The Swedish labour market is changing rapidly. When an organisation grows, the need for employees to acquire skills necessary to meet the needs of tomorrow increases.
To help meet necessary future skills and facilitate the transition of organisations and employees, we focus on preventative support and services. These preventative services are designed to satisfy the skills needs of organisations as well as the development needs and opportunities of employees. By strategically working with skills developm ent in the long term, employers become more attractive.
The Transition Fund is also able to support employees during employment through career and academic counselling as well as different types of study supports and grants.
Sometimes terminating a position is unavoidable. If this is the case for you, the Transition Fund is here to assist even before the redundancy process begins, which is why it is important for you to get us involved as early as possible. Of course, we are also available to provide helpful information and share our own expertise with the transition process, no matter where you are in the process. The goal is to ensure that all terminated employees have a strong support system that will enable them to advance in their careers.
We bring the professional possibilities of tomorrow to the welfare sector of today.
Preventative Services
When you use preventative services, you facilitate the transition of your organisation and employees to meet the needed skills of tomorrow.
The purpose of these services is to secure the needed skills of employers as well as strengthen the job security of employees and/or address their need for early transition within their current role.
These services can take place in form of training, certification, counselling/guiding and other skills development services for employees.
Funds for these preventative services are available, and employers
can be reimbursed for:
- training costs
- additional costs associated with training, e.g., literature, travel,
accommodation, etc. - costs for counselling
- costs for other skills development services
- costs for the coordination of preventative services.
Preventative services are designed to fulfil the following:
- employers’ skills needs in the short and/or long term
- employees’ needs for early transition through skills development for the purpose of increasing job security in their current roles, as well as
- anything beyond what is normally considered to be ongoing skills development within the framework of an employee’s current role.
Applying for Preventative Services
Before an employer applies for funds for a preventative service, local parties, either in collaboration or negotiation under the Lag om medbestämmande i arbetslivet (the Co-Determination in the Workplace Act), need to have identified services that are relevant based on analysis and discussion. It should be clear in the application that collaboration or negotiation took place and documented.
The application, which is done through omstallningsfonden.se, must state:
- the background, needs and purpose
- the specific service to be provided
- if the service will be provided by the Transition Fund, in-house or by another provider
- cost
- time frame of the service.
The Transition Fund determines whether the service falls within the framework of the KOM-KR and whether the organisation has the funds available. Once the Transition Fund has approved the application, the employer may begin providing the service. Only after the service is complete may the employer requisition funds from the Transition Fund.
Strategic Skills Development
When working with strategic skills development, the Transition Fund can provide support and guidance throughout the process. This includes, for example, support with conducting needs and market analyses, mapping future skills needs, taking skills inventories, developing skills strategies as well as setting goals and following up on those goals.
Dialogue about Skills
Employers are required to have a dialogue with any temporary employee who expresses interest in having one, regarding their skills and development. The discussion must be documented.
Support after Employment
A successful transition from one job to the next is always made easier with a strong termination process at the previous workplace. That is why we want to begin working with you as early in the process as possible.
Our advisors are available across the country and offer knowledge and expertise on today’s labour market. They have extensive experience helping employees transition to new employment.
There are two types of transition support available to employees, each with different conditions.
Transition Support
Support can include skills assessment discussions, counselling, guidance and certification. Transition Support can be given to permanent and temporary employees whose employment will or has been terminated due to shortage of work or illness, or after a fixed-term employment contract has expired.
The Transition Fund can also provide reinforced support to employees who have been assessed to have special support needs due to illness. Reinforced support can include additional skills assessment discussions, extended counselling and guidance as well as support when dealing with governmental agencies.
Temporary employees whose contract is set to expire should apply to the Transition Fund on their own, but the employer is required to provide them with information about the support and how to apply. However, for permanent employees whose employment will or has been terminated, it is the employer’s responsibility to make the submission to the Transition Fund on their behalf.
Employees must provide confirmation that they have worked for a sufficient period of time, i.e., 12 of the last 24 months. They can do this by submitting the number of hours they have worked, or their earned amount of income. Our estimate is based on the number of months they have worked an average of 16 hours or more per week within a calendar month, as well as the number of months they have earned 25% of their income base amount.
Transition support is provided for up to one year following termination of employment. Upon assessment, reinforced support can be extended by up to one additional year.
Extended Support
Extended support is designed and adapted to each employee’s needs and conditions, which means the Transition Fund can provide funding for skills development services. This can include relevant courses and programmes that will serve to further strengthen the employee’s chances of getting a new job.
