Description
Country
Focus area
From 2018 and beyond, the Regional Labour Market Councils (RAR) have been given the task of strengthening regional and local co-operation to coordinate continuing education efforts, so that it becomes easier for companies to get qualified labour. The effort is supported with a new reporting system, where job centres, employers, unemployment funds and others can draw attention to unmet competence needs and the need for coordination of course procurement. This information is then passed to the vocational schools and helps to coordinate the courses across municipalities.
Link
Reference/weblink
Implementation level
At what level is the initiative implemented?
National
Legal base
Legal base (E.g. Law, regulation, implementing provision, other)
The Regional Labour Market Councils are created by law and, therefore, has a legal base. The law is called "Lov om organisering og understøttelse af beskæftigelsesindsatsen m.v." and can be found at the following link: https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2014/1482 (see chapter 5).
However, their role regarding the coordination of the continuing educations efforts have been established later on in tripartite negotiations: https://bm.dk/media/6686/trepartsaftaleiii-pdf.pdf
However, their role regarding the coordination of the continuing educations efforts have been established later on in tripartite negotiations: https://bm.dk/media/6686/trepartsaftaleiii-pdf.pdf
Starting period
TIMESPAN: In what year did the initiative commence?
RAR became operational in 2018
Perspective
PERSPECTIVE: is the initiative based on evidence derived from skill forecasts or foresight activities?
RAR does not explicitly work with forecasting and foresight activities. However, since it coordinates the entire effort within the continuing educations efforts, there must be some kind of foresight activities
Policy area
To which POLICY AREAS(s) does the initiative apply?
Funding
How it is funded?
Funded by national 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)
RAR works with different actors (e.g., jobcentres and social partners) on upskilling courses for the unemployed or employed.
Skill shortages (employers cannot fill their vacancies due to a lack of skills in the labour market)
RAR works on initiatives (e.g. courses) with the aim of addressing the lack of manpower with desired skills. This is done, for example, by giving jobcentres 80 pct. refusion on their expenditures relating to the these courses
Skills matching focus
How does the initiative address skills mismatches?
The purpose of RAR is among other things to create better conditions for targeted upgrading of employees and the unemployed in areas with a need for labour. It should make it easier for companies to get qualified employees and make it easier for the job centres to get unemployed people on courses.
The purpose of RAR is among other things to create better conditions for targeted upgrading of employees and the unemployed in areas with a need for labour. It should make it easier for companies to get qualified employees and make it easier for the job centres to get unemployed people on courses.
RAR address skills mismatches more broadly since they support the employment effort across all municipalities, give advice to the municipalities regarding the employment effort and coordinate this effort with (among others) VET-centres.
Methods
Methods
What methods of undertaking skills assessments and / or skills anticipation does the policy instrument utilise?
Employer surveys
Employer surveys: (It is not possible to mark the box). The starting point for undertaking skills assessments and / or skill anticipations within RAR is a survey among companies that have had job postings during the period
Other
The effort is supported with a new reporting system, where job centres, employers, unemployment funds and others can draw attention to unmet competence needs and the need for coordination of course procurement. This information is then passed to the vocational schools and helps to coordinate the courses across municipalities.
In addition, a new competence tool will be developed, which will be a central reference work on the companies' competence needs within various job titles .
Furthermore, the municipalities' annual employment plans and the analysis material prepared by the Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment are natural parts of RAR's monitoring of employment development. In addition, RAR may launch its own analyses and studies, and draw on knowledge from outside
Another method used is the dialogue with municipalities, unemployment insurance funds, educational institutions and companies
In addition, a new competence tool will be developed, which will be a central reference work on the companies' competence needs within various job titles .
Furthermore, the municipalities' annual employment plans and the analysis material prepared by the Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment are natural parts of RAR's monitoring of employment development. In addition, RAR may launch its own analyses and studies, and draw on knowledge from outside
Another method used is the dialogue with municipalities, unemployment insurance funds, educational institutions and companies
Use of skills intelligence
How is labour market information / skills intelligence used within the initiative?
Informing decisions on course provision: The effort is supported with a new reporting system, where job centres, employers, unemployment funds and others can draw attention to unmet competence needs and the need for coordination of course procurement. This information is then passed to the vocational schools and helps to coordinate the courses across municipalities.
Stakeholders
Main responsible body
Main body or organisation with overall responsibility for the initiative.
National ministry
The Ministry of Employment
Other involved organisations
Which other organisations have a role in the initiative?
National agency
The Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment (STAR): The agency works as a secretary for the eight RARs.
Social partner: employer organisation
These kind of organizations participate as members in the council (one regional council consists of 21 members).
Social partner: trade union
These kind of organizations participate as members in the council (one regional council consists of 21 members).
Training Providers
These cooperate and coordinate the employment effort with RAR securing that the courses offered match the skills needed.
Other
Unemployment insurance funds: These cooperate and coordinate the employment effort with RAR.
Jobcentres: These coordinate the employment effort and the work regarding labour shortages and areas of high unemployment.
Jobcentres: These coordinate the employment effort and the work regarding labour shortages and areas of high unemployment.
Beneficiaries
Who are the intended beneficiaries?
Adults with low basic skills
Unemployed people who have outdated and not relevant skills benefit from the imitative. With upskilling, which matches the demand, their chances of getting a job are improved.
Adults in employment with upskilling potential
Employees receive upskilling which improves their chances of staying in jobs
Other
The companies gain employees who have the right skills and thus remain competitive
Sustainability
Success factors
SUCCESS FACTORS in the implementation
From the national level, five success criterions for the VET-effort (adapted to the RAR-model) have been set up. These are as follows: 1) There is a better match between the supply and the demand for VET; 2) The wishes for new courses are coordinated between companies, jobcentres and unemployment insurance funds; 3) Job centres, unemployment insurance funds, VET-providers and the social partners in each RAR get a better overview of where there are shortage of labour; 4) VET-providers experience that it is easier to tailor, coordinate and carry out courses targeted at the unemployed and employed in areas with recruitment challenges; 5) companies within these regional cooperation's experience that it easier to upskill employees or unemployed persons to the jobs that are needed.
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?
There's been one baseline measure of the RAR-model. This was published in 2019 by Deloitte. Several indicators have been used to measure the progress of the RAR-model (in total 10 indicators). For further description of these, see the baseline at: https://star.dk/media/9878/baselinemaaling-for-rar-modellen-national.pdf (danish)
Updates
UPDATES: whether there have been any major updates of the initiative since it has been implemented?
No
There has not been any major updates of the initiative yet, but the model of RAR are to be evaluated in 2021.
Effectiveness
EVIDENCE ON EFFECTIVENESS: How effective is the policy instrument?
Will be relevant to answer when the evaluation of the RAR-model are made (scheduled for 2021).
Sustainability
SUSTAINABILITY: How sustainable is the policy instrument? Do you expect the instrument to continue over the next few years and why?
RAR is a sustainable policy instrument since its role (coordinating the entire continuing educations effort) is important. The network which they engage in is big and covers all the relevant organizations and institutions within the area. This network and dialogue between the actors mean that RAR supports a welfunctioning labour market in a way where changes like e.g., the green transition, digitization and automation are kept in mind when new courses are developed and unemployed are looking to upskill.
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