Short description: Overall objective: reduction of unemployment and support to social cohesion in Serbia through increased effectiveness of labour market policy and instruments aiming at activation and increase of employability of unemployed persons and redundant workers. Specific objectives: 1. Capacity building of all relevant national and local actors to develop and implement efficient labour market policy and programmes; 2. Capacity building of NES and its Branch Offices to provide high-quality services to unemployed persons and redundant workers, including the development of active employment policy measures and employment programmes. Components: 1. Generating capacity to carry out labour market reform and development of National Employment Action Plan; 2. Modernization of NES; 3. Fund for active labour market measures; 4. Procurement of IT equipment; 5. Monitoring and evaluation; 6. Project visibility in media.

  Achieved results: Component 1: The following documents have been developed and adopted: - National Employment Action Plan; - Performance Agreement; - Functional Analysis of the Labour and Employment Sector of the MoLESP; - Handbook on Leadership; - Handbook on monitoring and evaluation of active employment policy measures; The following seminars and workshops were organized: - 8 instructive seminars with workshops for the members of local employment councils in Belgrade, Bor and Pirot; - 3 seminars for social partners on partnership; - 7 seminars in management for employers in the pilot areas; - 3 seminars (SWOT analysis) on possibilities of employment growth at regional level and development of social partnership at regional and local level. Three study visits were organized (Slovakia, Estonia and Great Britain). Component 2: The following documents have been developed and adopted: - Functional analysis of NES; - Handbook for NES modernization; - Practical guide for NES modernization; - Proposal of the Strategy of IT Development of NES; - Handbook for trainers and notes for participants “Development of Counselling Skills”; - Handbook for trainers and notes for participants “Profiling and development of IEAPs”; - Handbook for trainers and notes for participants “Customer Service’; - Handbook for trainers and notes for participants “Marketing – Work with Employers”; - Handbook for trainers and notes for participants “Management”; - Handbook on training evaluation; - Handbook “Practical Guide for employment Counselling”; - Analysis of training needs; - Proposal of the Regulation on Information System; - Strategy of procurement of IT equipment for the MoLESP and NES within CARDS 2004; - Strategy of procurement of IT equipment for the MoLESP and NES within CARDS 2006; The following seminars and workshops were organized: - Presentation skills; - Training of trainers; - Development of counselling skills (for all NES counsellors); - Customer service; - Profiling and IEAP development (for all NES counsellors); - Marketing – work with employers; - Management; - IT Project Management; - Training for IT trainers; - Software requirements management; - Basic IT training. Study visit to Great Britain was organized. Component 3: The following seminars and workshops were organized: - 3 preparatory seminars for NES and MoLESP staff “Tender Preparation Methodology and Procedures according to EU Standards” - 2 seminars “Monitoring System for Active Labour Market Measures”; - 12 seminars for potential candidates for ALMM Fund; - 2 seminars “Training in Project Implementation”. Tendering procedure for ALMM Fund was carried out. Contracts were signed with 15 training providers. A sum of approximately 1,000,000 EUR was spent. More than 1,700 unemployed persons from risk groups were encompassed by these projects (107 persons were employed by the end of the Project and 78 persons six months after Project completion). Additionally, 4,800 high school graduates were involved in introductory labour market training. Component 4: IT equipment (1,000,000 EUR) was delivered. Component 5: This component provided the development of methodology of analysis and monitoring of labour market trends and early identification of imbalance; 50 employees of the NES were trained in the implementation of this methodology; special attention was paid to the evaluation of effects and cost-effectiveness of active employment policy measures (training for 24 NES employees was carried out). Documents: - Handbook on labour market data collection and processing. Seminars and trainings: - Monitoring and reporting; - Labour market monitoring techniques. Component 6: All EU-financed projects consist of this component. The project was adequately presented in all media: newspapers, periodicals, radio and TV (Belgrade, Bor, Pirot). Document: - Information Strategy. 4 seminars for PR staff of the NES were organized.

Comment: Ref: Support to Unemployed and HR Development is a continuation of CARDS 2004 Component – Fund for Active Measures Ref: Twinning project is a continuation of CARDS 2004 Component – Modernization of NES