Interregional employment project for Travellers of East-Flanders, West-Flanders (Belgium) and Zeeuws-Flanders (The Netherlands).

I. Introductory description

The project is an organisation of different partners in two countries (Belgium and the Netherlands) with an essential financial support of Europe. It was organised after evaluating other experiences of inclusion employment programmes in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The different project partners noticed a lack of inclusive employment programmes organised by Europe and aiming on the target group of Travellers. The Travellers in Belgium and the Netherlands found no connection in the general programmes funded by Europe. So the different partners filed an application at Euregio Scheldemond (a cooperative of the provinces of East- and West-Flanders and of Zeeland) for the funding of an employment project in the framework of Interreg II (European Social Fund). The first phase is completed (1995-1999) and was an employment creation programme with resulted in the organisation of a customised course for the training of truck drivers. The second phase, still in progress (1999-2001), is the specific orientation to the job market.

In this description of good practice we will concentrate on the project in Belgium: East- and West-Flanders.

For the target group, job prospects are relatively bleak. Not only in the field of employment, also in housing, education and welfare we see a great deal of exclusion.

Until 1960 the Belgian Travellers have had a nomadic existence. Because of this way of life, their level of education is very low and there are still a great number of people who can’t read or write. It is up till now that the first Travellers complete their compulsory education. It is obvious that most of them have difficulties in finding a job. And as a result of their economic tradition, a lot of Travellers start working as small independents, which has become nearly impossible because of the strict regulations to obtain the necessary certifications to start an independent business.

The goal of the project was to give Travellers with capacities but with missed opportunities an orientation to the job market. By organising a flexible, cheap, categorical but still an inclusive orientation programme, starting from their relationship with a confidant (a mediator). The goal was to aim the participation of 30 students (Belgium + the Netherlands) in employment orientation courses.   

The different actors for the Netherlands were: ROC Westerschelde, Department Basic Education and Training; the Bureau of Employment of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, the Federation of General Social Welfare Work of Zeeuws-Flanders and the Zeeuws Institution for Care, Welfare and Culture (SCOOP).

The Belgian actors were: Basic Education Meetjesland, The Flemish Service of Job Orientation and Formation (VDAB) and Vlaams Centrum Woonwagenwerk (VCW).

They all formed a network and took part in the coaching of the project. Every three months there was a partnership meeting. This network stipulated the objectives for the project. During the process, these objectives were constantly being reviewed. In the course of the project the partners noticed that the objectives were being gained, even easier than was anticipated.

The key persons involved in the project: the coordinators of SCOOP (Nl) and Vlaams Centrum Woonwagenwerk (B) were in charge of the organisation. They employed two social workers (one in Belgium, one in the Netherlands) who had frequent contact with the target group and who could be interpreted as mediators between the Travellers and our society. The two social workers held frequent meetings (4 times a year) to exchange information and experience. The Flemish social worker also went along house visits with his Dutch colleague to get acquainted with the target group and the working methods.  

The target group was involved in the determination of the contents of the courses. A truck driver’s course seemed be the most attractive formation, after interviewing a great part of the Travellers. The job of a truck driver fits in their free, independent and nomadic way of living.

There were no other organisations or beneficiaries involved in the further development. But to facilitate this process the actors evaluated past working experiences with Gypsies and Travellers in Belgium and in the Netherlands.

There was no political involvement to guarantee the success of this project. Nevertheless the financial support of the European Social Fund and the Provinces of East- and West-Flanders and Zeeuws-Flanders was indispensable. 

 International Exchange

A project funded by Interreg demands a specific international character. The international character of this project can be found in different aspects: East- and West-Flanders and Zeeuws-Flanders are border regions and on different aspects those border communities are more deprived than the more inland areas. This means particularly that the target group is disadvantaged in the fields of education, employment and housing. One of the goals of the project is to transfer: knowledge of the culture of the target group, working methods, exchange in job experiences, and the orientation to the international job markets.

This project also wants to realise an international network that would connect all inclusion programmes targeted on Travellers, for example the participation in the cultural exchange organised in Brugge.

II. Process Analysis

Stage 1: Starting point

To give the project a chance to succeed, the actors had to consider the following obstacles:

1. The culture of the Travellers is very much orientated as a “WE-culture”. There is no spontaneous connection with the gadge community and it services. To overcome this problem, it was necessary to organise exclusive initiatives in the starting phase, in cooperation with regular services. 
2. The Traveller group in East- en West-Flanders are very little attainable because we know just a small number of caravan sites or home addresses. The social worker had to work closely with a priest in Brugge who had frequent contacts with a large part of the Travellers. It gave him the opportunity to enter the social environment of the Travellers.
3. The educational level of the Travellers is generally very low. In Flanders we see an illiteracy of 75%. It is important to level the knowledge of reading and writing during the course up to the standard of primary school.
4. The Travellers don’t link employment to salaried employment. Their culture is orientated at independent and flexible labour. To attract Travellers to participate in the project, the actors had to organise a formation that equals this cultural characteristic.
5. The position of trust between the project leader and the target group is an essential condition to succeed. In Zeeuws-Flanders this relationship was already established, in the Flemish part this phase wasn’t realised. The social worker of Belgium was obliged to start the project with an introduction period. He had to introduce himself and the project to the group of Travellers by using different and already known channels.

