21 December 2001 - From 12 to 14 December Mr. Jože Glazer, Director General of the Employment Service of Slovenia, and the head of the ESS department for foreign workers participated in an official visit to the German Federal Employment Service in Nuremberg. During the visit, the directors of the Slovenian and German services signed a supplemented Agreement on co-operation between both institutes for job placement in Germany and Slovenia. Another significant aspect of the visit to Nuremberg was the holding of talks with representatives of the German service at all levels. The visit was an opportunity for a useful exchange of information and experience in the area of employment, establishing personal contacts with upper-level representatives of the German service, and for strengthening and deepening further co-operation between both services.

10 December 2001 - On 7 December, staff members of the Employment Service of Slovenia (ESS) visited the Regional Office of the Austrian Employment Service (AMS) in Klagenfurt. During this visit they were told in detail by their Austrian colleagues about the establishing and set-up of their internal computer network, advising companies, working with employers and job placement for unemployed people, as well as about the functioning of the computer application used in job placement. The ESS staff found the latter information particularly useful as it will be helpful in the reconstruction of the ESS own computer application for the same area.

10 December 2001 - From the beginning of June to the beginning of December 2001 seven Working Groups within the Phare Twinning project "Support for the Strengthening of Labour Market Organisations" concluded the final stage of their activities. The project started in October 2000 and was finished at the beginning of December 2001. It was implemented by the Employment Service of Slovenia in partnership with the Sunderland City Training and Enterprise Council of the UK.

7 December 2001 - From 29 November to 1 December a staff member of the ESS together with representatives of the Fund for the Development of Human Resources took part at a regional conference entitled Local Partnership for Training and Employment of Youth. The conference was held in Zagreb, Croatia to mark the end of Micro-projects on the development of local partnership for training and employment of youth in Croatia and Montenegro, organised by the European Training Foundation (ETF). In addition to the ETF representatives, the conference was attended by representatives of the National Observatory Croatia, the Croatian Employment Service and representatives of similar institutions from Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The conference provided an opportunity to hear about the experience gained during the implementation of individual projects in Croatia and Montenegro, with an emphasis on the importance of a social partnership for the development of education, training and employment for young people on the local level. Slovenia was represented by the Fund for the Development of Human Resources, which assumed a consulting role within the ETF in the implementation of projects.

7 December 2001 – At the beginning of December 2001 the Twinning Project “Support for Strengthening of Labour Market Organisations” was concluded within the framework of the Phare programme. The project was principally carried out at the Employment Service of Slovenia and lasted for 14 months, from the beginning of October 2000 to the beginning of December 2001. It took the form of close cooperation between the British Sunderland City Training and Enterprise Council and the English, Swedish and Irish employment services. The Slovenian authority responsible for the project was the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs. The project reflects the continuing commitment of the Employment Service of Slovenia to improving its services for its clients, especially the unemployed and employers.

30 November 2001 - Between 21 and 24 November a staff member of the ESS took part at the Central European Initiative Youth Forum on Growing up Together, held in Trieste, Italy. The Youth Forum, held as part of the annual Central European Initiative Summit and the Summit's Economic Forum, was characterised by active participation of young representatives from governmental and non-governmental organisations from Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine and Yugoslavia. In addition to the ESS representative the Slovenian delegation included representatives of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, Office for Youth, the Maribor Grammar School and youth cultural centres. The participants in the Youth Forum worked in three working groups. The third group Youth and Employment Opportunities, which included the ESS representative, examined the causes, characteristics and consequences of unemployment among young people and attempted to find ways to reduce unemployment among young people and increase their employment possibilities. A round table was held on the opportunities for work and training for youth on the international level. All three working groups contributed towards the formulation of a joint declaration, which was then presented to the governmental representatives of CEI countries and other participants of the Economic Forum.

16 November 2001 - From 7 to 13 November staff members of the ESS took part in training within the exchange project on E-learning as part of the Leonardo da Vinci programme. Together with representatives of various companies from Slovenia, the Ministry of Information Society, the Faculty of Organisational Sciences and Regional Development Agency for the Gorenjska region, they visited the London-based Video Arts company and the IBM Learning Center near Brussels. Each explained their particular approach to distance learning and stressed the importance and advantages of such learning in comparison with traditional methods. They were also described the possibilities for distance learning, current projects and educational programmes.

