6 December 2000 – In October 2000 the Journal of the World Association of Public Employment Services published an interview with Mr. Jože Glazer, Director General of the Employment Service of Slovenia and a member of the WAPES Managing Board.
During the interview Mr. Glazer was assessing the current employment situation in Slovenia, describing the key challenges for the Slovenian Public Employment Service to cope with in the near future and outlining benefits deriving from WAPES membership.

24 November 2000 – Within the project Contribution to the Stability of Southeastern Europe by strengthening local and regional structures for adult education a conference was held in Split, Croatia on 15 and 16 November and was attended by an ESS representative. Our representative used the occasion to discuss methods of solving unemployment problems in Slovenia with the aid of provisions for educating and training the unemployed. The conference on adult education and learning, organised by the Croatian Association for the Education of Adults was primarily attended by the directors of adult education centres throughout Croatia. Guests included representatives from Hungary, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Stability Pact and the European Association for the Education of Adults also participated in the conference.

24 November 2000 – From 13 to 15 November in Madrid, as part of the project on the new system of organisation for the area of employment and work of foreigners, an ESS representative participated in a study visit to the General secretary for social security and the General sub-directorate for International Relations in Spain. The purpose of the visit was to enable a comparison between Spain and Slovenia with regard to the organisation of the employment and work of foreigners, the organisation of the social security and international harmonisation of legislation for the self-employed and others independently liable for tax. The Slovenian delegation which also included a representative of the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs, became acquainted with Spanish legislation governing the area of social security and employment with an emphasis on the employment of foreigners. Particular attention was paid to the work of self-employed foreigners who legally live and perform their business activities in Spain.

20 November 2000 – On 9 and 10 November in Leibnitz, Austria, the AMS (Austrian employment service) held a meeting for Eures employment advisors working within the AMS. Representatives of Irish, Hungarian and Slovenian employment services were also invited to attend the meeting. The ESS associates presented the situation on the Slovenian labour market, the work of the Slovene employment service and preparations to date for inclusion in the Eures network. Talks on future bilateral cooperation between Slovenian and Austrian employment services took place and on the subject of assistance that the AMS is prepared to offer the ESS in training for work in the Eures network.

15 November 2000 – From 2 to 5 November an ESS representative participated in a working group meeting for Ageing and Work at the University of Birmingham in Great Britain which is part of the European research network, COST A13.

14 November 2000 – Looking forward to a fruitful cooperation with you, we would like to let you know about our new fax and telephone numbers. These are as follows:

EMPLOYMENT SERVICE OF SLOVENIA
Phone: 386 01 200 23 50
Fax: 386 01 425 98 23

DIRECTOR GENERAL, Mr Jože Glazer
Phone: 386 01 425 98 12

14 November 2000 – On 2 and 3 November, Jože Glazer, Director General of the Employment Service of Slovenia, and an ESS colleague involved in international cooperation visited the regional office of the Croatian employment service in Split. The work visit was largely aimed at an exchange of the latest information and the definition of future cooperation between the Slovenian and Croatian employment services. Mr Glazer talked about the Slovenian experience, the developmental vision and the planned changes in the organisation of the Slovenian service and the importance of service quality, customer satisfaction and relations with employers. His wide-ranging presentation was of great interest to those in attendance. In line with agreements on mutual cooperation the representatives of regional employment offices from both countries should focus on solutions to operational issues concerning daily and seasonal migrant workers, free movement of workers and the implementation of active employment policy programmes. The Employment Service of Slovenia will also provide the Croatian employment service with assistance in beginning its activities cooperating with public employment services from Central Europe.

2 November 2000 – On 23 and 24 October ESS representatives participated in a workshop in Malta, prepared by WAPES (World Association of Public Employment Services) in conjunction with the Maltese employment service (TEC). The workshop, attended by approximately 50 experts from 16 countries was aimed at generating discussion and an exchange of experience on resolving problems in employing older job seekers and helping them find work.

