Evaluation Project Mentoring Programme Canton of Berne

The mentoring programme is aimed at jobseekers over 50 years of age with at least an upper-secondary level. Participation is voluntary. We are evaluating the pilot phase, which will run from March 2023 to June 2024

Factsheet

Situation

The world of work has changed greatly in recent decades under increasing digitalisation and automation. For about ten years now, the terms "Work 4.0" and "New Work" have become es-tablished in the professional world. The Swiss economy is dependent on well-trained skilled workers. However, from 2015 until the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, the shortage of skilled workers increased steadily. The reasons for this are manifold. The situation is aggravat-ed by the fact that technical skills alone are no longer sufficient. Digital competencies and distinctive soft skills such as social and personal competencies are increasingly in demand. Well-qualified and experienced people who have lost their jobs, usually through no fault of their own, and are looking for a new job could counteract the shortage of skilled workers. It is well known that vacancies are often not advertised. Therefore, a sustainable network is of cen-tral importance in the job search. This is where the mentoring programme of the Canton of Bern comes in.

Course of action

The evaluation design provides for a survey of the most important stakeholders. The job seek-ers/mentees as well as the mentors are continuously asked about their experiences with the mentoring programme via an online survey. The counsellors of the Regional Employment Cen-ters will be surveyed in a mixed-language workshop. The findings from the various surveys will be recorded in an interim report that will be made available to the client by the end of 2023. In addition, a workshop with mentees and mentors as well as an interview with the project man-agement will be conducted. In the first half of 2024, an impact analysis will be carried out and the cost-benefit ratio of the pilot project will be calculated.