Roles of the public – private – 3rd sectors

The response to such complex issues as unemployment, poverty and social exclusion requires a significantly narrower cooperation between organisations of the three sectors: regular companies focused on profit maximisation (private sector); local and national public bodies (public sector); and non-profit oriented organisations focused on a social mission (third sector).

A deeper reflection about the roles of public, private and third sectors may complement a collaborative approach between the different stakeholders in your Work Integration Programme and bring about new outlooks regarding the creation of solutions that engage all the sectors.

You should ask: who are my main stakeholders? What is their nature: public, private or third sector? How can they benefit from my programme? And what roles can they play in it?

Stakeholder Analysis is a simple tool that can be useful for this task. It consists of building an inventory of all the individuals and organisations who may influence or be influenced by your Work Integration Programme, sorting them into categories (funders, partners, target groups, etc.) and weighing their power, influence and motivation.

This allows an understanding of which is the most relevant issue to address with each one of your key stakeholders. It helps clarifying arguments which will be useful for advocacy aiming at the improvement and sustainability of social and professional integration models.

Among other roles, the private sector can:

  • Provide work experience to marginalised groups, integrating vulnerable individuals as part of their workforce;
  • Provide expertise to work integration programmes who wish to develop for-profit approaches.
  • Buy products and services offered by work integration programmes;

The public sector can have a wider scope of intervention:

  • Statutory recognition and regulatory framework enhancing start-up companies focusing on employment solutions for vulnerable groups;
  • Financial support to Work Integration Programmes, helping vulnerable people to build independent lives;
  • Improving the systems for assessing the knowledge and skills of these groups and promoting the status of workers undergoing integration;
  • Improving dialogue with WISEs regarding policy-making.

The third sector should think critically, be proactive and act collectively. Your Work Integration Programme’s design may help in finding effective and socially innovative solutions, such as:

  • Intervention models other than current work integration models, combining different methodologies ranging from intermediate labour market to support in employment or Social Firms;
  • New ways of sharing technical (know-how) and material resources (physical infrastructures, computers, vans) between Work Integration Programme promoters themselves and also between them and local and regional authorities, businesses and teaching / training institutions;
  • New methods for funding and opportunities to sell, trade and otherwise explore the complementarity of services among different organisations.

 

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