Step 1: orientation phase

The social worker in East- and West-Flanders was just engaged and he had to get acquainted with the target group. The social worker introduced himself in the group in collaboration with a catholic priest, who had lots of contacts with Travellers in East- and West-Flanders. The worker made contact during house visits and talked about the employment project. The Travellers received a leaflet with an introduction of the new worker and the aims of the project.

This information was also published in “De Trekhaak”, a bimonthly magazine for Travellers in Flanders.

The worker organised weekly permanencies at the bureau of the priest in Brugge. The house calls and those permanencies gave him the opportunity to promote the project and to give counselling in the orientation to a job to interested Travellers.

He’d made contacts with the Belgian partners and other relevant organisations like the centres of social welfare.

The social worker functioned as a mediator between the Travellers and the organisations involved.

During this orientation phase the worker informed himself about the possible professional trainings and the different educational programmes: tradesman’s formations, day- and evening classes, adult education, formations organised by the VDAB, trainings for entrepreneurs, …

He also had frequent contacts with the Dutch partner: to evaluate the process and to exchange information and experience.

Step 2: recruitment

Every interested Traveller (men or women) could subscribe into the formation of truck driver.

There were no special recruitment criteria (criteria like reading and writing, job experience, be holder of a driver licence, …) because one of the goals of the project was to give each Traveller the chance to participate, even when they were illiterate.

During this project two student groups were admitted to follow the course of truck driver. The second group started after the first students graduated.

An introduction meeting preceded the start of the lessons. The participants were being tested to give the teacher an idea of the capacities of the students. Practical arrangements were taken. One of those arrangements was a student contract that every candidate had to sign. The contract requested a presence of 75% on the total hours of the course. Participants in this project only paid 5000 bfr. The contract stipulated a financial compensation in the rest of the costs when the student was present during the whole course.  This kind of agreement was never being used with regular students of Basis Education, it was an adaptation of the regular rules. After evaluating the project the contract seemed necessary to gain success. The students took on a responsibility to be present every day during classes. This agreement made it very clear to the participants that a breach of contract would mean no more financial support in the courses costs and eventually being cancelled from the student list. 

Step 3: the course

The first lesson sessions consisted of 4 parts:

-          the teaching of learning skills

-          the reviewing of the small driver licence (for a passenger car)

-          the preparation of the exam of the theoretical part of the truck driver licence

-          the preparation of the exam of the practical part of the truck driver licence

Aside the parts of the drivers formation, there was also a general education part. This consisted of practical information about the future working situation. These lessons fulfilled the expectations of the students: how to apply for a job, what is undertaking, what are the different formations of the VDAB-education centre, … . The theory lessons were teached by a teacher of Basic Education. The form and the content of the lessons were adapted to the target group: the use of simple words, limited permission to smoke and eat during classes. The actual driver lessons were given in cooperation with a traditional driving school. They organised separate classes for the Travellers. It was necessary to review certain aspects of those lessons the following week, because of the high tempo of teaching. The teacher of Basic Education took the opportunity to go deeper into specific details. The social worker informed both teachers about the cultural characteristics of the Travellers before the start of the lessons. This was important to give the teachers more insight in the culture of the target group. There was an agreement that the teachers always could contact the project worker when problems or difficulties arised with Traveller students. Sometimes an intervention of the social worker was necessary. He had several talks with students concerning problems mentioned by the teacher. In the beginning of the project the Travellers were more open to the comments of the social worker, but later in the process they were able to address themselves to the teachers when encountering difficulties.     

The theoretical exam was organised in a regular examination centre. But there was an agreement to put more time and to go slower in testing the Travellers than in testing ordinary students. None of the Traveller students needed to repeat the exam, they all past the theoretical test.

III. Results

7 out of 9 students (5 men and 2 women) obtained their diploma of truck driver. It was very striking to see that (also in the Netherlands) Travellers who were not able to read and write passed their exams and got their diploma. This is a result of the strong motivation, the creation of a save environment, adapted courses and good guidance, all provided by Basic Education Meetjesland.

In September 1999 the second student group started. This time the hour of classes was different. They were organised in the evening to give employed and independent Travellers a chance to take part in the lessons for truck driver.

