Acronym: ESPARRU 17
FEDER reference: 961129002
Beginning: 1/2/97
End: 31/5/97
III. Partnership
3.1. Modifications
- No modifications
3.2.Partnership consolidation
- Meetings held in each of the ten Gipuzkoan regions to introduce the Esparru project and the various studies and activities carried out, to their economic agents.
- A course on New Employment Sites was prepared at the Summer University of the Basque Country. The course will be held September 3, 4 and 5.
- Local institutions and bodies were contacted to promote new entrepreneurial initiatives to analyse the potential development of new projects within the framework of the NESs.
3.3. Configuration of the technical team (for the project) and Pilot Committee
- Co-ordination committee that involves technicians responsible for the project in the Regional Council of Gipuzkoa and technical assessment.
- Technical committee: involving representatives of the institutions and bodies that promote the project, the Regional Council of Gipuzkoa, Eudel- Association of Basque Municipalities and Garapen-Agencies for Regional Development.
- Pilot committee: involving the Deputy and Director of the Department of Economics and Tourism of the Regional Council of Gipuzkoa and six Gipuzkoan mayors representing the Eudel and Garapen Associations.
IV. Actions Carried out
4.1. Implementation of projects or transfer actions
- Preparation of four feasibility plans (by four consulting agencies) related to the four blocks of employment sites. Selection of most feasible spheres in Gipuzkoa and preparation of pre-feasibility sheets for each of the NES spheres.
- Identification of pre-feasible projects for each of the six spheres selected. Preparation of sheets for each of the projects considered to be feasible.
- Preparation of a proposal and implementation of the study project related to Potential development and employment in the New Employment Sites in Gipuzkoa (Objectives, Financial Instruments and direct and induced Effects)
- Preparation of a proposal and implementation of a Design study of a proximity savings model in Gipuzkoa, related to the New Employment Sites.
4.2. Meetings, seminars, pilot committees
- 16 meetings of the Co-ordination committee held
- 1 meeting of the Technical committee held
- 2 meetings of the Pilot committee held
- Preparation of the second meeting of the Governing Council of the project (co-ordination, documentation, issues to be tackled…)
4.3.Dissemination, communication and information actions related to the project.
-- Preparation of synthesis documents related to: Feasibility analysis of the 17 spheres of the New Employment Sites in Gipuzkoa and Identification of feasible projects in the spheres selected.
- Preparation of Information Bulletin n#2 (8 pages) with wide dissemination (12,000 copies mailed)
- Preparation of the web pages for the Esparru project
- Preparation of a course in collaboration with the Summer University of the Basque Country
- Preparation of a new edition of the Presentation Document of the project
4.4.Consolidation actions through the creation of structures, agencies, enterprises or through mobilisation
The ones mentioned above
4.5. Other actions
- Preparation of specific documents related to each of the Gipuzkoan regions, including information about the New Employment Sites
- Meetings with experts to compare the feasibility of the different spheres.
- None
V. Assessment
5.1. Global advance of the project
- In general, the terms and objectives established for this phase were
fulfilled. The teams to support the pilot projects will soon be configured,
and the second meeting of the Governing Council of the project will soon
be held.
5.2. Difficulties detected and unsolved problems
- The difficulties detected are related to the identification of feasible entrepreneurial initiatives in the sphere of New Employment Sites that can be considered appropriate pilot projects and to the obstacles that prevent their implementation.
- Dissemination and presentation of the studies and activities developed to the economic and social agents at a meeting with the Rector Council.
- Holding the meetings (monthly) of the Technical and Pilot Committees
- Holding the meetings of the Co-ordination, Technical and Pilot Committees
- Developing the works related to the economic Effects of the NESs and Proximity savings
- Holding the course at the Summer University of the Basque Country.
- Disseminating the project (activities, documents, statistics…) via Internet
- Elaborating Information Bulletin n#3
- Launching Pilot Projects.
VI. Free global comment by the head of the project
This second progress report coincides in time, as the real beginning of the project was October 1, 1996, with the end of the first part of the project (8 months: preparation of a local development strategy). In this sense, I think that the following aspects should be briefly highlighted:
The fulfilment of the objectives set for period of time; once the language and the managerial team for the project were established, the objectives were specified and the necessary means to reach them were efficiently implemented. That is, the present analysis and projections of the socio-economic environment from a framework of potential new employment sites; a comparison between the 17 spheres considered of interest (today now 19, according to community standards) with Gipuzkoa's current situation to further study those that might present the greatest possibilities of employment and thus justify innovative actions on the part of the institutions and bodies that promote the present project; the definition of the kind of feasible entrepreneurial projects and/or activities; the identification of projects to be promoted - pilot projects- associated the local and/or regional situation.
A comparison, with highly positive results, of the proposed work method; which represented the fulfilment of the planned work schedules, determined that the proposed follow-up indicators were ideal; proved how positive it was to inter-relate an analysis based upon preparatory work carried out by experts and decisions made on the basis of the joint participation of both the promoting institutions and bodies, and the different social, educational, entrepreneurial, etc agents involved in the project; validated the need to have an organisational chart including the various working fields, areas of responsability and decision making capacities; established how necessary it was to prepare written aids - working minutes, reports, etc - that reflected the daily progress of the project.
It is a generally accepted that a valid reflection process was established, which resulted in a development strategy (to be compared with the pilot projects to be implemented in the next phase). This enables us to face the next process on a positive basis, a process that will centre on the capacity to activate public-private participation and partnership with greater determination in the local and/or regional sphere and also the participation of the different sectors in the accompanying process - through working teams and agencies for regional development - of the different pilot projects, as well as in the validation of economic instruments (properly aimed at supply or demand) to make new economic activities to for employment creation viable.
Furthermore, a series of improvement areas were detected, that could help to develop the project better. In this sense, the following could be mentioned: the need to provide better literature on the thinking and positive practices of new employment sites; the establishment of the necessary inter-relationships among the different projects, to compare working methods, analysis methodologies, participation formulas, etc.
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