The purpose of the operation is to ensure a more efficient and effective response to the variety and complexity of the needs and obstacles of the long-term unemployed in entering the labour market. To this end, systemic cooperation between the social work centres, the Employment Service of Slovenia (ESS) and other relevant stakeholders (healthcare services, non-governmental organisations) will be established so that individuals will be provided support and assistance in an integrated way in line with a new, adjusted and more efficient protocol that will provide the long-term unemployed with a comprehensive, quality, tailor-made and individualised support and approach helping them overcome the obstacles they face in accessing employment.

The ESS, social work centres and other relevant stakeholders will work together in a systematic and coordinated way to ensure timely and coordinated integrated services. Additionally, proposals for certain amendments of the relevant legislation (Labour Market Regulation Act, Social Assistance Payments Act) will be drawn up, a new operating protocol will be introduced for an integrated approach to provide support to common users in one place. Also, the staff working at the ESS and the social work centres will follow a series of trainings to effectively deliver these integrated services. Pilot implementation of integrated inter-institutional support will be carried out in the regional services in Ljubljana and Maribor.  

The operation will be implemented under Slovenia’s Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027, under the ESF+ specific objective Modernise labour market institutions and services to assess and anticipate skills needs and ensure timely and tailor-made assistance and support for labour market matching, transitions, and mobility. 

The project is worth a total of 1,200,000 euros; it will receive a contribution from the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) totalling over 770,000 euros, more specifically 771,599.99 euros.