16 October 2000 – On 8 October in Leoben, Austria, Jože Glazer, Director General of the Employment Service of Slovenia, met Hanson Kaiser, director of the Graz Regional Employment Service, and Franz Gundacker, advisor to the Austrian Federal Ministry of Social Security. Mr Glazer familiarised himself with changes within Austria’s Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour following the entry into power of the new government and also agreed on forms of continued cooperation between Slovenian and Austrian employment services at a regional level. At the Leoben Employment Office he was introduced to the operation of a pilot unit with self-service forms of job search. Austrian experiences will certainly help their colleagues in the Employment Service of Slovenia in introduction of similar pilot system in the local Employment Office in Novo Mesto as part of the Phare Twinning Project, Support for Strengthening of Labour Market Organisations. Austrian delegates expressed approval for the cooperation to date between the two Slovenian border regional offices with the Austrian employment service within the Phare Cross-Border Cooperation programme.

14 October 2000 – On 6 October in Szentgottard, Hungary, representatives from the Employment Service of Slovenia from two regional offices that lie on an international border (Maribor and Murska Sobota) participated in a press conference. It took place on the initiative of the Trilateral Conference of Directors from the public services of Austria, Hungary and Slovenia as part of the Phare Cross-Border Cooperation programme. At the press conference they discussed strengthening the one year bilateral and trilateral cooperation between employment services on a regional level aimed at alleviating the problem of unemployment. The Slovenian delegation also included representatives of the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs and the Fund for the Development of Human Resources.

12 October 2000 - CONFERENCE FOR CENTRAL EUROPEAN PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT SERVICE DIRECTORS

12 October 2000 – At the beginning of October 2000, the Employment Service of Slovenia began implementing a Twinning Project entitled Support for Strengthening of Labour Market Organisations. The project is part of the 1999 Phare programme.

9 October 2000 – On 26 September 2000, employees of the Employment Service of Slovenia visited the Regional Employment Office in Austrian Styria with the purpose of deepening cross-border co-operation of employment offices, and exchanging experiences in the areas of employment and co-operation with employers. In Graz, the Slovene group learned about the organisational plan of the Austrian employment service, the labour market in the Styria region and issues related to target groups, in particular those pertaining to the unemployment of older adults. The group presented the organisation of the Employment Service of Slovenia. They were familiarised with the Fürsenfeld regional employment service, and their project of social and economic enterprise for women who have been absent from the labour market for longer periods or who were never included in it.

6 October 2000 – Within a partnership project of the Chamber of Crafts of Slovenia and the Chamber of Crafts of Munich and Upper Bavaria, an employee of the Employment Service of Slovenia attended a seminar on the appeal of the dual system of vocational education between 24 and 26 September 2000. The organisation and arrangement of the dual system of vocational education, which has a long tradition in Munich, was presented to all participants. They learned that dual system of vocational education is conducted in a different manner in German regions, and the level of popularity also varies. They also visited the Euro Training Centre in Munich, which is primarily intended for young people with learning and behavioural difficulties.

27 September 2000 – Within the Special Preparatory Programme for the European Social Fund, an employee of the Employment Service of Slovenia made a study visit to Great Britain between 10 and 15 September. The purpose of the visit was to deepen existing knowledge and to obtain more specific explanations on procedures, content, financing, and the implementation of the activities of the European Social Fund. Slovene representatives acquired detailed information on planning, organisation, implementation, decision making and control at the local, regional and national levels. They visited the Ministry of Education and Employment, where special offices for managing the European Social Fund operate, and the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO). They also paid a visit to the Monitoring Committee in western Wales.

25 September 2000 – On 11 September 2000 an employee of the Employment Service of Slovenia attended a preliminary meeting for two micro projects, which will be implemented in Croatia and Montenegro. The meeting was held in Turin. The purpose of the projects is to form local partnership in the area of education, training and employment of young people. When the education and training programmes implemented by the Employment Service of Slovenia were presented, the director of the Croatian employment service expressed an interest in co-operating with the Slovene Service.

