1. Mission & Activities Cristina Dorati Warsaw, 18 January 2008 [Regional Agency for Education, Training and Employment]

2. PRELIMINARY REMARKS An efficient labour market is a top priority for the Lombardy Region. Therefore the following need to be developed: a regional system of employment-focused services created by public and private stakeholders; instruments, intervention procedures and forms of governance that are suitable for the new competitive scenarios of the knowledge-based society. In accordance with Regional Law n. 22 dated 28 September 2006 “The labour market in Lombardy”, the new Regional Agency for Education, Training and Employment was set up as a technical component of the regional system for implementing integrated policies relating to Education, Training and Employment.

3. MISSION The Regional Agency for Education, Training and Employment: flanks, by providing technical and scientific interventions, the activities carried out by the Region in human resource development policies, a crucial factor for achieving the competitive objectives of the Lombard system; accompanies the process of reform in education and training and of the labour market and their integration; supports the realization and definition of instruments for implementing active labour policies. The transversal strategic instrument is the Borsa Lavoro Lombardia [Lombardy Job Bourse], whose fully operational functioning is a prime objective.

4. COMPETENCES The Regional Agency for Education, Training and Employment implements the social and economic development policies of the Lombardy Region, by planning interventions using innovative methods and procedures. The Agency is responsible for: the analysis and identification of needs for public interventions for planning action policies and strategies; providing planning support for intervention policies and drawing up operational plans; implementing the policies and managing the instruments supporting education, vocational training and the labour market in the region; technical negotiation, linking the Public Administration to the civil society.

5. GUIDELINES The strategic functions of the Agency are based on three guidelines that transversally characterize the actions: Internationalization Opening the boundaries of the Lombardy Region, promoting knowledge and cases of excellence in an international context, increasing the ability to attract human capital and investments. Innovation Economic promotion of research, experimenting innovative methods and developing new instruments, identifying future trends in the development of new technologies, in particular as regards the application of ICT in the area of training and employment. Integration Development of new instruments in order to create an integrated system of welfare, economic and territorial development policies and to increase the competitiveness of SMEs geared to subsidiarity and partnerships.

6. THE PROJECT Monitoring Labour Market Reforms II VS/2006/0573

7. Grant Agreement VS/2006/0573 Project duration January 2007 – May 2008 Call for project proposals VP/2006/010 “Follow-up and Dissemination Activities to the Mutual Learning Programme of the Europeam Employment Strategy”, Budget Heading 04.021500 Beneficiary Agenzia Regionale Istruzione Formazione Lavoro – Regione Lombardia, Italy Partners IRS, Istituto per la Ricerca Sociale, Italy Impreuna, Agency for Community Development, Romania Foundation Polska Europe, Poland Project details

8. Preliminary Remarks The present project represents the follow-up of the Monitoring I initiative, a European funded project carried out in 2006. The final output: Report published in 2007.

9. Objective Identify benchmarking tools and standards to support the implementation of public-private partnerships in employment services with special focus on services aimed at displaced workers, immigrants and ethnic minorities

10. Activities Study analysis for the identification of best practices. Three workshops open to specialists and stakeholders in the partners countries: 1.Milan, June 2007 2.Bucharest, October 2007 3.Warsaw, January 2008 4.Final international conference in Milan, April 2008. Publication of a Repertory of good practices in the employment services aimed at dismissed workers, migrants and ethnic minorities. Dissemination and valorization activities

11. Methodology Benchmarking of the employment services of the Member States within the frame of the EU parameters; Identification of best practices; Involvement of stakeholders.

12. Target Group Subjects having responsibility in supporting labour market transitions: public and private employment agencies offering employment services; employers, trade union and bilateral bodies representatives; experts in labour law and industrial relations; experts in the anticipation and analysis of future skills needs and in the assessment of the employment performances and vocational training; university researchers