Strategy to support the unemployed

Researchers from Görlitz and Dresden presented a new approach to supporting the unemployed at Germany’s largest conference on “Public Health”—the “Poverty and Health” Congress held on March 18, 2016, in Berlin. Demographic change, with its many facets, as well as current issues such as the challenges posed by refugees in Europe, are transforming the regional and national labor markets. Against this backdrop in particular, new and effective solutions are needed to help the unemployed re-enter the workforce.

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Matthias Schmidt, Professor of Organizational Psychology at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, has been conducting research on the topic of “Work & Health” for several years now. In addition to “too much” work, “too little” work can also lead to illness. That is why the research group is also examining individual factors that influence a successful return to work. Coaching can be very effective in this regard. The pilot project “Bridges – Bridges to Work” demonstrated that, through this approach, unemployed individuals achieve an above-average integration rate of up to 59% as they find their way back into the workforce. In collaboration with the practice partner “WissensImpuls” from Dresden and the Technical University of Dresden, the nationally established group training program “AktivA – Active Coping with Unemployment” is combined with insights on coaching for re-entry into the professional occupation. This allows the proven topics of the group training to be taught individually, in a one-on-one setting, and ensures personalized support.

At the “Poverty and Health” conference in Berlin, in addition to a presentation of the research findings, the factors influencing the effectiveness of coaching were discussed, and initial methodological approaches from the program were presented.

Further information on the continuing education program is available at: www.aktiva-training.de