20 September 2000 – From 4 to 7 September 2000, two representatives of the Employment Service of Slovenia together with a representative of the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs visited the Provincial Labour Office in Baden–Wurtemberg in Stuttgart, which is authorised to regulate the field of posted workers from all states of the former Yugoslavia. The purpose of the study visit was to enable a comparison of Slovenia and Germany with respect to the regulation of employment and labour of foreigners, related to the application of the new act on employment and labour of foreigners in Slovenia, and, in particular, the regulation of labour of Slovene posted workers. The Slovenian delegation was made familiar with the practical implementation of procedures (from the application to the issuing of permits), information support and the legal framework of the legislation governing employment, with the emphasis on the employment of foreigners.

18 September 2000 – Two employees of the Employment Service of Slovenia working in vocational guidance participated at the meeting of the NRCVG network held in Berlin on 4 and 5 September 2000. The meeting was also attended by representatives of the European Commission and 28 European countries.

15 September 2000 – Between 2 and 8 September 2000, an employee of the Employment Service of Slovenia attended a study visit in Ireland within a Special Preparatory Programme for the European Social Fund. Its purpose was familiarisation with the role, policy and implementation of the activities of the European Social Fund in Ireland. The Slovene delegation, consisting of representatives of the Ministry of Education and Sport, the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs, the Employment Service of Slovenia, and the EU Programmes Agency at the Centre for Vocational Education and Training, had the opportunity to become acquainted with the organisation of the European Social Fund at the national, regional and local levels. They visited the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Ministry of Education and Science, the host institution FAS Training and Employment Authority, and the Local Labour Office, and also inspected the operation of the local partnership in Tallaght.

14 September 2000 – A regular annual conference of the International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance (IAEVG) entitled Guidance for Education, Career and Employment – New Challenges was held in Berlin on 30 August and 1 September 2000. In addition to representatives of the European Commission, ILO, Unesco, OECD and other international organisations the conference was attended by two employees of the Employment Service of Slovenia.

3 July 2000 – A Slovene delegation including an employee of the Employment Service of Slovenia participated at a conference entitled Youth Unemployment in Southeast Europe held in Velingrad, Bulgaria on 19 and 20 June 2000. Representatives of some EU member states and from the European Training Foundation from Turin also participated in the conference. Items discussed included donor aid within the Stability Pact, in which Slovenia is a participant. The Slovene delegation presented the active employment policy measures for young people and the successful Programme 5000, which is aimed mainly at young unemployed people without vocational or professional education. They also presented the programme entitled Project Learning for Young People.

29 June 2000 – A seminar entitled “Youth at Work – The Way Out of Unemployment” took place in Duszniki Zdroj in Poland from June 17-21, 2000. An associate of the Employment Service of Slovenia participated in it. The aims of the seminar were to exchange knowledge and experience in the area of youth employment programmes and to assess their functioning in the five participating countries: Germany, Austria, France, Slovenia and Poland. The participants at the conference discussed the organisation of the services working on the issue of youth unemployment, mediation in youth employment, the market of employment possibilities and the types of youth help programmes, especially for those who have been unemployed for a longer time and those without an occupation. The Slovenian representative gave a detailed explanation of the very successful Program 5000, which attracted great interest among the participants, and about other similar programmes conducted by the Employment Service of Slovenia.

28 June 2000 – Within the framework of the Phare MOCCA (Modernisation of Curricula, Certification and Assessment in Vocational Education for Youth and Adults) programme, a simulation game for the European Social Fund was organised at the Slovenian Radenci Health Centre from June 18-22, 2000, and was attended by representatives of the Employment Service of Slovenia.

27 June 2000 – Within the framework of the European Union's Leonardo da Vinci programme, an associate of the Employment Service of the Republic of Slovenia participated in the exchange project entitled “Managing Co-operatives” in Ireland from June 7-21, 2000.

