Participation Opportunities Act in practice - support for companies

Under the Participation Opportunities Act, companies have been receiving wage subsidies, coaching and further training support since 2019 if they give the long-term unemployed a career opportunity. The program has been very well received in the region: Almost 1,800 long-term unemployed people are now employed by a good 940 employers.

The Hannover Region Jobcenter and the Hannover Region Economic Development Agency have created an exchange platform for these companies in order to share experiences in personnel development, further develop the range of support on offer and provide specific assistance.

The third meeting took place in October at the Domicil nursing home for the elderly in List. From the participants' point of view, coaching in particular is a success factor, which means that the companies have a permanent contact person at their side at an early stage. The long duration of the support offers the opportunity to find suitable jobs in the company. The early involvement of managers and the team is also particularly important in order to make it easier for all sides to get started. In combination with targeted further training, this can lay the foundation for the sustainable development of skilled workers in the company.