Extended support requires the employee to be permanently employed under AB (General Regulations) or BB (Industry Regulations) and to have worked continuously at 40% or more for at least one year prior to the date of termination or date of agreement. It is the responsibility of the employer to apply to the Transition Fund on behalf of any employee who is entitled to extended support.
Employees become eligible for extended support through the Transition Fund in one of three ways:
- The employee has been terminated due to lack of work.
- An agreement has been reached that employment will end due to the employee’s impaired ability to perform the work due to illness or other health conditions.
- The employee has accepted a temporary position for reasons related to redundancy.
Extended support is provided for up to one year following the end of employment. However, if there are special reasons, support can be provided for up to two years following the end of employment.
Employees who have agreed to work fewer hours as an alternative to termination are eligible to receive support during employment. Those employees should apply through our website on their own.
Support during Employment
Employees can receive career and academic counselling during their employment. This can include skills assessment discussions, counselling, guidance and certification. The nature of the support is determined collaboratively between the employee and the Transition Fund.
Who qualifies for support?
Career and academic counselling are available to both permanent and temporary employees. Employees must provide confirmation that they have worked for a sufficient period of time, i.e., 12 of the last 24 months. This can be done by submitting the number of hours worked by the employee or the earned amount of income. Our estimate is based on the number of months the employee worked an average of 16 hours or more per week within a calendar month, as well as the number of months the employee earned 25% of their income base amount.
Support can be provided for up to one year after the application is accepted and as long as the employee remains employed in accordance with the Employment Protection Act.
Employees who wish to receive support during employment should apply to the Transition Fund on their own, but it is the employer’s responsibility to inform employees of the opportunity to receive support. The Transition Fund can assist the employer by providing information on the different types of support on our website, information sheets and leaflets.
Study grants
There are several different types of study grants. One of these includes the transitional study support (omställningsstudiestöd), which is state-funded and managed by CSN. This type of grant can be provided for educational programmes that strengthen the employee's future position in the labour market and meet labour market needs.
CSN is responsible for administrating the transitional study support. When the employee applies for this grant, the Transition Fund can make an assessment as to whether we believe that the educational programme they have applied for will in fact strengthen their position in the labour market.
In addition to the transitional study support, there are several different types of study grants through the collective union agreement which the Transition Fund can offer: short-duration collectively agreed study grant, additional collectively agreed study grant and extended collectively agreed study grant.
Short-duration study grant reimburses part of the loss of income while studying and corresponds to up to five days of full-time studies. Short-duration study grant can be given to both permanent and temporary employees, provided that the programme strengthens the employee’s future position in the labour market and meets labour market needs.
Additional study grant reimburses part of the loss of income while studying when the transitional study support has been granted. This additional study grant can be paid concurrently with the transitional study support being paid by CSN.
Permanent employees may receive additional study grant both during and after employment. Temporary employees, however, may only receive this assistance during employment.
Extended study grant reimburses part of the loss of income while studying over a longer period of time and can be granted to permanent employees who have utilized all the additional study grant and the transitional study support. It is estimated together with CSN’s regular financial assistance (loans and grants).
Extended study assistance requires that the educational programme not only strengthen the employee’s future position in the labour market but also strengthen the sector’s competence maintenance.
Seminars and Workshops
Sometimes, help and support are necessary to move processes along. We can support your organisation with free workshops and seminars that are tailored to your existing needs.
1. Preventative Services Workshop
A hands-on, half-day workshop that helps you start developing an action plan for preventative services. Which groups and/or individuals do you want to focus on over the coming years who can strengthen both your organisation and employees?
The target group can include managers, union representatives and HR.
2. Process during Changes/Process Management Support during Transitions
The Transition Fund provides support in answering questions related to changes and skills needs within the organisation. What are important factors to consider before, during and after the redundancy process? How can you work with skills development and use preventative services within the organisation?
The target group can include managers, union representatives and HR.
3. Seminars and counselling before Transitions
Seminars and counselling are available over the phone, video conference or through in-person visits at the workplace. Transition seminars are designed for leadership teams, managers, HR staff and union representatives. The purpose is to provide insight into how to think and act before, during and after the redundancy process.
The target group can include leadership teams, managers, HR staff and union representatives.
Funding
The Transition Fund is a foundation funded by employer members of SALAR and Sobona. Employers who are members of SALAR and municipal organisations that are part of Sobona pay an annual
premium of 0.25 per cent of total wages for the Transition Fund’s services. 0.15 per cent is reimbursed to employers by the state through the Transition Fund.
The premium covers costs for preventative services, strategic skills development support, career and academic counselling, transition support, study grants and financial benefits.
Please Contact us to learn more
For more information, contact your local transition advisor. You can also send us an email at info@omstallningsfonden.se or call 08-452 79 98.