26 June 2000 – At the traditional Italian-Slovenian-Austrian meeting of human resource development experts on 16 June 2000 in Florence, Italy, the delegation of the Employment Service of Slovenia presented the issue of employment of foreign citizens in Slovenia and the changes in the labour market.

14 June 2000 – An international conference entitled “The Situation and Prospects for Vocational Training and Vocational Guidance in Austria” was organised in Vienna from June 6-8, 2000, and was attended by a representative of the Employment Service of Slovenia. The aim of the seminar was to present the operation of the Austrian National Resource Centre for Vocational Guidance (NCRVG) and the vocational guidance activities in neighbouring countries – the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy and Slovenia – to the Austrian participants (advisors from schools and representatives of various institutions). The Slovenian representative described the education system in Slovenia, particularly the vocational guidance system used by the Employment Service of the Republic of Slovenia and by schools, and the activities of the National Resource Centre for Vocational Guidance.

12 June 2000 – In response to an invitation from the Steiermark Regional Employment Office of the Austrian Federal Labour Market Service, associates of the Employment Service of the Republic of Slovenia visited the SzF school centre in Fohnzdorf on 5 June 2000.

9 June 2000 – As a part of the exchange project, “Vocational Guidance between School and the Labour Market – at the Crossroads,” under the Leonardo da Vinci programme, the delegation of the Employment Service of the Republic of Slovenia visited Great Britain from May 23 - June 3, 2000.

31 May 2000 – From May 21-25, 2000, the Slovenian delegation, including an associate of the Employment Service of Slovenia, learned about the Portuguese textile and clothes industry, the various associations in this branch of industry, and their technology centre.

29 May 2000 – As a part of the exchange project “Vocational Guidance between School and the Labour Market,” which is a part of the Leonardo da Vinci programme, two associates of the Employment Service of Slovenia stayed in Finland from May 15-26, 2000. The purpose of the visit was mainly an exchange of experience on the development of a National Resource Centre for Vocational Guidance, as well as a review of the structure and operational level of the connection between education and employment

29 May 2000 – The international conference “Making Transitions Work” (The Final Conference on the Transition from Initial Education to Working Life) took place from May 21-23, 2000 in Budapest. An associate of the Employment Service of Slovenia was present. The conference was organised with assistance from the OECD, the World Bank and the European Training Foundation. Representatives from Europe, Australia, Mexico, Korea and other countries also participated in this conference, which brought out a range of interesting experiences and information. The situation in Slovenia was presented in the second working group: “A Comparison of Work at School and at Work.”

29 May 2000: A final meeting of the trilateral conference Austria - Hungary - Slovenia was held in Szentgotthard, Hungary from 22 to 23 May 2000. The regional offices from these three countries agreed on further cooperation in mutual projects to exchange good practice in the areas of employment, staff training for spa tourism and training programmes for work in the natural park in the three-border-region.

9 May 2000: Jože Glazer, Managing Director of the Employment Service of the Republic of Slovenia, took part in the meeting of the Managing Board of WAPES (World Association of Public Employment Services) in Brugge, Belgium, on 3 May 2000. The Slovene Employment Service is a member of the WAPES Managing Board for its second successive mandate. Mr. Glazer informed the Managing Board members about the activities of the Central European public employment services and the successful workshop “Quality Management as a Factor of Client Satisfaction in Public Employment Services”, which was organized by the Slovene and Slovak Employment Services at Bled, Slovenia, at the end of January 2000.
The WAPES’ workshop on the subject of commercial services in public employment services was organized in Brugge, Belgium from 3 to 4 May 2000. Two representatives of the Employment Service of Slovenia participated as well.

20 April 2000: A member of the Slovene Employment Service participated in the meeting of the third work group of the European Research Network COST A 13, which was called “Ageing and Work ” and took place from 12 to 16 April 2000 at the Institute for Economic and Social Studies in Rome. The participants determined the compulsory elements for international comparison of national employment policies and agreed to prepare an international comparison in which Slovenia would participate as well.

