NEETs and “Structured Social Interventions” in Rural Areas: The Case of Thessaly in Greece

This article aims at approaching the phenomenon of Young people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs) using the empirical data from an action against unemployment in the region of Thessaly in Greece. The main purpose of the study was to examine the attitudes and perceptions of NEETs on important issues related to employment, training, entrepreneurship, as well as their main decisions and perspectives regarding their future. This approach tries to shape a multidimensional proposal which is linked to the core peculiarities of the region of Thessaly by highlighting the transition from “specialized individual action plans” to “structured social interventions”. In conclusion, it attempts to promote a structured and applicable policy framework, shedding light on the dimensions of a crucial social issue such as NEETs promoting the drastic role of structured interventions on local and regional level.

Examining NEET situations in Spain: Labour Market, Discourses and Policies

Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET) and its Spanish equivalent ‘nini’ (Ni estudia, Ni trabaja) have dominated youth policy discourses in recent years. Within the European Union, Spain is one of the countries with the highest proportion of young people in NEET situations. In this article, it is argued that the idea of NEET has been weaponised to stigmatise youth, by evoking the phantom of a demotivated young person with scarce training. This stigmatisation has little to do with the reality of many young Spaniards who can find themselves in different situations, such as unemployment, precarious employment, training and education in a matter of days. Thus, there is a need to consider the different experiences and structural circumstances of so-called NEETs rather than viewing them as a homogenous and static group. Using documentary analysis and secondary data, this article examines the diversity of NEET situations for the youth in Spain, which is generally not captured in large national statistics data-sets and policies. Furthermore, it analyses the EU Youth Guarantee and its application in Spain, highlighting where official objectives have not been met, and includes an overview of the current effects of the coronavirus crisis. Ultimately, the paper shows that public discourses centred on an artificially created social group (NEET) legitimise and produce policies that do not respond to young people’s actual needs and problems, especially for the most vulnerable among them.

