Education, Economy, Work in the Neighbourhood - BIWAQ

BIWAQ is the partner programme of the urban development funding programme "Social Cohesion – Building Coexistence in the Neighbourhood Together" for the EU funding period 2021-2027 and flanks that programme in certain disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods. The structure of urban development funding was completely overhauled in 2020. Work with the programme "Socially Integrative City", which has been the partner so far, will continue and be extended in the new programme "Social Cohesion".

A connection to investment measures, and thus the construction industry, is particularly important, given the  partnership with the "Social Cohesion" urban development programme. Skills building measures are also to provide appreciable benefits for neighbourhoods, such as projects on tangible and intangible cultural heritage and local identity, thus including upgrading buildings. BIWAQ can thereby make an important contribution to eliminating the shortage of skilled labour, especially in the construction industry and other sectors that are important for neighbourhoods.

The BIWAQ projects’ target audience for its offerings are people who are difficult to reach and for whom taking up employment is difficult. They are to receive skills training through BIWAQ. The goals of BIWAQ include especially raising the employability and achieving the long-term job integration of the unemployed, including the long-term unemployed, as well as people with a migration background (including third-country nationals). It also aims to strengthen local economies, primarily via SMEs in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

BIWAQ is the successor programme of the same name from the ESF funding period 2014-2020.