9 November 2001 - Between 30 October and 4 November two staff members from the analysis and vocational guidance and scholarships departments of the ESS took part in a seminar entitled Current problems on the labour market. The seminar, held as part of the activities by the Central European Initiative, was held in Kladno near Prague, the Czech Republic and was attended by around 20 representatives from Belarus, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Ukraine and Yugoslavia. The central theme of the seminar was a presentation of the situation on the Czech labour market, with an emphasis on the development of the Czech Employment Service, new challenges and dilemmas faced in the process of change in the national labour market, and the role of active employment policy, especially when dealing with the target group of unemployed people that are difficult to employ. The seminar was at the same time an opportunity for the representatives of individual countries to ask questions and exchange opinions and experience. The two Slovenian representatives described the characteristics of the labour market in Slovenia.

6 November 2001 - At the invitation of the Turin-based European Training Foundation and the Serbian Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mr Jože Glazer, Director General of the Employment Service of Slovenia, participated as one of the lecturers at a seminar on employment, training and active employment policy measures. The seminar took place in Belgrade on 29 and 30 October.

2 November 2001 - Between 22 and 28 October a staff member of the ESS went on a study visit to Sweden as part of the Twinning project Strengthening institutional capacity to adopt acquis communautaire with respect to free movement of workers and the co-ordination of social security schemes within the European Union. The intention of the visit within the Consensus programme was to examine Sweden's social security system. Other participants from Slovenia included representatives of the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the Health Insurance Institute and the Pension and Disability Insurance Institute. They were given an opportunity to visit and learn about similar institutions dealing with healthcare, pension insurance, family incomes and employment and unemployment insurance in Sweden. The ESS representative was able to learn more about the structure, functioning and assignments at various levels of their National Labour Market Administration and on the execution of unemployment insurance in Sweden. Together with other Slovenian participants he visited the National Labour Market Board and the Unemployment Insurance Fund.

26 October 2001 - On 18 and 19 October 2001, representatives of the Employment Service of Slovenia attended the 11^th International Communications and Information Technology Fair INVEX 2001. At the fair over 800 companies from 16 countries exhibited devices, programmes and office equipment, telecommunications products, internet, audio and video systems. The ESS representatives were able to see and test many new technologies, attend seminars, conferences, round tables and presentations given by the companies and acquire useful information, advice and gain experience.

26 October 2001 - In the period January - October 2001 seven Working Groups within the Phare Twinning project “Support for the Strengthening of Labour Market Organisations” concluded the second stage of activities and for two of the Working Groups it was the end of the third stage of activities. The project started in October 2000 and it will finish in November 2001. It has been implemented by the Employment Service of Slovenia in partnership with Sunderland City Training and Enterprise Council of the UK.

25 October 2001 - At the end of the Community Based Guidance Assistance (CBGA) Project within the Leonardo da Vinci Programme the final presentation and consultation took place in Ljubljana on the premises of the Employment Service of Slovenia on 23 October. The presentation was attended by two prominent experts, Prof. Tony Watts from Great Britain and Prof. John McCarthy from Ireland, who described the current trends in the development of careers and vocational guidance.

22 October 2001 - On 22 and 23 October, Mr. Jože Glazer, Director General of the Employment Service of Slovenia, and his colleague, director of the Celje Regional Office, are attending an international seminar entitled Innovations in Public Employment and Vocational Training Services in Charleroi in Belgium. This seminar is organised by FOREM and with the support of WAPES. It takes place in the framework of the European employment strategy emphasising the modernisation of Public Employment Services and the improvement of vocational training systems. Special attention is focused on new relationships with customers - individuals and enterprises - and with the other intermediaries active on the labour market. At the seminar Mr. Jože Glazer will give a lecture on Structuring partnerships to better serve the needs of individuals and employers - examples of partnership strategies and of integration of services in Slovenia. He will also participate in a meeting of the Managing Board of WAPES - World Association of Public Employment Services.

