange information about their concerns and determine together the goals of a regional workshop. Complex information is systematically combined in the form of matrices, graphs and tables to create an interface document that provides an overview of responsibilities, contact details and contact persons.

Summary

The first regional workshop, initiated in Leipzig, has become a regular exchange circuit. The local stakeholders recognized the advantages, organised themselves and defined their own issues. Gradually, the IQ employees who initiated the regional workshop could withdraw from it. In the group, a “sense of togetherness” has developed, which includes short work paths and close cooperation.