Education, Economy, Work in the Neighbourhood - BIWAQ
Through BIWAQ, the Federal government supported cities and municipalities that have structurally weak, disadvantaged neighbourhoods (areas funded Social City urban development assistance programme) to integrate labour market promotion measures with urban development investments. The aim of the BIWAQ programme was to improve the employment and training opportunities of residents (aged 27 and over) in the disadvantaged neighbourhoods and to help strengthen the local economy.
The projects funded also aimed to create a visible "added value" for the entire neighbourhood and to improve inner-city cohesion. The funding of model structures was intended to improve the synergies between the development of disadvantaged districts and city-wide goals (e. g. the establishment of long-term sponsorships).
BIWAQ was the modified successor programme from the ESF funding period 2007-2013. The field "transition from school to career" (for young people under 27 years of age) that was previously part of BIWAQ had been bundled into the joint ESF model programme “JUGEND STÄRKEN im Quartier” of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety.