Belgrade – The peer visit of the Public Employment Services (PESs) from the Western Balkan (WB) economies within the 2022 PES bench-learning cycle, organized by the Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) Employment and Social Affairs Platform 2 Project (ESAP 2) took place in Belgrade, Serbia, 8-9 September 2022.

“This WB PES bench-learning cycle is a structured exchange between Western Balkans PES peers modelled on the EU PES bench-learning model, and has been highly rewarding for us at the RCC ESAP 2 project. We are very grateful to our PES partners, both from the region and EU for their commitment to share and learn. I’m positive that the WB PES peer networks established through the PES bench-learning cycle will bring results in terms of future mutual exchanges and enhancement of PES service delivery in the region”, said Amira Ramhorst, RCC ESAP 2 Team Leader when concluding this workshop part of the WB PES bench-learning cycle, facilitated by the RCC ESAP 2 project.   The concept of the WB PES bench-learning cycle is based on bringing together the expertise of different PES in the WB, on the basis of the EU-PES bench-learning model with the goal to exchange experiences and enhance operations of WB PES. 

The working visit of the WB PES to their colleagues in Serbia gathered PES representatives from WB economies as well as from Europe (Hungary), to exchange experiences, practices as well as challenges PES face in their work, focused on enhancement of PES performance and service delivery.

The hosts of this peer visit, Serbia PES team, expressed gratitude for organization of this peer exchange. Presentation of their work, beside the results of the self-assessment of Serbia PES activities through the comprehensive questionnaire, included innovations which have been introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic focusing on digital modes of communication, digital tools and applications, such as the online job fairs and online courses. In addition, this PES workshop included exchanges and discussions related to introduction of Youth Guarantee initiative in the Western Balkan economies and measures aimed at long-term unemployed registered with the PES. 

Here is what the hosts and participants had to say about this PES bench-learning-experience:

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The Western Balkans PES bench-learning cycle is conducted in multi-annual cycles, and the 2022 cycle is organized by the Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) Employment and Social Affairs Platform 2 (ESAP 2) project. This cycle builds on the achievements of the previous cycle conducted by the ESAP 2 predecessor project. This round of bench-learning in Western Balkans, modelled on the EU PES bench-learning model, is developed as a systematic approach, combining performance comparison and mutual learning activities, aimed at continuous performance enhancement of WB PES towards better service delivery.