Elan Jouques - France

The project's objective is to create non-competitive activities corresponding to useful needs of the region. The permanent jobs created are intended for long-term job seekers in the commune of Jouques. The project is also in line with the triple approach of sustainable development: 

• The environmental dimension: raise public awareness of the preservation of natural areas, 
• The social dimension: creating jobs, developing skills and social ties,  
• The economic dimension: innovate a viable activity and energize a region offering few jobs.

Boosting a region by creating jobs

Primary employment areas are far from the village of Jouques. Public transportation only serves the center of Aix en Provence. The project responds to a need to create jobs and activities for the benefit of long-term job seekers and the region.

The average beneficiary has been unemployed for 4 to 5 years, is 45 years old and has very few qualifications.

Reintegrating people who have been permanently unemployed into the workplace

The objectives of the Elan* Jouques project are:

• to offer a permanent contract to all persons permanently deprived of employment in the commune of Jouques,
• to create useful, non-competitive activities from their skills,
• to give back confidence to the beneficiaries by providing trainings adapted to their needs and ambitions
• to generate a regional dynamic in a win/win relationship with the actors of the region.

This project is an experiment of the "Territoires Zéro Chômeur de Longue Durée” (Zero long-term unemployment regions) initiative.

An activity for everyone

Elan Jouques is the result of the national experiment "Territoires Zéro Chômeur de Longue Durée” (Zero long-term unemployment regions). Its objective is to create jobs and instill support for local life. Elan Jouques is an eco-responsible company which is part of a sustainable approach by offering employment to anyone who is unemployed and seeking employment. Several types of jobs are available, including the multiservice (for professionals as well as for individuals) option, the recycling center, farming, the wood workshop and tourism.

Focus on "Zero long-term unemployment regions”

"Territoires Zéro Chômeur de Longue Durée” (Zero long-term unemployment regions) is an innovation carried out by the association of the same name. TZCLD was created by former members of the Emmaus network. In 5 years, 10 experimental regions have been set up. The association has 13 Enterprises for Employment Purposes (EBE), creating 160 different jobs, 45% of which are linked to the ecological transition.

The project consists of four phases:

• The consensus-building phase involves explaining the project and mobilizing all the actors in the region who are willing to get involved in the process.
• Meeting unemployed people allows TZCLD employees to identify their skills and their desires.
• A census of useful work is carried out by the local employment committee and the future employment companies agreed upon in order to identify the unmet needs in the region.
• Opening the EBE is the connection between the two.

Enterprises for Employment Purposes (EBE) creates jobs while putting the human beings in the foreground. An EBE hires without distinction, without selection and creates jobs with input from employees and future employees. This is part of a process of developing skills and self-confidence. Each beneficiary begins a discovery process within the EBE and its departments so that they can determine their contribution. Hired on a permanent contract, they choose the number of hours and days to work in order to balance their private and professional life.

Support for the expansion of the premises 

The Air Liquide Foundation is financing the expansion of the premises in order to increase the surface area of the workshops to a size that allows them to be separated. The endowment is intended for the construction work (electricity, plumbing, earthworks, etc.) and the salaries of the employees for the interior and exterior work. 

Quote from the Air Liquide Monitoring Manager

"The dynamism of the site manager Ludwig Rouault, the involvement of the people I met, and the current workshops are real assets that lead me to believe in the benefits that the expansion of the premises will bring." Franck Besnard, Head of Vitrolles industrial site, Air Liquide France Industrie-Industrial Merchant