"Spark" – Strengths and Skills Facilitate Finding Employment

The project responds to the employee and recruiting challenges in seasonal and project-type fields with the objective of enhancing job seekers’ self-management competence and their ability to identify and make use of their strengths, as well as providing employers with opportunities to familiarize themselves with themes such as networking, responsible recruiting and recognition of competence.

The objective of the “Spark” project is to promote employment opportunities of people working in seasonal and project-type fields, to provide practical answers to the recruiting challenges of these fields and to prevent recurrent unemployment. In the project, job seekers receive instruction in clearly defined units that take into account each individual’s unique needs and the nature and specificities of project-type or seasonal employment relationships, as well as promote networking between job seekers and employers. By developing flexible practices that facilitate self-management of work flows by employees, the attractiveness of different fields of employment and new types of employment relationships can be enhanced.

In addition, a publication on flexible practices for finding employment as well as for recognition of competence in seasonal and project-type fields will be produced within the framework of the project. The publication is based on the experiences gathered during the project activities and is linked with the top-level research-based know-how and expertise of the University of Lapland on labor market change and themes such as recruiting and (diverse) competence of employees. The publication produces valuable information—particularly relevant in the context of Lapland—on the kinds of solutions that, for job seekers, lead to finding employment. In addition, the publication addresses the challenges and employer expectations specific to seasonal and project-type fields, e.g. with regard to recognition of competence and needs. The publication is particularly useful for actors operating within commerce and industry in the Lapland area as well as its developers (e.g. educational organizations).

The project in funded by European Social Fund 1.5.2019 - 31.12.2021.