20 April 2000: The employees of the Employment Service of Slovenia have been informed about European Social Fund and other structural funds within the Special Preparatory Programme.

17 April 2000: Slovene representatives attended an international conference “The Strategic Planning of the Integration of the Underprivileged on the Labour Market” in Alsopahok, Hungary, from 10 to 12 April 2000.

30 March 2000: A three-day workshop “Labour Market Information as a Key Function of the Public Employment Services” was held in Budapest from 22 to 24 March 2000. It was prepared by the WAPES (World Association of Public Employment Services) and the Hungarian Employment Service. A paper called “The system of registering job vacancies” prepared by two ESS representatives from the Department for Analysis which was presented in the first work group, roused quite an interest because the majority of countries do not have the mechanisms of registration of entire workforce demand as has been developed in Slovenia.

7 March 2000: A member of the Employment Service of Slovenia took part in a study visit to Manchester between 26 February and 3 March 2000. The study visit was organized within the Special Preparatory Programme for the European Social Fund and intended for pre-accession countries. It culminated in the conference in Turin, Italy. The acquired information is useful to Slovenia because apart from the presentation of the European Structural Funds, the regional approach and the importance of regions regarding help from structural funds were emphasized.

29 February 2000: A regular meeting of the NRCVG network members was organized in Prague from 23 to 25 February 2000. The NRCVG (National Resource Centres for Vocational Guidance) is supported by the Leonardo da Vinci II Programme. Two ESS employees from the Department for Vocational Guidance and Scholarships are members of a work group (Cluster 4) responsible for expanding the network outside the European Union and helping new countries in preparing the required documentation and financing the network.

30 January 2000: At a seminar “Prevention and Striving Against Juvenile Exclusion” from 18 to 21 January 2000 in Costa da Caparica in Portugal, Slovene delegation presented very successful Programme 5000.

25th of January: The Slovenian and Slovakian public employment services organise workshop, titled " Qality Management as a Factor of Client Satisfaction in Public Employment Services".The first part will take place in Slovenia and the second part in Slovakia.
The Slovenian service will organise the first part of workshop on 27 and 28 january 2000 at the hotel Astoria in Bled.Three participants from next Public Employment Services are inviting: Austria,The Czech Republic, Hungary,Germany and Slovakia. We expect around 20 participants. The working language will be English.
The workshop on quality management is part of continual cooperation between Public Employment Services from Central Europe in frame of Conference of general directors of Public Employment Services from these countries.
At the workshop the representatives of individual employment services will present the situation, activities and specific characteristics of quality management and assurance in their public services.They will mainly describe the current situation and an appraisal of quality management,the organisation of these area,their experience with evaluations of the quality management projects and assesments of client satisfaction(of the employment seekers and the employers)and measurements and comparisons of the various levels of the quality of the work of public services.
In coclusion of the workshop will take a place a discussion on the comrehensivess of individual presentations, an account of the basic and most important conclusions and pointers of the workshop and defining the possible groups of questions to be discussed in the second part of the workshop in Slovakia.

19th of January: On Thursday and Friday (20.and 21.of January 2000) a group from Employment Service Netherland will visit Employment Sevice of Slovenia. Members of these study group are: mr. Leon Bovee (Director Facilities), mr. Rob van de Sandt (advisor to the director) and mr. Fred van Zetten (projectmanager). The purpose of visit is to exchage the experiences concerning IT technology, handling the vacancies, intake of the (unemployed) persons, Intranet, Internet, technical questions....
During the visit they will have discussions with ESS management and Head office and with the staff of IT centre and Centre for Vocational Guidance and Information.

8th of December: Benchmarking as a strategic tool for the PES, WAPES/ADIR Workshop in Oslo, 9 and 10 December 1999