Local action plan for employment and education in Munderfing (Lokaler Aktionsplan für Beschäftigung und Bildung)

Best Practice

Topics

• New forms of decision-making
• Regional value added, Governance capacity, Policies and instruments

Short description

The 'Lokaler Aktionsplan für Beschäftigung und Bildung Munderfing' (Local Aktion Plan for Employment and Education Munderfing) aims at strengthening the competitiveness of the rural municipality Munderfing in Upper Austria. The attention is turned especially to human resources as an important regional location factor. A 'Local Action Plan for Employment and Education' was elaborated in a collaborative way.

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Project executive

Municipality of Munderfing in Lower Austria, project partners are: schools in Munderfing, political parties in Munderfing, companies, residents, Inn-Salzach-Euregio regional management, employment center Braunau, chamber of commerce Braunau, chamber of labour Braunau, chamber of farmers Braunau, educational center BFI Braunau, technologial center Braunau, ÖO Technologie und Marketinggesellschaft (TMG), Volkswirtschaftliche Gesellschaft Oberösterreich // The project was directed and managed by Institut Retzl Linz.

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Participants

representatives of economics, politics and authorities, lobbies, schools and other educational institutions, residents

Objectives

The project aims at encouraging co-operation of political, social and economical actors in Munderfing and in the whole region to strengthen and assure local competitiveness. The project also aims gaining better living conditions for inhabitants despite bad economic development and bad demographic development. The project gives answers what to do in this situation, how to strengthen local power and responsibility. Local business development should not end with more and more trade and industry areas. Soft location factors are getting more and more important.

Activities

(0) preliminary talks with potential project partners and strategic backers (1) The project started in November 2003. The project was included in the programme 'Regionales Innovationssystem Oberösterreich, Maßnahmenfeld 5 - Regionaler Innovationsraum' (2) Start up with a 'local conference for employment and education' with more than 50 participants where strategies were discussed (3) two more work shops in May and June 2004 (4) inquiry of enterprises (5) implementation of 7 projects

Process

local conference, work groups, working on scenarios, action plan

Results

Project 1 'economy service of Munderfing (information and contact point for local enterprises e.g. for governmental aid) // Project 2 'network access' (contacts between unemployed and enterprises, competence center) // Project 3: economical talks of Munderfing (information, networking, excursions) // Project 4: regional training (educational plans, trainings) // Project 5: co-operation school-economy-parents (preparation of pupils for working life, getting to know possibilities and chances) // Project 6: house of generations (soft locational factors e.g. child care in co-operation with neighbour communities) // Project 7: 'hired offices' Munderfing (hiring of cheap offices for start-up companies)

Evaluation

The project has not been evaluated yet.

Difficulties

There is no information about difficulties.

Budget

47.000 EUR (nly for external monitoring) (Euro)

Financial backer

Provincial Government of Upper Austria, ERDF: European Regional Development Fund, Umweltakademie Oberösterreich (Environmental Academie Upper Austria) and Municipality Munderfing

Source of information

Competition

Participant at the 2005 Future in the Alps competition

Homepage

http://www.munderfing.at, http://www.institut-retzl.at

Publication

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Project executive as above

Contact person as above

Comments

Impact on nature and environment

There is no direct impact on nature and environment.

Economic value added

The project highlights the importance qualified employees, fast procedures of authorities, effective service for enterprises and good living conditions in a community. One of the main questions of the project is what to do in times of structural problems, bad economic and negative demographic development. The project deals with increasing unemployed figures and measures against this development in a rural area. The companies have gained a new partner: the community with its better and more intensive service.

Socio-cultural value added

The project hightlights that co-operation is important to gain win-win-situations and that human resources are a fundamental location factor. A better competitiveness of a communitiy and a region stregthens the self-confidence of the community, its inhabitants and its enterprises. The project has given unemployed people the possibility to meet and to exchange problems and experiences, to get help and to apply at the job-exchange. A regional offer for education makes it easier to get educated without travelling far. The project 'house of generations' gives useful information for child care and care of elder peolpe.

Innovative content

The project won the KOMPRIX 2005 award. This award prizes excellent performances of communties in Upper Austria.

Good governance

The project shows that the possibilities of communities, enterprises and educational organisations can be high with co-operation. The participation of all important persons was given. The results are documented well. There are some new contact points within the community where the results and new ideas can be discussed.

PR impact

regional newspapers, homepage, folder, newsletter on internet

Multiplier effect / networking

Networking is one important factor in this project. This means not only co-operation between schools, enterprises and authorities but also regional co-operation, getting away from parochial politics. The power of a community depends on the power of their enterprises, the self-confidence of their inhabitants and the capability of working togehter and of co-operating. The project has built a new network for economy, schools, social institutions, authorities and residents. The 'network management' and the local authorities are supervising and organising the further development of the project. There are several work groups that are still working on new ideas and projects.

Transferability

So-called 'soft loacation factors' are getting more and more important. Communities, regions and also companies have to work together. Munderfing can be a good example of how to start a process like this in other rural regions with similar problems.

Remarks

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