Fita helps older workers back into work
Anyone who has been unemployed for a long time and is no longer among the youngest knows the problem: the longer unemployment lasts, the more difficult it becomes to return to work. Rapidly advancing digitalisation, changes in work processes or restructuring in companies make it seem almost impossible to be fully available to the labour market again after a longer absence.
This dilemma is remedied by the "Fit for taking up jobs - Fita" programme of DELTA Waldeck-Frankenberg GmbH, which is run jointly with the Waldeck-Frankenberg district and the Waldeck-Frankenberg Job Centre using funds from the Hessian action programme "Regional labour market policy: training and qualification budget". The total costs of 45,500 euros are borne two-thirds by the district and one-third by the Job Centre.
"Older people take up work again" is the objective of Fita, explains First District Councillor and Head of Social Affairs Karl-Friedrich Frese. "The measure is intended for people over 50 who receive SGB II benefits. When participating in Fita, each participant is given a tablet on loan as a special feature. This makes it easier to teach digital skills, which are increasingly in demand by employers, even in smaller companies, and which are unfortunately often lacking among older employees in particular, through practical work directly on their own devices.
From 28 June 2021 to 11 January 2022, up to ten participants each will be trained in Bad Wildungen and Frankenberg during group days, virtual lessons and individual coaching. When selecting the course participants, Job Centre administrator Edgar Kellermann made use of his knowledge of the personal life situation of his protégés, but also took into account their willingness to participate. If a course participant drops out for personal reasons or has to discontinue the course, other interested persons can move up from a waiting list as long as the measure is not too far advanced.
In addition to imparting knowledge that facilitates entry into the world of work, Fita also aims to help people take up employment that is subject to social insurance contributions, says DELTA Managing Director Volker Heß. The focus is on acquiring digital skills on the tablet - such as handling or operation, use of digital media and the internet, but also education about the dangers of the digital world. In addition, the participants deal with their professional situation and plan their reintegration into working life together with their teachers, the employees of DELTA Waldeck-Frankenberg GmbH. Heß emphasises: "We focus on the strengths of the course participants, include their personal experiences and can thus develop an optimal strategy for their new career path."
Those who find themselves unemployed when they are not quite so young are suddenly confronted with a completely different daily routine, explain Jürgen Klinkert, team leader for job placement in Bad Wildungen and Frankenberg, and Julia Rusch, representative for equal opportunities on the labour market, on behalf of the Job Centre. The concept of promoting not only digital skills but also personal life skills puts Fita participants on a good path towards successfully resuming work.
Contracts, insurance, notices and consumer behaviour are just as much a part of the course as getting to know counselling and support services or improving professional flexibility and mobility. Fita is supposed to help optimise application documents, deal properly with the job exchange of the Federal Employment Agency, improve self-management and use hidden reserves that one often does not even notice in oneself. Finally, the programme also includes a trial run in a company to show what the current requirements are in the world of work and what is needed to adapt to them, to readjust one's professional orientation. DELTA Waldeck-Frankenberg GmbH, the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg and the Waldeck-Frankenberg Job Centre want to overcome fears, create self-confidence and break down social isolation by the beginning of 2022.