ESF Actions to promote Local Employment Initiatives Spain (Andalusia): ATIPE (Integrated Territorial Plans for Employment)

The Regional Authority of Andalusia and its Employment Department (Consejería de Empleo) created a specific instrument for the development of Integrated Territorial Plans for Employment, called « Actuaciones Territoriales Integrales Preferentes para el Empleo » (ATIPE). Nine local areas received specific support between 2007 and 2010, on the basis of specific eligibility criteria and local diagnosis (SWOT) supporting their applications. Each plan is prepared “desde la zona para la zona”, that is “from the local community and for the local community”. The ATIPE scheme is clearly encapsulated into Active labour Market Measures and takes the shape of (i) Individual Direct Grants for each permanent employment created, also applicable to self‐employment and (ii) Support to Local Development Agents, through UDELTs, who provide technical assistance to businesses and micro‐enterprises, in partnership with Job Centres (SAE). According to the 2009 Annual Implementation Report of the ESF OP in Andalusia, the results can be considered as excellent: this action has supported the creation of more than 2,240 stable jobs, of which 57.6% are occupied by women. Besides, the participative approach of the ATIPE model gave way to institutional adjustments, which turned out to be successful in term of job creation and inclusion pathways. The evaluation shows that ATIPE areas were less hit by the crisis than the rest of the Andalusia region; the increase of resources for local employment initiatives gave the ATIPE areas stronger assets in a context of economic change.

AEIDL (February 2011)

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