The International Environment and the Role Of O.A.E.D. in Society

Fields of Activities

Institutional Framework of Operations and Legal Status

Measures of Modernizing and Restructuring OAED and Future Perspectives

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Prevention and struggle against Social Exclusion constitute a basic principle regarding interventions of O.A.E.D. It aims at the integration of the endangered Social Groups in the Labour Market.

A steadily growing number of groups of population are excluded from Labour Market and subsequently, from their integration in social life.

The rapid advance of technology regarding most sectors of the economy, results to a selective "behaviour" in Labour Market and therefore to the increasing of the menace of Social Exclusion. Social Exclusion consists a major characteristic of the most "vulnerable" workers, or those who will not easily adapt themselves in these changes, due to:

• Lack of basic vocational qualifications and skills, due to insufficient integration to training system,
• pshycological, mental disorder, physical handicap,
• imprisonment,
• chemical drug/alcohol addiction,
• social stereotypes,
• Lack of communication with the environment or ignorance of the existing measures and institutions who can offer solutions.

Often this reasoning appears as a common characteristic of certain social groups as:

• Drug addicts,
• Ex-Drug addicts,
• Ex- prisoners or young delinquents,
• Persons prossessing certain language, or cultural properties such as ROM, Pomacs etc.,
• Repatriated people of Greek origin,
• Refugees,
• Immigrants,
• Single parent families,
• Groups of persons needed support for integration of re-integration in Labour Market and for remaining in work placement, in order to break the vicious circle "Poverty- Unemployment- Social Differentation".

The O.A.E.D. within the framework of desicive intervention activities in the fields of Vocational Orientation, Training and Employment of Labour Force plans and implements a National plan for strengthening and integrating the groups of population facing or endangered with Social Exclusion. The strand of supporting measures enacted, will secure acceptance and remaining of these groups to society.

The planning, implementation, coordination of the supporting programmes and measures as well as their follow up consist a competence of the Directorate for Special Social Groups which runs its activities within the framework of relevant Laws ( 2643/98, 1262/82 P.Decree 246/86, 1836/89, 1892/90, 2081/92, 2431/96,33485/98 ).

This Directorate develops, organises and reorganises measures and actions which render sensitive, activate and support the above mentioned groups of population with programmes of:

• Vocational Orientation,
• Pre-training stage,
• Training in specializations demanded in Labour Market.

Encouragement of individuals to get integrated in common programmes run by O.A.E.D.

Employment / New Posts of work, New Free Lance Proffesionals, SME or Cooperatives

Psychosocial support for users

• Spread of information, rendering sensitive and activation of social partners and society in general,
• Supplementarity of its actions to those of other bodies which lead to integrated actions. The implementation of the above mentioned programmes and support measures are implemented in:
• six (6) Employment Services for Social Groups facing or endagered with Social exclusion, Athens, Thessaloniki, Larisa, Volos, Patras, Heraklion of Crete,
• The Employment Services all over Greece,
• The three Training Centres for Social Groups endangered with social exclusion in Athens, Thessaloniki and Larisa.

Vocational Training Programmes

The Organization encourages and promotes integration of handicapped or endangered Social Groups in regular Training programmes and Apprenticeship and Continuing Training, to facilitate their integration in society. For this reason 10% of trainees attending each year classes, is this Kind of persons. Each year, approximately 2,600 persons are trained in the specialized Centers of Vocational Training in Athens, Larisa and Thessaloniki. Specializations vary from: Clerks using Applications-integrated Accountancy, and Training of Clerks in Teleworking, Carpentry, Woodworking, Potery, Leatherworking, to Cuttery-Sewery

The training modules are taught within 2, or 4 years of training (Lakkia). Part of the programmes are co-financed by E.S.F.

