What is Equal?EQUAL is a Community Initiative funded through the European Social Fund. The EQUAL Community Initiative tests and promotes new ways of combating all forms of discrimination and inequalities faced by those groups most disadvantaged in the labour market. These groups include women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, older worker, refugees, ex-offenders, drug and alcohol misusers. EQUAL also supports the social and vocational integration of asylum seekers/refugees.
EQUAL operates across identified thematic fields which embrace the four pillars of the European Employment Strategy and support for asylum seekers.
Pillar 1: Employability
Theme A To ease access to the labour market for those who are having problems entering and returning to the labour market.
Theme B To combat racism and xenophobia at work.
Pillar 2: Entrepreneurship
Theme C To make it possible for anyone to start up a business by providing the tools necessary to do so and to identify new opportunities for employment in urban and rural areas.
Theme D To enhance the social economy (third sector) and especially services of public interest by concentrating on improving job quality.
Pillar 3: Adaptability
Theme E To promote lifelong learning and inclusive practices encouraging recruitment and stable employment for those suffering from discrimination or unequal treatment at work.
Theme F To foster the ability in enterprises and amongst workers to adapt to economic change and the use of new information technologies.
Pillar 4: Equal Opportunities for Men and Women
Theme G) To reconcile family and working life, and boost employment amongst women and men who have left work by developing more effective and flexible forms of organisation of work and personal services.
Theme H To reduce the gender pay gap and combat job segregation.
Pillar 5: To help asylum seekers to integrate (Depending on their official status - an extremely complex matter approached in different ways in different Member States - assistance may consist of new ways of facilitating access to the job market or the provision of training for rejected asylum seekers before they leave the country.)
To learn more about Equal see also the Leading Principles To learn more about Equal in Scotland sew who are the 2nd Round Approved DPs
See the the structure of Equal Programme in Great Britain
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