19 October 2001 – Within the co-operation between Public Employment Services in Central Europe the first part of the workshop “Employment for Older Job Seekers” was held on 10 and 11 October 2001 in Velenje, Slovenia. The workshop was organised by the Slovenian and German Employment Services and attended by twenty representatives of Public Employment Services from Austria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. During the workshop they discussed three basic categories of topics: Assessment of the employment status of older job seekers, and methods of determining this status in individual countries and their labour markets; Reasons for problems in the employment of older job seekers; and Planned and possible measures, solutions and ways to eliminate the causes of problems in the employment of older job seekers. Exchange of information, opinions and experience was a basis for suggesting main issues and starting points to be discussed in the second part of the workshop on 18 and 19 December 2001 in Nürnberg, Germany.

5 October 2001 - On 26 and 27 September the Slovenian Employment Service representatives visited the Split Regional Office of the Croatian Employment Service. They were told about the unemployment situation in the Split region, work with unemployed people and the activities of individual departments of the Split Regional Office. They visited three of its twelve local offices and stopped briefly at the Vocational information and counselling centre. They learnt about the changes, new features and solutions introduced recently by the Split Regional Office modelled, among other, on the example of the ESS Ljubljana Regional Office. The visit allowed them to make comparisons between the practices used by the Slovenian and the Croatian Employment Services and of both Regional Offices, especially on the operation and organisation of the services. Talks about future mutual cooperation were initiated.

28 September 2001 - Between 18 and 21 September the ESS staff members took part at the conference of the International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance (the IAEVG) under the title Guidance - Constraints and Freedom. At the conference, which also marked the fiftieth anniversary of the IAEVG association, some wider topics were in the forefront such as the role of vocational guidance in the world today and how to ensure social integration for marginal groups, particularly of young people. The focus was also on some questions concerning the use of web tools in educational and vocational guidance. The council of the IAEVG association which includes a Slovenian representative, who is a staff member of the ESS, has adopted the Declaration on Educational and Vocational Guidance. The participants of the conference were described partial results of the project whose purpose is to develop Counsellors Qualification Standards (the CQS), recommendations and guidelines, which will be useful for Slovenia as well.

13 July 2001 – The proposal for the reappointment of Mr Jože Glazer as the Director General of the Employment Service of Slovenia for a mandate of four years was approved by the Slovenian government on 12 July. Mr Glazer has been managing the Slovene Employment Service since 1993, a year which saw the beginning of some significant changes in the conditions in the labour market. While in 1993 there were still a remarkably high number of registered unemployed persons (129,087), by May 2001 this figure had fallen to 100,066. The reduction was the result of a number of measures carried out within the active employment policy which have throughout these years been implemented successfully by the Slovene Employment Service with its methodical activities, in particular by tracking conditions in the labour market. Since 1993 over 500,000 persons have participated in various employment programmes, while 353,000 persons have been employed through the job-broking services of the Employment Service.

9 July 2001 – Under the Community Based Guidance Assistance (CBGA) project, part of the Leonardo da Vinci programme, a staff member of the Employment Service of Slovenia participated in a working meeting at the National Centre for Guidance in Education in Dublin, Ireland at the beginning of July. She reported to the meeting on the development of the CBGA project in Slovenia, involving the United Kingdom as a partner. The project focuses on young people with incomplete education, one of the hard-to-employ groups of unemployed who are at risk of social exclusion. The purpose of the project is to enhance knowledge in the area of vocational orientation and to improve the effectiveness of the treatment of young dropouts and the effectiveness of assistance programmes to help dropouts rejoin education or employment. Specific results of the project include the production of a handbook following the British example and the design and implementation of a training programme for mentors and advisers, from both state and private organisations, who work with the target group of dropouts.

6 July 2001 – Together with two colleagues, Mr Jože Glazer, Director General of the Employment Service of Slovenia, attended the Congress of personnel managers and experts in Geneva, Switzerland from June 26 to 29. The topic of this year's Congress, prepared by the European Association for Personnel Management, was the engagement of the full individuals’ potential in the global economy. Participants had the opportunity to hear speakers from renowned universities, business schools and consultancy organisations in the personnel sector, representatives of international companies and other speakers involved in practice with personnel management. Presentations were given on the results of international research and analyses, contemporary trends, challenges and models in the field of human resources development, and the differences between individual countries.

