Oranjestad, St. Eustatius – After one and a half years, the Twinning Project between the Labour Department of St. Eustatius and the municipality of Leiden and DZB Leiden “Strengthening job placement” on St. Eustatius has come to a successful end. This project started late 2018 and was officially completed during the first week of March during a special ceremony held on St. Eustatius.

The programme has led to professional development in the field of job placement. With the introduction of methodical working, the Motivational Interviewing method, professionals have been given tools for motivational interview techniques to support the job seeker. In addition, a number of tools for job placement have been introduced and implemented; such as the in-depth intake, motivation and job application workshops and employer approach. The great wish of the Social and Labour Unit is to acquire a digital matching system so that data from jobseekers, employers and vacancies are digitally available. The matching is more effective and the correct management of information is available. The matching system is almost ready for use. The online system is scheduled to launch mid-April 2020.

Employers are approached proactively to see what Labour can do for them now or in the future. For example, employers know about the existence of Labour and will get there more quickly for questions and filling vacancies. Finally, the number of matches has increased enormously compared to the initial situation. There are now 35 jobseekers successfully placed on the labour market.

To close this twinning programme, a festive ceremony was organized, where Alida Francis, Deputy Goverment Commissioner, Wiebren van Dijk of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment and various stakeholders elaborated on the successes and achievements of the twinning. Alida Francis remarked that while this may be the closing of the first phase of the Twinning, the Executive Council has definite plans to explore more Twinning opportunities with Dutch municipalities mainly for civil servants on the management and policy making level.

Director of Social Affairs, Carol Roosberg Jack considers this twinning as an example how twinning programs should be. Wiebrenvan Dijk was smooth about the report and achievements of the twinning. At the close of the ceremony Micha Prisenberg the Programma Manager of the Twinning between the municipality of Leiden and St. Eustatius Labour Department handed over the Leidse Key as a symbol of a good working relationship between the two entities. “For the Labour Department this is the beginning of a new period on the road to getting people employed and keeping their job. These goals can be achieved in close cooperation with all stakeholders”, Carol Jack Rooseberg.