BLK Career Paths

The pilot actions aims at testing the transfer of 2 expert-approved good practices - "Career trips" and "Juttuklubi Jyväskylä" (job club). Burgenlandkreis (BLK) district's Baseline study had identified that several gaps hinder the labour-market integration of third country nationals. Two good practices from Finland complementing each other have been identified through peer review visits and other policy learning activities as suitable to respond to these shortages. While "career trips" has been chosen to promote career opportunities for migrants in small rural towns, the job club aims at providing a forum for exchange and advice to those that successfully have taken employment but still require support which employment services no longer provide. Employers that are facing challenges employing a third country national are addressed at the same time. Moreover, the pilot actions tests new forms of peer collaboration between the local public authority and external partners (Chamber of commerce).

More precisely, the pilot action consists out of organizing and implementing 3 career trip events in BLK where in average 25 third country nationals visit companies located in small towns that look for labour. The trips are preceded by preparatory workshops for those entering the German labour market for the first time. In total, around 15 companies (3 trips à 5) are visited. Participants receive materials that include information about public transport, child care and local festivities.

Starting 2026, a bimonthly job club for informal exchange between the third country nationals and employers is set up in Burgenlandkreis. Different formats will be tested based on the Finnish role model (e.g. venue, weekday, thematic focus/input) with 3 events realized during the pilot period.

The pilot ultimately aims at finding out if the Finnish good practices are replicable in Burgenlandkreis, and if they effectively increase labour market access for third country nationals (#new jobs).