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Description
This project focuses on 50 unemployed people of working age (18 – 60 years old), whether young people looking for their first job or the long-term unemployed, living in the Carnaxide and Navegadores neighbourhoods of the Municipality of Oeiras. It comprises a series of training courses in personal and social skills, technical training and internships in a working environment, with the ultimate goal of participants creating their own jobs or joining the labour market.
Summary of project results
The project emerged from SAPANA''s intervention in the neighborhoods of Carnaxide and Navegadores, requested by the Oeiras City Council since 2017, due to the need for employability promotion in these areas. This period allowed for a thorough diagnosis of the needs and how to operationalize a project to prepare people for the job market, testing possible activities and building relationships with local partners and beneficiaries. The main issues identified in these neighborhoods were unemployment and social exclusion. The project complements the existing work by addressing significant causes of exclusion, such as school failure, absenteeism, and dropout; lack of occupational responses for youth aged 16 to 30; lack of socio-professional integration responses; irregularities in mandatory civil documentation among the migrant population; risky behaviors; low autonomy among youth; limited skills in creating self-sustainability projects; significant rehoused population; unemployment, precarious employment, and low qualifications; and a high number of dysfunctional families. There is a general sense of conformity, fostering inertia and a lack of perspectives beyond the neighborhood, along with a distrust in the system and surrounding community. Local actors perceive unemployment and idleness as major issues, compounded by the lack of opportunities for these individuals to be selected for recruitment processes, due to racial stigmatization and living in social housing.
Throughout the project''s implementation, various activities were developed. Team meetings were held for planning and organization, and meetings with local partners were conducted to present the project and define strategies for identifying potential participants. Flyers, posters, the project website, and training kits were prepared and distributed. The project schedule was established. A Journal was created as a support tool for training and capacity building. Interviews with candidates were conducted, and companies were contacted for possible integration into the employers pool and potential internships. The SAPANA training was constantly adapted in all editions, and both SAPANA and technical training were provided. Regular notifications were sent to partners about session attendance. The Dolphin Tank event was held in all six editions, with collaboration from partners such as CMO, Talenter, Leroy Merlin, Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Oeiras, Sage, SEDA Ibérica, TriValor, Centro Paroquial Nova Oeiras, IKEA, Jerónimo Martins, Teixeira Duarte, and Portugália Restauração. Participants interested in active job searching were supported with CV preparation, sharing CVs with partner entities, job opportunity searches, and interview preparation.
Public presentations of the project included an online presentation to share results and a face-to-face presentation to share results and testimonials. In the first edition, three participants were trained, starting with seven participants. The second edition saw eight participants trained out of 12 confirmed, with one internship and two mentoring processes followed. The third edition trained 18 participants, including three from the previous edition. The fourth edition had 76 referrals, with nine participants trained and one mentoring process initiated. The fifth edition had 64 referrals, with 15 participants trained. The sixth edition had 58 referrals, with eight participants trained and one mentoring process initiated.
In terms of results, the project achieved several significant outcomes. A total of six editions were conducted, with only one taking place in Bairro dos Navegadores instead of the expected four, due to difficulties in recruiting participants and their resistance to integration and commitment. Consequently, the remaining five editions were implemented in Bairro de Carnaxide, where there was greater participant adherence and local partner support. Each edition in Carnaxide showed positive evolution and improved coordination between local partners and SAPANA in recruiting participants. Regular updates to partners proved valuable, allowing for quicker problem resolution, particularly regarding participant attendance and professional opportunities.
The project involved participants aged 18 to 65, including highly motivated individuals over 60. Partner companies showed increased openness to integrating participants into the job market and accepting interns. The goal of creating a partner pool with 20 entities was surpassed, achieving 22 entities. The processes of recruitment, training, and individual follow-up were optimized, resulting in 61 participants in the training, exceeding the expected 60. Of these, 47 improved their self-awareness and public speaking confidence, surpassing the target of 40. The close collaboration between SAPANA and local partners was crucial in achieving these results. Employment outcomes included 13 people securing jobs and one professional internship, although internships were generally unsuitable for participants due to their professional experience or age.