​The Joint Action Plan (JAP) is a new tool designed to help find work for some 13 000 young people (aged 29 or under) in Podkarpackie region in Poland. It covers people who are not in education, employment or training (NEETs). The Marshal (President) of Podkarpackie region, Władysław Ortyl, Member of the ECR Group in the CoR, believes the programme will help to reduce the risk of social exclusion.

The JAP will be introduced in Podkarpackie as a pilot project. This new European Commission tool has not been used yet in any European Union country or region.

The regional Employment Office in Rzeszów will receive EUR 35.5 million, or PLN 149.7 million, for implementing the JAP, to be used over the two and a half years of the programme's duration. This should help nearly 13 000 young people in Podkarpackie to find work. The JAP for Podkarpackie will start in April 2018 and continue until December 2020.

"Podkarpackie is the first beneficiary of this new European Commission tool. We think these significant additional resources will address the needs of young people," says Władysław Ortyl. "We have to remember that young unemployed people are a particular category that needs understanding and appropriate support. Support must be comprehensive and tailored, reflecting the needs of those for whom it is intended. We will activate as many young people as possible, which will change their situation in the labour market while also reducing their risk of social exclusion. This all adds up to a coherent package – the unemployment rate falls, new job vacancies are filled, and there are substantial benefits for Podkarpackie and for the country," adds Mr Ortyl.

To provide effective support for young people (under the age of 29) classified as NEETs, district employment offices (PUPs) must make broad use of services and instruments provided for under the Act on Employment Promotion and Labour Market Institutions. Activation measures conducted by employment offices under the JAP will thus be comprehensive and adapted to each person's individual needs.

If the PUP deems that a given person merely needs a job offer, then employment office staff will ensure that they receive career guidance or training in active job-searching, as well as offering job placements, traineeship opportunities or apprenticeships. However, if the person concerned requires more comprehensive support, they will be eligible for any form of assistance provided for in the Act with a view to finding work.

The JAP is helping to achieve the targets set by the European Commission under the Youth Employment Initiative for the period 2017-2020. Commission support is intended for young people living in regions where the youth unemployment rate is above 25%. According to Eurostat data, as at the end of 2016 unemployment among young people aged 15-24 stood at 31.6% in Podkarpackie, which is the highest youth unemployment rate in Poland. Podkarpackie is also the only Polish region for which Eurostat reports an unemployment rate of more than 25% in the 15-24 age group, which is why it was also the only region to qualify for support under the JAP.