Description
Country
Focus area
The Promising Professions initiative aims to provide information on the labour market specifically regarding jobs and positions which are considered 'promising professions'. These are jobs and professions which have been identified to be critical functions, in short supply, professions of the future, and other 'promising professions'. Accordingly, through this initiative, a list of promising professions is developed, hence enabling job-seekers to better prepare themselves to enter the labour market and find work
Link
Reference/weblink
Implementation level
At what level is the initiative implemented?
Regional
Legal base
Legal base (E.g. Law, regulation, implementing provision, other)
Developed by le FOREM (Wallonia PES) but no clear legal basis has been provided
Starting period
TIMESPAN: In what year did the initiative commence?
As of 1999 the Forem publishes a general analysis of job opportunities with a sub analysis of promising professions ; presently available analyses go back to 2013 (https://www.leforem.be/chiffres-et-analyses/prospectives.htm; https://www.leforem.be/MungoBlobs/1391428392007/Focus_MDE_Penurie_et_Fo…)
Perspective
PERSPECTIVE: is the initiative based on evidence derived from skill forecasts or foresight activities?
Job Focus initiative looks into present time data and labour market analyses to determine the areas wherein individuals will most succeed in finding work or where the most support is necessary
Policy area
To which POLICY AREAS(s) does the initiative apply?
Funding
How it is funded?
Funded by regional government
Skill mismatch
Skill mismatch target
What type(s) of skills MISMATCH does the initiative aim to addresses?
Underqualification (individuals' qualifications/credentials are below their job's needs)
Skill shortages (employers cannot fill their vacancies due to a lack of skills in the labour market)
Skill gaps (worker's skills are below the level of proficiency required by their employers and jobs)
Skills matching focus
How does the initiative address skills mismatches?
Based on its analysis, Job Focus lists 'promising professions' which are in need of employees or often seen to present more job offers (for example: social assistants; technicians interior architects)
For critical functions, and jobs in short supply, vocational training and education programs may be compensated or otherwise supported if meeting defined conditions
Skills delivered
What types of skill does the initiative deliver?
Note: Skills most suited for 'promising professions' as listed according to status (critical functions, jobs in short supply, professions of the future, other promising professions), meaning that targets skills can vary depending on the identified jobs and professions.
Basic digital skills
More advanced digital skills
General employability skills (team working, communication, etc.)
Job search skills
Career management skills
Methods
Methods
What methods of undertaking skills assessments and / or skills anticipation does the policy instrument utilise?
Development of the Promising Professions list by the Forem relies on statics collected in relation to general job opportunities as provided by employers which are then evaluated to pick out promising professions. Furthermore, experts and sectoral training agencies are consulted for their opinions in relation to the promising professions status as critical functions, in short supply, professions of the future, and other 'promising professions'; and for their opinion on the development of the promising professions list, respectively (https://www.leforem.be/MungoBlobs/1391456911465/20190701_Analyse_Liste_2019_Metiers_en_tension_de_recrutement_en_Wallonie.pdf &https://www.leforem.be/MungoBlobs/1391440192010/Rapport___metiers_en_tension_de_recrutement_en_wallonie_2018.pdf)
Employer surveys
Expert panels
Vacancy surveys
Real-time labour market information (e.g. big data analysis of job advertisements, CVs)
Use of skills intelligence
How is labour market information / skills intelligence used within the initiative?
The LMI has enables FOREM to develop a clear list of jobs and professions which have a higher rate of employability and are most promising which is at the disposal of the general public and job seekers specifically
Stakeholders
Main responsible body
Main body or organisation with overall responsibility for the initiative.
Regional PES
FOREM (Wallonia PES)
Other involved organisations
Which other organisations have a role in the initiative?
Training Providers
To develop the promising professions list, the FOREM consults with what is referred to as 'Des Fonds Sectoriels de Formation', DFSF(translating to sectoral training funds) which provide advice, recommendations and other adaptations or changes to the presented drafted list
Other
Support to this initiative comes mainly from: experts with knowledge on the inner workings of the labour market who can delineate the types of job offers that constitute promising professions; as well as individual employers themselves who provide real-time data on their job-offers and positions they are seeking to fill
Beneficiaries
Who are the intended beneficiaries?
Other
The unemployed and general public - By providing information on promising professions, this initiative makes it easier for unemployed persons or anyone in general to identify what positions they can train for and what skills they will be needing in the specific job position
Sustainability
Success factors
SUCCESS FACTORS in the implementation
Success factors are most linked with the success of individuals finding work by focusing specifically on the offers from the list defining 'promising professions'
Monitoring and evaluation
MONITORING and EVALUATION: Is progress measured regularly? What are the indicators used to measure progress of the policy instrument? Have any evaluations been conducted?
Every year the Forem publishes a report providing a promising professions list with insight as to how things have shifted from the preceding year and the rate of employment within these. To measure progress, the Forem relies on the statistics it collected throughout the year for the list development. In 2019 it was stated that 100 promising professions were identified in the year of 2018, which amounted to about 95 000 positions. Furthermore, the 2019 report provided that approximately 19 000 of the positions were not fulfilled by any applicants (meaning that 76 000 were filled by the end of 2018) (https://www.leforem.be/MungoBlobs/1391456911465/20190701_Analyse_Liste_…)
Updates
UPDATES: whether there have been any major updates of the initiative since it has been implemented?
No
The list is regularly updated (annually) to provide real time information on 'promising professions' and potential new measures to help in the employment of individuals within the listed jobs but major changes or updates to the initiative do not seem to have occurred yet
Effectiveness
EVIDENCE ON EFFECTIVENESS: How effective is the policy instrument?
To determine effectiveness, the best method is to look into the satisfaction rates provided by the FOREM yearly promising professions reports. When discussing satisfaction rates, this relates to the amount of promising professions positions which have been filled in by individuals/the unemployed. In the 2018 report (relating to 2017 data) the satisfaction rate was at 88.9% which was higher than the 86.5% provided in the 2019 report (relating to 2018 data). A minor decrease is evident however, the overall percentage remains relatively high which indicates a higher effectiveness rather than failure rate (2018 report: https://www.leforem.be/MungoBlobs/1391440192010/Rapport___metiers_en_te…; 2019 report:https://www.leforem.be/MungoBlobs/1391456911465/20190701_Analyse_Liste_…). This is further supported when looking into data from 2008 which provided an 86% satisfaction rate, and in 2014, 92% (2014 however saw a decrease in identified promising professions) hence, again providing, high effectiveness levels (https://www.leforem.be/MungoBlobs/1391428392007/Focus_MDE_Penurie_et_Fo…)
Sustainability
SUSTAINABILITY: How sustainable is the policy instrument? Do you expect the instrument to continue over the next few years and why?
In the years to come, the use of the Promising Professions initiative will most likely remain. This is mainly on the basis that the list is updated on a yearly basis to better reflect the labour market situation. Enabling individuals in society who are seeking employment to have a better understanding of the job positions that will most likely lead them to being employed is, without a doubt, a sustainable and useful tool
Other instruments in Belgium
On this page: