Austrian-Slovenian Expert Academy

The Austrian-Slovenian Expert Academy – EXPAK AT.SI – aims at establishing a cross-border cooperation forum to discuss and meet the challenges on the employment market in a common effort.

The central aims of the EXPAK AT.SI include:

• Removal of existing imbalances on the regional employment markets in the Austrian-Slovenian border region through the establishment of a lasting cooperation system in the field of employment market policy
• Creation of a common knowledge basis and establishment of a network of relevant employment market policy actors in the fields of strategic planning and implementation of em-ployment and training measures, identification of the demand for skilled workers, cooperation with businesses, provision of information during the transition from school to working life as well as support during the opening of the labour markets
• Development and implementation of cross-border pilot projects

Subject-related focus areas of the EXPAK AT.SI:

• Work package 1 – Identification of parameters of success for the planning and implementation of employment market policy measures: the employees of the public employment services are supported by guidelines for action and deepening of knowledge through workshops in the risk analysis of job-seekers and the target-oriented assignment of appropriate employment and training measures.
• Work package 2 – Skilled workers demand vs. skilled workers surplus: In order to be able to react fast and purposefully to the imbalances between demand and supply on the employment market, we are creating a common knowledge basis for the prediction and accurate identification of the development of a demand for skilled workers in the Austrian-Slovenian border region. In a selected region, this knowledge base is used to create and implement a practical cross-border prognosis and qualification identification model.
• Work package 3 – Cooperation with companies: In view of the expected increase in the integration of the labour markets, the support needs of companies have to be identified and, subsequently, the existing service packages of the public employment services for com-panies on both sides of the border have to be made known. In a further step, preconditions in the field of electronic data transmission and in the intensification of cross-border communica-tion allow for coordinated strategic and common operative action in providing service to compa-nies. One result of this work package could be, for instance, a common consulting concept for cross-border cooperation of the labour market administrations.
• Work package 4 – Transition school/working life: The time and effort spent on job information has increased continuously over the last years and also in this field the cross-border employment market will have considerable significance. For this reason, a cross-border platform is to be formed on the topic of occupational orientation with the aim of finding new approaches and establishing these within the region.
• Work package 5 – Common support during the opening of the labour markets: The exact consequences of the opening of the labour markets in 2011 cannot be foreseen. For this reason, a cross-border working group consisting of experts from various institutions relevant in the field of labour market policy will be established and will identify common challenges and develop possible solutions. Additionally, an employment market monitoring system targeting the entire region will be established, which will be of key importance for the intensification of the cross-border cooperation.

Activities of EXPAK AT.SI

• Compilation of research reports on European good practice models and their transfer-ability to the Austrian-Slovenian border region
• Organisation of conferences, seminars, workshops and trainings for the purpose of mutual exchange of information and as a forum for discussion of developments on the employment markets and in employment market policy
• Establishment and support of a platform on the topics of occupational orientation and job information
• Design and implementation of support models, of a prognosis model for training needs in the bordering region and of a cross-border monitoring system

Partner organisations and funding:
Lead partner of EXPAK AT.SI is the Vienna institute L&R Social Research.

Partners:

• Unternehmensberatung BAB GmbH
• IFA Unternehmensberatung GmbH
• WISDOM
• ZRSZ, Zavod RS za zaposlovanje
• Economic Institute Maribor, Human Resource Development Centre (RCV)
• In terms of strategic and content-related matters, EXPAK AT.SI is supported by the Styria and Carinthia branch offices of the Public Employment Service Austria (AMS).

The EXPAK AT.SI project receives funding from the European Regional Development Fund in the framework of the programme on cross-border cooperation Austria – Slovenia 2007-2013. The Austrian national co-financing funds are provided by the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection.

Website of the Austrian-Slovenian Expert Academy:
Reports, studies, concepts, documentation, planning documents as well as information on events organised by EXPAK AT.SI are published on www.expak.at.si. All information and do-cumentation is available in German and Slovenian.

Related projects: Austrian-Hungarian Expert Academy, Austrian-Slovak Expert Academy, Aus-trian-Czech Expert Academy