21 Travellers were interested. Because of financial reasons there was being optioned to submit 12 students. 8 of them achieved, 3 obtained their diploma some time later, and 1 student dropped out.

Other Travellers who were no candidates for the truck driver course, but who were interested in finding a job, were guided to other formations. Another 8 Travellers were supported by the social worker of the project to subscribe into courses for the small driver licence and they succeeded their exams.

IV. Impact

Important qualitative results of this project are:

-          Travellers can find their way to the regular employment sector and to training formations

-          A smaller fear of having contact with the gadge society

-          An improvement of the policy towards the groups of Travellers in organisations as Basic Education, driver licence examination centres, job formation centres, …

-          Travellers have gain more insight in the job market as well for employers as for independents

-          An evaluation of this project can lead to policy recommendations about the job opportunities of Travellers (for example about the regulations of independent employment)

Thanks to this project, another important result was the cultural exchange between Belgian and Dutch Travellers. Two meetings were organised.

The impact these meetings had on the group:

-          the meetings were an impulse to self recognition as a minority

-          the meetings were a first step to emancipation

-          it was an opportunity for mouth to mouth publicity for training courses

This current moment the second part of this project takes place. This part is the specific orientation to the job market with special attention for independent employment and entrepreneurship. Thanks to the first phase, it was much easier to recruit the participants. The social worker didn’t need to spend too much time in an orientation phase, he could already concentrate on the aiming of the goals.

A new group of students are following the course of truck driver and other individuals are being guided towards the job market.

Another result of this project is the awareness of an important lack of job opportunities for Travellers who have tried to survive as independents, but currently don’t have the capabilities to work as such, because of the strict regulations. The social worker of the VCW tries to organise a network with organisations, which specialise in guiding, informing and forming independents and beginning independents. He wants to create openings to integrate Travellers in the general services of these organisations, by organising inclusion programmes.

The VCW also wants to point out to the government the specific problems the Travellers encounter on the independent job market. It wants to organise meetings with policy makers to indicate that the new measures and rules for independents are being obstacles for the Traveller jobs. The first contacts are being taken. 

V. Comments / Conclusions

This working method succeeded because of the intense guidance of Travellers towards formation programmes adapted to their interest.

The positive collaboration and coordination of the different partners and the exchange of knowledge was an important factor that led to the success of the project. Another absolute factor is the fulfilment of the condition to correspond to the cultural demands of the participants.

A more detailed description of the indicators:

-          intense guidance of the Travellers: frequent contacts during house calls and permanencies to promote the project or to orientate to a job or a job formation, providing with correct and concrete information during the whole process, the presence of the social worker during the courses was important for the Travellers, adaptation of the content of the course and providing with time to guide the students

-          the formation programme was adapted to the Travellers: involvement of the target group when organising the formation, the teaching methods and the content of the course were adapted to the group (use of simple words, limited permission to smoke and eat during classes), frequent reviewing, organising a students agreement to assure the presence of the students and to stipulate the financial compensation

-          positive collaboration and coordination of the different partners: the formation of the network of the different actors in this project, a three monthly partnership meeting, the social workers of the Netherlands and of Belgium had frequent meetings (4 times a year), frequent contacts with the target group to determine the content and working method of the project, the introduction in the target group in collaboration with a catholic priest in West-Flanders, meetings with the teachers of the truck driver lessons

-          exchange of knowledge: information exchange between the Belgian and the Dutch partners, exchange of contacts and of information by the catholic priest, exchange of knowledge and experience between the two social workers in the project, the social worker informed the teachers about the Travellers to create the correct teaching method and to determine the content of the courses

-          corresponding to the cultural demands of the Travellers: examination of the social-economical situation of the Travellers to know what the need is on the job market, involving the target group during the developing of the project, no special recruitment criteria to participate (criteria like reading and writing, job experience, be holder of a driver licence, ), organising separate classes and adaptation of the regulations during classes (eating, drinking and smoking during classes)

This project (and the continuation of this project) can be transferred successfully to other situations when the following elements are considered:

-          Information about the project must be given to the Travellers. It should be in simple language with a verbal explanation to each participant.

The financial costs must be limited for the participants.

-          In the beginning the project activities must be categorical to be sure to attract Travellers. 

-          A personal approach to the participants is vital to be successful. Involving mediators and taking time is essential.

-          Persons who act as role models are very important. They can convince others of the practical use and importance of the project.

-          Classes must be given in the evening to give every Traveller a chance of participating.

-          It is necessary to ask the students to sign a contract containing rules and obligations.

-          An introduction with the regular services can only function positively when those services invest some time in inclusive work with Travellers.

-          A project like this must take place within regular services to be sure to obtain long-lasting results.