6 July 2001 – In Gothenburg, Sweden from 24 to 27 June, a staff member of the Employment Service of Slovenia in the area of vocational guidance and scholarships attended an international conference Quality and Ethics in Web-based Guidance. The purpose of the conference was to shed light on advantages, weaknesses and limitations, as well as on possible solutions to problems in the use of the Internet in vocational guidance – in providing data and information from the world of education and work, in the use of web tools to help individuals in their independent career planning. The experience presented at the conference is important for Slovenia, since we have developed and are continuing to develop databases and web tools in the area of vocational guidance.

29 June 2001 – On 26 June, Mr Jože Glazer, the Director General of the Employment Service of Slovenia, visited the head office of the International Labour Organisation in Geneva and met with Mr Pekka O. Aro from the Skills Development Department and Ms Ellen Hansen from the Employment Department. During his visit Mr Glazer presented the situation in the labour market in Slovenia, which is one of ILO member countries, activities and measures carried out by the Slovene Employment Service, and the WAPES operation. He also arranged for an information exchange with the ILO employment adviser for the target groups of the unemployed and elderly.

22 June 2001 – Within the co-operation between Public Employment Services in Central Europe a workshop “Black economy” was held from June 13 to 15, 2001 in Trenchianske teplice in Slovakia, prepared by Czech Republic and Slovakia. Besides the representatives from these two countries, experts from Austria, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Croatia and Slovenia participated, too. The purpose of the workshop was to present the situation in regard to the black economy in individual countries of Central Europe. The ESS representatives spoke about the situation in Slovenia, legislation and role of the ESS with detecting, reducing and preventing black economy. The workshop was also an opportunity for the exchange of information, experience and good practices as well as for forming basic guidelines to help solve the problems of the black economy, which are being faced by more or less all countries.

21 June 2001 – As part of the international SCOPE project, a staff member of the Employment Service of Slovenia participated in a professional excursion around Friuli - Venezia Giulia region of Italy between 11 and 14 June. The purpose of the excursion was to learn about legislation and tax relief in the area of cooperatives in Italy, and about the role of cooperatives associations. A representative of the Employment Service of Slovenia visited 14 different cooperatives, as well as two associations of cooperatives. The information gained will help to foster the creation of new cooperatives in Slovenia.

7 June 2001 – Between 28 and 29 May a trilateral conference to draw up the project of vocations in the area of Wellness was held in Blurnau in Austria. The conference was attended by representatives of education systems, healthcare systems, employment services, chambers of craft and chambers of commerce and industry from border regions of Austria, Slovenia and Hungary. A representative of the Employment Service of Slovenia was among them. The Slovenian delegation also consisted of the representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, the Human Resources Development Fund, the College of Tourism and the Maribor Spa. Within two working groups (the Austrian Steiermark with Slovenia, and the Graz region with Hungary), the participants of the conference presented the current situation in the labour market, in tourism and healthcare and sought possibilities for drawing up two programmes in the Wellness field. They also discussed the first possible date for the beginning of the project implementation.

1 June 2001 – On 29 May 2001 the National Resource Centre for Vocational Guidance (NRCVG) operating within the Employment Service of Slovenia organised a seminar on European Mobility. Its purpose was to present the activities of the Slovenian NRCVG, the system of vocational orientation in Slovenia and educational systems in the neighbouring countries (Austria, Italy and Hungary). The seminar thus contributed to the promotion of international cooperation in the area of vocational education, guidance and joint projects. In addition to the activities of national importance, this is one of the major tasks of NRCVG Slovenia incorporated within the Euroguidance Network.

25 May 2001 – World Association of Public Employment Services (WAPES) and the Norwegian public employment service organised the 5th world conference this year in Bergen, Norway. The conference and the general assembly will run from 30 May to 2 June. The delegation of the Employment Service of Slovenia participating at the 5^th WAPES conference and in the above events will consist of Mr. Jože Glazer, Director General, and two of his colleagues, Mrs. Sonja Pirher and Mr. Joco Klopčič. Mr. Glazer's speech is available here.