EVALUASI PROGRAM KARTU PRAKERJA DITINJAU DARI ASAS KEMANFAATAN DAN AKSESIBILITAS

The Covid-19 pandemic has hit several countries in the world, including Indonesia. Some of those affected were the industrial world, which resulted in layoffs. In the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic, the Government issued the Job Creation Law and several implementing regulations where PP 35 of 2021 and PP 36 of 2021 were most related to workers or laborers. The government has implemented various policies, including issuing the Pre-Employment Card program. After running as many as 16 waves, it is necessary to evaluate through the principles of benefit and accessibility to find out whether this pre-employment card program is as expected. The research method used is normative research which is accompanied by a literature study and is equipped with interviews. This research then discusses the concept of pre-employment cards issued by the government, the role of government policies at a critical time, and whether this pre-employment card program has brought benefits and is accessible to all Indonesian people. That although it has been able to bring benefits, not all people have been able to feel the benefits and accessibility of this pre-employment card program, as happened in Sampang Regency. Interviews were conducted with informants from Sampang Regency and Blitar Regency. The results of interviews with informants from Sampang Regency who had problems with the activation of pre-employment card accounts and unstable signals resulted in the disruption of the process of working on questions. The next problem is that there is no given practice resulting in informants only listening and watching the material presented. The third informant said that the problem that arose was related to the database which was not able to accommodate many people who registered simultaneously, resulting in disturbances. The informant said that this pre-employment training program was good in theory, but was less effective because it was not accompanied by direct practice. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out an in-depth evaluation of the implementation of this pre-employment card program so that all Indonesian people can experience and access the pre-employment card program and to optimize the implementation of this pre-employment card, it is necessary to involve the role of the Regional Government to develop the potential of the region.Keywords: the principle of benefit; pre-employment card; welfare stateAbstrakPandemi Covid 19 menyerang beberapa negara di dunia, termasuk pula Indonesia. Beberapa yang terdampak adalah dunia Industri, yang berakibat adanya PHK. Ditengah pandemi Covid-19 Pemerintah mengeluarkan UU No. 11-2020 dan beberapa peraturan pelaksanaanya dimana PP No. 35-2021 dan PP No. 36-2021 yang paling berkaitan dengan pekerja atau buruh. Pemerintah telah melakukan berbagai kebijakan diantaranya dengan mengeluarkan Program Kartu Prakerja. Setelah berjalan sebanyak 16 gelombang maka perlu untuk dilakukan evaluasi melalui asas kemanfaatan dan aksesibilitas untuk menemukan apakah Program Kartu Prakerja ini sudah sesuai yang diharapkan. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah menggunakan penelitian normatif yang disertai studi kepustakaan dan dilengkapi dengan wawancara. Dalam penelitian ini kemudian dibahas mengenai konsep Kartu Prakerja yang dikeluarkan pemerintah, peranan kebijakan pemerintah di saat yang genting, dan apakah Program Kartu Prakerja ini sudah mendatangkan manfaat dan dapat diakses oleh seluruh masyarakat Indonesia. Bahwa meski sudah dapat mendatangkan manfaat, namun belum semua masyarakat dapat merasakan manfaat dan aksesibilitas Program Kartu Prakerja ini, seperti yang terjadi di Kabupaten Sampang. Wawancara dilakukan terhadap informan yang berasal dari Kabupaten Sampang dan Kabupaten Blitar. Hasil wawancara terhadap informan yang berasal dari Kabupaten Sampang yang mempermasalahkan terkait aktivasi akun Kartu Prakerja dan sinyal yang tidak stabil mengakibatkan terganggunya proses mengerjakan soal. Permasalahan berikutnya adalah karena tidak adanya praktik yang diberikan mengakibatkan informan hanya mendengarkan dan menonton materi yang disajikan. Informan ketiga menyampaikan bahwa permasalahan yang muncul adalah terkait pangkalan data yang tidak mampu untuk menampung banyak orang yang mendaftar secara bersamaan sehingga terjadi gangguan. Informan menyampaikan bahwa program pelatihan prakerja ini secara teori sudah baik, namun kurang efektif karena tidak disertai pula dengan praktik secara langsung. Karenanya perlu dilakukan evaluasi yang mendalam terkait pelaksanaan Program Kartu Prakerja ini agar seluruh masyarakat Indonesia dapat merasakan dan mengakses Program Kartu Prakerja serta untuk mengoptimalkan pelaksanaan Kartu Prakerja ini perlu untuk dilibatkan peran Pemerintah Daerah untuk mengembangkan potensi yang dimiliki daerahnya.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC MECHANISM OF REINTEGRATION OF ATO / OOS VETERANS IN THE SPHERE OF SOCIAL PROTECTION

The article is aimed at the defining the principles of non-governmental provision of socio-economic mechanism to assistin employment, training and support initiatives to create business for ATO / JFO veterans as part of a modern social protection system. The current social initiatives on support to former combatants and veterans with business grants to educationalcourses are analysed. The development algorithm of personal marketing plan as an instrument in the process of support in employment of ATO / JFO veterans in civil life conditions is presented. The author comes to the conclusion that synchronized effect from the cooperation of stakeholders is a base for successful reintegration of ATO / JFO veterans in the conditions of modern society and help to increase their employment rates, harmonize the situation on the labor market and improve the conditions for the creation of veterans business as a driver of economic development of the country.

Conservation Officer Perceptions of Academy Training: Resource Specific and General Policing Tasks

This research is among the first to examine the degree to which law enforcement officers tasked with protection of natural resources feel prepared for specialized and general tasks by their academy training. Drawing upon a survey of over 900 conservation officers across 13 states, the current inquiry examines whether officers who attended a conservation-specific academy feel better prepared for their work than those who attended a conventional police academy. Findings suggest conservation officers feel well prepared for their general policing duties by their academy experience, but fewer than half of the officers surveyed felt that their academy experience prepared them to handle nuisance wildlife calls or consult with landowners on habitat needs. Officers who attended a conservation academy held greater perceptions that their academy prepared them for specialized duties. These findings help inform state conservation agencies about the topics which are well covered or need additional attention in their pre-employment training curricula, as well as recruitment strategies for varying academy types.