The organization responsible for implementing the labor market policy goals of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this September: For twenty years, the Regional Agency Bergisches Städtedreieck has been working to ensure that funding flows into the Bergisches Städtedreieck region and that support measures for employees and employers in the region are implemented.

And it’s about more than that: It’s about the economic location Bergisches Städtedreieck. The Regional Agency helps to strengthen the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises, supports young or disadvantaged people in finding pathways into training or work, and helps to offer further education and qualification. Through various approaches, with a wide range of measures and a large, effective regional network. The Regional Agency Bergisches Städtedreieck works on behalf of the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia, coordinating the tailored implementation of the state programs funded by the European Social Fund for the region. A total of 16 regional agencies are active throughout NRW.

How it all began
On September 1, 2004, the Regional Agency Bergisches Städtedreieck began its work—attached to the then Regional Office, which was already responsible for regional cooperation on various topics. “The agency is decentralized. In addition to the agency headquarters in the Regional Office, a part-time employee works on-site in the economic development institutions of the cities,” was stated at the time in the brief news ‘REGIOnal 12.2004’ of the Regional Office.

Eventful history
After the change of the state government in 2005, the decision was made to continue funding the regional agencies in order to maintain a regionalized implementation of NRW’s labor policy. This also involved new tasks, for example in the area of transition from school to work. The focus of work changed over the years, as did the funding programs, staffing, and location of the Regional Office. In 2015, it was integrated into the Bergische Structure and Economic Development Corporation to create synergies in development tasks and funding acquisition.

Focus areas in the Städtedreieck
The Regional Agency has dedicated itself to the regionalized implementation of the program lines of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, developing a catalog of measures tailored specifically for the Städtedreieck. The focus is on securing skilled workers of all ages.

1. Securing skilled workers!
   The shortage of skilled workers hits a region like the Bergisches Städtedreieck, with many manufacturing companies, particularly hard. That’s why the Bergisches Skilled Workers Alliance was founded in 2011—an initiative of labor market and economic policy actors in the Bergisches Städtedreieck who joined forces to tackle the shortage of skilled workers. The Bergisches Skilled Workers Alliance (BFB) is self-organized; it is an initiative of various forces from the Bergisches Städtedreieck, with the Regional Agency leading the organization. It supports a wide range of measures and actions as part of the NRW skilled workers offensive. Example: the Bergische Expo Skilled Workers 2023 in Wuppertal. The Regional Agency is also involved in round tables where NRW ministries discuss possibilities, best practices, and necessities for successful and rapid integration of especially refugees into the labor market. This provides the state government with important input for its labor market policy strategy.

2. More further education!
   The Regional Agency is part of the organizing team for the annual Bergische Further Education Fair with a specialist forum (this year on September 11 in Wuppertal). Constantly changing work processes require lifelong learning. Therefore, the Regional Agency also organizes events on “networked educational spaces,” following a call by the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs NRW. Networking helps create effective offerings.

3. More training!
   One of the five KAUSA state offices of North Rhine-Westphalia is located at the Regional Agency. KAUSA stands for “Coordination Office for Training and Migration.” It works to win over more entrepreneurs with migration backgrounds for dual training. They are supported, among other things, in acquiring the ability to train, recruiting trainees, conducting training, and eventually continuously training independently. The Regional Agency is also active in the program “Training Paths NRW”: it has identified educational providers in the region who now prepare young people intensively to apply and ultimately begin training. Finally, it coordinates the implementation of the ESF funding program “Part-time Vocational Training – Supporting Entry – Opening Perspectives” (TEP), enabling people with family responsibilities to train, together with support providers.

4. More inclusion!
   The Regional Agency also advocates for integrating people with disabilities into the labor market, together with the BFB and the Anschub network. Showcasing good practice examples and how training with disabilities can succeed, presenting best practices, and facilitating exchanges between companies and potential employees—these are offered annually as open discussion and fair events.

The Regional Agencies are funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the European Union. The KAUSA state office is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the Education Chains initiative in cooperation with the NRW state government.

Meet the people behind the Regional Agency Bergisches Städtedreieck

Oliver Francke, Head of the Regional Agency Bergisches Städtedreieck.
“Work is much more than just earning a living. Work can provide meaning, shape biographies, and form society. Work as a connecting element and the basis of a multi-diverse society is, for me, a key to jointly mastering the challenges of the present and future. That’s why I do what I do…”

Justus Schongen, Project Management, Regional Agency Bergisches Städtedreieck
“With the funding programs we implement regionally with our partners, we enable participation— in a labor market that all too often excludes people with extraordinary burdens, poorer starting chances, or disabilities—I am glad to be able to help pave the way into work for people.”

Arzu Gül, KAUSA Ambassador
“We advise and accompany intensively—that’s what defines our work. This helps to overcome reservations and to win migrant-led companies for training. What’s special about our target group is their strong willingness to give disadvantaged young people a chance and to support them.”

Andreas Dummer, KAUSA Ambassador
“To bring together ‘loose ends’ so that something good can emerge. Thanks to our diverse contacts, including various social and further education providers, we can sometimes bring together those searching and those sought: companies and potential trainees, or companies and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce—depending on the case. It feels good to be able to support people and the local labor market.”