Twelve years after the first Agreement on a More Inclusive Working Life (IA agreement) was launched, a large proportion of young people are still excluded from the labour market. Common for many of them is that they have a disability and need additional facilitation and assistance in finding a job. This is the background of the government's Jobs Strategy for People with Disabilities. Data from Statistics Norway (SSB) show that only 40 per cent of those in the age group 15-66 with disabilities are employed, compared to more than 70 per cent employed in the general population in the same age group, and there has only been small changes over time.
The Jobs Strategy was introduced autumn 2011 and initiated in January 2012. Among the measures introduced, there have been established new training places on labour market programmes, facilitation subsidies, and 40 earmarked positions in NAV, including labour market coaches at the Inclusive Workplace Support Centres, and Country coordinators for the Jobs Strategy in all counties.
NAV has been given a central role in the implementation of the strategy, and one purpose of SINTEF's evaluation is to assess how the work is organized in NAV, and whether this arrangement is appropriate. We will also consider how well the various measures work.
The data collection includes a review of relevant documents, qualitative interviews with those employed in the 40 earmarked positions, and with case workers at the local NAV offices, a survey among the local NAV offices, as well as interviews with enterprise managers and participants who have received support from NAV through the strategy.
http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/ad/doc/rapporter_planer/planer/2011/jobstrategy.html?id=657116