25 May 2001 – On 16 and 17 May, a representative of the Murska Sobota Regional Office of the Slovenian Employment Service attended an Austrian-Hungarian conference entitled Communities as partners in the fight against unemployment in Szombathely in Hungary. The central topic of the conference, which was attended by representatives of the Hungarian and the Austrian employment services, was the role of partner relations between the services and communities in the fight against unemployment. They also spoke about regional and local initiatives in relation to the EU, in particular European Employment Strategy (provision of new jobs at the local level, incorporation of local communities in employment promotion), and about experiences in the planning of local employment programmes and measures. The Austrian Harterberg environmental park project, which provides support for the foundation of new, mainly innovative companies, was also presented.

25 May 2001 – On 17 May two employees of the Employment Service of Slovenia attended the conference on lifelong learning and vocational guidance in Naples, organised by Centro Risorse Europeo per Orientamente. They had the opportunity to become acquainted with Italian, French, Austrian, British and Irish experience in the area of lifelong learning and vocational guidance while the Memorandum on Lifelong Learning drawn up by EU Commission was also presented. On 18 May, the representatives of the Employment Service of Slovenia attended the regular meeting of the NRCVG Network members, into which Slovenia is also incorporated.

24 May 2001 – Between 12 and 16 May two representatives of the Employment Service of Slovenia attended a study visit in Helsinki, Finland. They visited the Centre for International Mobility as part of the Estia Multiplier II project within the Leonardo da Vinci programme. Representatives of this organisation are mentors for the employees of the Employment Service of Slovenia within the ESTIA project. The visitors from Slovenia became acquainted with the CIMO activities, their information system, web pages, the library and the methods of supplying information materials. The Finish hosts also introduced them to the University Library, the information centre of the Helsinki city library, and the Cable Book cyber-library. The discussion, which included a Swedish partner, was devoted to further activities regarding the ESTIA web pages after the project was officially concluded in May 2001.

16 May 2001 – Between 6 and 9 May, two employees of the Employment Service of Slovenia visited the NRCVG Hungary in the town of Szeget. During their visit they became acquainted with the organisation and activities of their employment service and exchanged experience in the area of vocational guidance. They visited the Vocational Information and Counselling Centre, which is similar to such centres in Slovenia, and the new labour office in Kistelek. The meeting with university representatives in Szeget provided them with information on the Hungarian education system, and on the possibilities for further education at different levels, which is important for foreign students, including Slovenians, wishing to enrol in Hungary.

15 May 2001 – Between 7 and 9 May 2001 several Employment Service of Slovenia (ESS) employees took part in a study visit to the Austrian employment office (AMS) in Vienna organised by TAIEX. One of the main reasons for the visit was to learn about the requirements and conditions for Slovenia joining the EURES Network of data exchange on vacancies and living and working conditions in EU Member States. The ESS’ representatives learned about the data exchange procedures in the EURES Network and about the integration of the system into the country’s national system.

18 April 2001 – In April 2001 the first stage of activities of the seven Working Groups within the Phare Twinning Support for Strengthening of Labour Market Organisations Project came to a close. The Employment Service of Slovenia began implementing this project in October 2000.

30 March 2001 – Between 11 and 18 March an ESS employee took part, within the Leonardo da Vinci programme, in a vocational education exchange in Ireland. The purpose of the visit was to obtain new skills on vocational orientation and guidance for students, exchange of experience with experts on vocational orientation and to learn about programmes that provide students with information on professions and the labour market. The ESS representative was also provided with an opportunity to learn about the educational system and vocational orientation in place in schools and the role of the Irish Training and Employment Authority (FAS). As a result numerous comparisons between Ireland and Slovenia were carried out and ideas for improvements developed.

28 March 2001 – Between 19 and 21 March 2001 an ESS employee took part in the international conference RomaNet 2001. The purpose of the conference was to present the Central European information system of employment for the Roma – the RomaNet, whose aim is to encourage the social and political integration of the Roma by broadening their educational and employment opportunities. The conference brought together representatives of state bodies and non-governmental organisations from Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Slovenia’s representative from the Novo mesto ESS office described the demographic conditions among the Roma population in Slovenia and the manner in which unemployment among the Roma is addressed through public works programmes and by promoting entrepreneurship among the Roma in the form of cooperatives, especially in the Dolenjska and Bela Krajina regions.

23 March 2001 – On 13 and 14 March 2001 an ESS employee took part in a seminar in Paris on seeking and selecting human resources under the new economic and technological conditions. This was also an opportunity to learn about the experience of various experts from the Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium. The seminar, which was attended by over 500 participants, emphasised the importance of life-long learning, workforce mobility and the use of modern technological tools.

19 March 2001 – On 7 March 2001 a group of ESS employees visited the AMS labour office in Klagenfurt, Austria. There the new pilot scheme for dealing with the unemployed and the contents of the application supporting work with the unemployed was described to them. The purpose of the described procedure is to ensure more efficient job placement of unemployed people and also faster filling of job vacancies reported by employers.

12 March 2001 – Employees of the Employment Service of Slovenia (ESS) working in the Maribor regional office attended the BeSt-01 Education fair from 1 to 4 March in Vienna. It was organised by the Austrian federal ministry of education, science and culture, in co-operation with the Austrian employment service. Programmes developed by Austrian educational organisations and by educational organisations from other European countries and the US were represented at the fair. Slovenia was represented by the University of Maribor. ESS representatives saw the fair as an opportunity to develop personal contacts and to gather information and information material that would be especially useful for the activities of the Vocational Information and Counselling Centre, where it was ascertained that the interest of Slovenian students in studies abroad is increasing yearly.

8 March 2001 – The Deputy Director General of the Employment Service of Slovenia (ESS) attended a meeting of state representatives responsible for the operation and financing of National Resource Centres for Vocational Guidance (NRCVG) in Brussels on 26 February. At the meeting, attended by representatives of EU member and candidate states, the organisation and role of NRCVGs in individual countries were discussed. The meeting also saw the introduction of PORTAL, a new project that will facilitate joint access to data relating to training, education and employment opportunities.

5 March 2001 – An ESS employee attended the IBM conference "Learning for Business in the 21^st Century" which took place at the International Education Centre in La Hulpe, Belgium from 19 to 21 February. Several topics were discussed at the conference, including the method of forming learning organisations, the skills and knowledge required by those involved in e-commerce, how to create an environment in which training becomes everyone’s personal objective, and the technologies available to help achieve this knowledge environment and how they can best be used.

31 January 2001 – On 25 January an ESS employee from the Maribor regional office attended the Eures Network advisers' meeting in Graz, Austria. At the meeting she spoke about the characteristics of the labour market in the Podravje region and about employment programmes. The presentation also included a discussion with advisers.

29 January 2001 – On 19 January the Director General of the ESS attended a session held by the Executive Committee of the European Association of Personnel Management (EAPM), of which Slovenia is a member.

26 January 2001 – On 1 and 2 February 2001 the delegation of Austrian employment service (AMS) will visit the Employment Service of Slovenia to meet the ESS’s management, directors of regional offices and heads of the Central Office departments.

25 January 2001 – On 16 January ESS employees visited the regional office of the Employment Service of Austria (Arbeitsmarktservice Österreich – AMS) in Klagenfurt. Their Austrian counterparts prepared a detailed overview of the various education and training programmes for the unemployed that will be put in place in 2001 by the Carinthian office, as well as the operation of various applications used by advisers in their work with customers. The Slovenian delegation also visited the Vocational information centre, which in many ways is similar to the Vocational Information and Counselling Centre in Ljubljana.

4 January 2001 – In accordance with the project for new systematic management of the employment and work of foreigners, ESS employees and a representative of the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs paid a training visit to the Klagenfurt regional office of the Employment Service of Austria (Arbeitsmarktservice Österreich – AMS) on 19 December 2000. The aim of the visit was to draw comparisons between Austrian and Slovenian regulations in the field of employment and work of foreigners in relation to the implementation of the new Employment and Work of Foreigners Act in Slovenia. Emphasis was placed on the quota system for the issuing of work permits. The hosts presented the legal frameworks of their legislation in the field of employment, especially that relating to foreigners.