Step Up – Improving labour market access for unemployed

The Project

The Step Up project improves existing support services in the employment ecosystem and facilitates entrepreneurship and self-employment in thriving economic clusters.

 To this end, it provides capacity building of existing public and private labour market insertion providers, especially regarding the provision of timely and relevant information on job, business, and demand-based training opportunities.

To improve jobseekers’ access to entrepreneurship and self-employment opportunities the project strengthens business platforms and networks such as the Chambers of Commerce and industry associations. With their networks and industry-based knowledge, they can support jobseekers to seize self-employment and entrepreneurship opportunities within thriving economic sectors.

Lastly, the project strengthens business development support services and business incubators that help entrepreneurs to start, improve and sustain their businesses.

The project aims to benefit jobseekers in the project areas with a particular focus on women, returned migrants and those who have recently lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Project Goals

1. Public and private labour market insertion service providers deliver more effective services.
2. Training providers offer demand-based trainings that increase the employability of the unemployed.
3. Local business platforms provide technical knowledge and market information to jobseekers and support them to seize self-employment and entrepreneurship opportunities within thriving economic sectors.
4. Entrepreneurship support service providers effectively support micro, small and medium enterprises to start, sustain and scale up their businesses.

 Project Partners

• Public and private labour market insertion service providers
• Training service providers
• Chamber of commerce and industry associations
• Business development service providers

Financing partner

The StepUp project is financed by the Happel Foundation, among other donors. It is part of the Swisscontact Development Programme, which is co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA.