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, which lasted 14 months – from the beginning of October 2000 to the beginning of December 2001 – was principally carried out at the Employment Service of Slovenia.

The project reflects the continuing commitment of the Employment Service of Slovenia to improving its services for its clients, especially the unemployed and employers. The basic intention of the project was the introduction of improvements into the working processes and the organisation of the Employment Service, the improvement of its capabilities to adapt to changing circumstances on the labour market and the transfer of experience, knowledge and best practice in the area of employment from European Union member states to Slovenia.

The project took place in the form of twinning, which is close professional cooperation with related partner institutions from European Union member states, and specifically with the British Sunderland City Training and Enterprise Council and with the English, Swedish and Irish employment services. The Slovenian authority responsible for the project was the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs.

Regarding its content, the project was divided into four main components. The component that pertained to the transfer of practice and regulations on state aid in respect to employment was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs. The activity of the other three components, which were under the jurisdiction of the Employment Service of Slovenia, were realised in seven working groups with the following goals:

• improving the systems of work monitoring, internal and external control and establishing an information management system;
• improving job-broking services;
• introducing self-service informative units to local employment offices;
• setting up quality standards for service provision to clients in local labour offices;
• establishing a centralised system for payment of unemployment benefits and other types of assistance;
• increasing co-operation with external providers of labour market services while establishing conditions for more effective implementation of employment programmes and
• preparing for participation in the European Social Fund in the area of active employment policy implementation.

Properly speaking, the scope of the project concerned defining pilot models and improvements on the basis of analysing the situation, testing these new models or improvements in pilot labour offices and activities of the Employment Service, monitoring the operation of pilot models in actual practice and their supplementing, the preparation of guidelines and handbooks and the later introduction of models or improvements in the Employment Service as a whole.

Fifty participants from the Employment Service were included directly in the project activities, and nearly one twentieth of the total number of employees was included indirectly, not only through active work in working groups but also through participation in workshops and other training organised within the framework of the project. Study visits by some working group members to selected employment services abroad were an opportunity for comparing methods and modes of work, for exchanging experiences and professional questions and for investigating – rather than copying – applicable ideas and solutions adapted to Slovenian circumstances.

The positive effects of pilot changes made themselves apparent in the final stage of the project. Namely, Twinning represents a starting point for the continued gradual introduction of these changes into the Employment Service as a whole after the project has run its course. This ought to contribute to the process of continuous improvement in ensuring the greater effectiveness and quality of our activities and services. Consequently, the first actual effects of the project are expected in the coming year.

Of course, our work is not finished now that the project is over, because we will continue by adapting the Employment Service to changes on the labour market and with the momentum for increasing its effectiveness. New knowledge and experiences that we have acquired will make it possible for this process to be even more effective.