The starting point: hidden human resources
In the region, much talent and willingness to work remains unused simply because the first footholds of entry are missing. Among the most important barriers to lasting employment are the chronic lack of work socialization and work routine, mobility and transport difficulties, and the significant gap between employer expectations and the current competencies of the target group. Of earlier programs, the least effective were those that concentrated solely on training and lacked real work experience, mentoring and follow-up.
The aim of the Kemecse Work and Industry Simulation Program is to enable long-term disadvantaged, working-age people to enter the world of work gradually and sustainably, and to find respected, lasting employment in their own community. The program is a joint initiative of the World of Renewal and the Municipality of Kemecse.
The solution: system-building, not model-following
The program does not bring a ready-made recipe to Kemecse; it builds from local reality: starting from employer needs, in collaboration with the sectors and organizations involved, it develops a multi-sectoral model that can be improved and measured in real or realistic workplace situations and adapted nationwide. It develops skills not in classroom settings but by practising the real rules, rhythm and situations of work.
Realistic employment directions
Based on the workshop, the areas targeted by the program - built on genuine labour-market demand - include, among others:
The employability minimums
Participants agreed that there are basic conditions that must already be stably in place before starting work - while a significant part of the specific professional and technological knowledge can also be developed on the job. Such invisible but indispensable conditions are punctuality, reliability, rule-following, regular attendance, the ability to cooperate, conflict management and basic communication.
Preventing dropout
The program has identified three critical danger points, which it consciously accompanies:
- The first weeks - the period of adapting to the work schedule.
- The first conflict or experience of failure and its handling.
- The first longer-term employment relationship and its establishment.
Family, kinship and community ties are resources the program consciously builds upon.
Creating value in four dimensions
The program creates economic, social and cultural value alike, while offering a model that, built on local characteristics, is also scalable at national level. Since a week consists of 10,080 minutes and only part of this is work, the program also includes everyday life planning: financial awareness, guidance towards a healthier life, and integration into community life.
Measurable goals
To measure success, participants formulated concrete, long-term vision goals:
- at least 70 percent of participants should complete the program successfully;
- a significant proportion of them should enter employment;
- the majority of those placed should still be in employment after six months.
Impact is measured at several points in time, covering employment, income stability and social integration.
Location and timeline
Kemecse is a district seat in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in the immediate vicinity of Nyíregyháza. The results of this joint thinking lay the groundwork for the program's next phase - detailed strategy-building and the preparation of implementation. According to current plans, the first phase of the Kemecse Work and Industry Simulation Program could launch at the end of 2027.
The role of the World of Renewal
The program is one of the World of Renewal's unique, complex projects, in which the renewal of towns, institutions, economic actors and communities is interconnected. The same system-building logic links the organization's initiatives - from corporate project and value recovery, through municipal project recovery, to the Kemecse work and industry simulation: examining every situation in its own reality to build a functioning, measurable system.