Our mission and tasks
OFA has been acting among the institutions combating against unemployment and promoting employment in Hungary since June 30, 1992 when the Ministry of Labour founded it as a Foundation, and since January 1, 1997 it has been operating as a Public Foundation.
The Constitution outlines our tasks as follows:
The Foundation:
- Supports non-governmental labour market organisations.
- Launches pilot programmes focussing on, innovative employment policy tools and the methodologies and incentive relationships of vocational rehabilitation, with a view to exploring the conditions of non-performance-driven social employment, and based on the analysis of results makes recommendations for their mainstreaming.
- Funds and coordinates labour research projects.
- Supports the preparation of social partners for participating in interest reconciliation on labour issues.
- Sets up and supports employment associations to provide temporary employment for employees affected by mass layoffs.
- Through its sheltered employment enterprises fulfils the tasks of the State arising from its rights as a shareholder in these companies.
- Is the Intermediary Body in programmes funded from the European Social Fund. As part of this activity it participates in fulfilling the functions of the National Support Structure of the EQUAL Community Initiative.
- Contributes to implementing the central labour market programme initiated by the Ministry of Employment Policy and Labour, and as part of this function performs tasks stemming from a labour market programme of vocational rehabilitation and rehabilitational employment as provided for by Point a), Para 5, Article 39/A of Act IV of 1991 on the Promotion of Employment and Provision for the Unemployed.
By attaining the above objectives, the Foundation seeks to promote Euro-Atlantic integration, in accordance with Para 19, Article 26 c) of Act CLVI. Apart from all these, in 2005 OFA was also engaged in implementing the Regional Development Operative Programme (ROP).
Our company designs pilot programmes delivering labour market services for the employment of disadvantaged people, as well as supporting numerous projects through grant schemes.
OFA develops pilot programmes aiming to help to the disadvantageous groups of people who are at a risk of exclusion from the society. These programmes provide various labour market services and/or permanent or temporary employment (education, social promotion) for the members of these targetted groups. OFA supports the fulfilment of these programmes through grant schemes that aim to develop the Non-Governmental-Organisations. The cooperation between the local actors of the labour market is becoming more and more underlined. New chapters in our activities the utilisation for policy purposes of the experiences that have been cumulating since its founding, and the dissemination of the methodology-models coming out from the successfully run programmes.
Beside these OFA runs programmes which are recognised as traditional grant schemes since they are called in each year for proposal.
Also an important function is the exercising the owners' rights over the six sheltered emloyment companies that fully owned by the Hungarian government. OFA's Sheltered Employment Office contributes to keep the people with disadvantages in job at these companies.
From 2004 the OFA-EQUAL National Support Structure has been fulfilling the tasks of the EQUAL Community Initiative in Hungary. In 2005 the OFA-ROP Network was formed in order to support the Regional Operating Development Programme in Hungary.
Our Foundation fulfills highly public utility tasks, with a staff of 71 workmates, 41 independent professional experts, 11 monitors and two expert committees.
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