2010-09-06 YURA_SWOT- PP4 - EU-Regionalmanagement ...

10 Future needs and improvements – Conclusions
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What kind of needs and improvements were addressed by the players?
The region South-West-Styria is not one of the most migration endangered regions in Europe, but there is a
not to be sneezed problem within the region. The birth rates are declining and a lot of migration is happening
in the districts – people move from the rural municipalities to the few bigger cities (Deutschlandsberg,
Leibnitz, Voitsberg) or to Graz and its surroundings. This implicates the same problems as major migrations
all over Europe, only in a small scale.
Various appendages to counteract the demographic change already exist in the region, such as cooperation
between schools, enterprises and administration have been started. These are good, but almost just single
initiatives. The major problem in the region is absence of communication. The schools do not know the
local enterprises, and vice versa the enterprises do not know the quality of the schools and the potential of
the pupils.
Therefore the most addressed need seems to build a platform where both sides’ regional educational institutions
and local enterprises are able to conduct a direct dialog to deposit wishes, expectations and ideas.
Furthermore this platform should provide an internship exchange and a personnel service. On this platform
events could be organized together and new cooperation can start. This platform ought to be seen all over
the region and could help to support the regional development and force regional added value.
An easier access to internships in the region is requested from players of economy, politics and educational
institutions, too. These internships should be given to pupils or students on behalf of their and the enterprises
interests. On this note schools should support talented pupils and enterprises should allocate adequate
internships.
A strength and weakness of the region at the same time are committed single initiatives from schools or
enterprises. These initiatives strongly depend on motivated persons but often worked well in a very small
scale. The regional players addressed the need of bringing such initiatives on a regional level.
The dual system (for professional training) was addressed as strength and should be supported in the future.
At the same time there has to be the opportunity to make further studies and get a higher education
in the region besides working. Thus it would be possible to integrate young people in the operating process
and in the social life of the region in an early stage of life.
The regional players require from the Project YURA a broad impact on the awareness of (young) people and
visibility above the Region. They addressed the need of sustainable implementation of the pilot actions and
continuity after the three years of the project.
Based on the overall aspects, it is very realistic that migration will occur in the future, but we will be trying
to implement the needs and wishes of the region to slow down migration and become a model-region in
Austria.