Employment

Employment Programmes (Co-Financed by OAED)

O.A.E.D. supports employment efforts, of:

• Persons with special needs,
• ex-prisoners,
• ex- drug addicts,
• persons under the restrictions of Penal Law (Delinquents) in premium terms, in comparison to terms or regular programmes for unemployed.

New Posts of Work

These programmes aim at the creation of new posts of work, structured according to the following:

• Three-year Subsidy of enterprises, to hire and employ people full-time.
• Three-year Subsidy programme for enterprises concerning part-time employment
• Subsidy programme for seasonal Enterprises as regards "fixed-term Contracts" and Municipal Enterprices.
• Employers subsidy programme for part-time employment concerning part-time handicapped persons for retarded persons.

The establishment of an adaptation period in working enviroment, is subsidized with an additional amount. During this period the individual is being trained to perform in his job.

Self-Employment Programmes for New Free-Lance Professionals («ENTREPRENEURS»)

O.A.E.D., aiming at the creation of new posts of work relevant to the skills, abilities and individual needs, supports self-employment efforts of:

• Persons endangered with or facing social exclusion,
• ex-prisoners,
• ex- drug addicts.

The support is offered through a special subsidy programme for New Free-Lance Professionals which endures for two years. The adaptation of working environment according to the individual needs of each handicapped worker. The employer is being subsidized up to 90% of the total cost of adaptation.

Employment Programmes Funded by E.S.F.

O.A.E.D. implements the measure of employment for trainees endangered with or facing social exclusion within the Operational programme regarding the "Struggle against Social exclusion from Labour Market" 1996-99.

• Subsidy of enterprises for the creation of New Posts of work
• Subsidy of New Free-Lance Professionals

Delivery Of Psychosocial Support Actions

Users of training and Employment programmes, are receiveing psychosocial support and counselling by specialized consultants. This aims at:

• Finding out the individual vocational abilities, skills and inclination,
• animating and encouragement of persons,
• The aquisition of vocational skills-psychological support of individuals during their training,
• preparation of the individuals for their integration in Labour-Market,
• successful matching of Labour Supply and Demand and the worker's stay in work placement.

The methods used are:

• The continuous cooperation with trainers of training Centres,
• Individualized vocational councelling,
• Group therapy,
• Informing and rendering sensitive of the employers for hiring persons belonging to vulnerable social groups,
• cooperation with employers and the applicants of the vacancies for their adaptation and the maintenance of the working post after the expiry of the duration of the programme. For this purpose, offices will be established for Support Actions in Employment Promotion Centres, in Employment Offices or other Services.

Bureau for the Equality of Sexes

Equality of sexes Bureau, established in 1986, plans and implements programmes supporting female Labour force by promoting equal opportunities of integration and re-integration in Labour Market.

Particularly:

• Special pretraining programmes implemented ("RETRAVAILLER") facilitate and counel worker in order to confront particular problems during their access in Labour Market,
• within the framework of Community Initiative "Now" in cooperation with other Bodies, it develops training programmes in the following specializations:
• restoration of Buildings and Churches of Byzantine era
• Vocational training and Bussiness Administration reffering to use of new technologies
• establishment of «Kindergartens»
• creation of SME's in Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sectors of Economy
• Development of bussiness activities in tourism sector. Accountancy for the creation of SME's.
• Informing and facilitating of Bodies and individuals in order to participate in transnational Network (IRIS, ILE) resulting to vocational training and Bussiness start-up,
• Participations of international cooperations of European Union and Networks, for the exchange of experience and '' know how'' regarding vocational training integration and re-integration of women in Labour Market and issues of Equality of sexes.

Co-Operations

1. National Level
   
   O.A.E.D. develops partnerships addressed at bodies of Public Private Sector, implementing integrated actions addressed at socially vulnerable programmes.
2. International level
   
   The Directorate of Social Groups endangered, participates in international Networks for the exchange of information and "know how" . It also pursues to upgrade the level of the programmmes and services and utilize all new aspects which could contribute in the establishment of Europe of Citizens.