CITYCTAC-TACTIC (2002-2004)

Type of project/activity:

External evaluation of a French EQUAL project

Objectives:

The objective is to provide monitoring and evaluation which "accompanies" the project through its successive stages. This project is carried out under one of the priority themes of EQUAL; reconciling professional and family life. Its main objectives are to pilot new approaches to reconciling family and professional life, in particular seeking solutions to the obstacles facing working women. The project will examine the feasibility of using information and communication technologies and ODL to contribute pro-actively to deceasing discrimination facing women in the management of their different "times" in life (professional, family, personal). The main beneficiaries will be staff of the chain of stores Monoprix (75% women), women learners in the individualised learning workshops (APP) and women starting up businesses (supported by the Boutiques de Gestion). The evaluation aims to contribute to consolidating the impact of the project and establishing the conditions for dissemination and mainstreaming of the results and the solutions piloted including through the development of self-evaluation tools for the pilot sites.

Background:

EQUAL is part of the European Union's strategy to create more and better jobs and to increase the access to employment for everyone. It continues the work undertaken by the Community Initiatives ADAPT and EMPLOYMENT (1994 to 1999/2000) by reinforcing the outcomes of these programmes. In the presentation of the EQUAL programme the Directorate General for Employment and Social Affairs highlights certain factors of successful projects, among which are the importance of partnerships which bring together key actors, a clear project strategy accepted by all the partners, a mainstreaming objective, solid transnational cooperation and monitoring and evaluation all through the project.

Partners:

The project is managed by ALGORA FORMATION, a non-profit body which receives support from the Ministry of Social Affairs, Employment and Solidarity. The partners are Monoprix; Arborus and CEEFIA.

Main Activities:

Monitoring and evaluation focuses on three main aspects:
- The partnership process at national level in France and with the pilot sites in six regions. The evaluation will monitor the global implementation of the project and the effectiveness of the piloting processes.
- Monitoring and evaluation of the measures and solutions piloted by the local centres. Two or three will be selected for more detailed field monitoring in order to select the indicators for a qualitative evaluation and to create self-evaluation tools which can be used by all of the centres.
- The effects of the outcomes of the transnational partnership on the French project and vice versa.

Name of programme, funder or client:

The evaluation is commissioned by the Development Partnership led by ALGORA.

Expected outcomes, reports/documents:

Evaluation reports will be delivered to the Steering Committee at regular intervals.