PARTNERSHIP "REGIOPOLIS PEINE - BBG IT" TEP: Braunschweig- Germany Peine TERRITORIAL AREA INTERESTED The District of Peine Key elements leading to the decision of creating the partnership In 1997 the initiative was taken to support the actors of the Territorial Employment Pact District of Peine by creating adequate new communications infrastructure and enabling the pact to fulfil its regular duties. The BBg and the Department for the Promotion of Commerce acknowledged at an early stage the need to be active in the sector of ICTs and use the internet as a valuable tool for the promotion of commerce. Subsequently, at the BBg, being as well the promoter of the pilot project TEPP, the department of information technology (BBg-it) as well as necessary personal and organisational prerequisites were created. ORGANISATION CONTACT Berufsbildungs- und Melitta ARZ Beschäftigungsgesellschaft (BBg) Landkreis Peine mbH Centre for local labour market and (Professional training and employment employment policy (ZAB) company) c/o BBg Landkreis Peine mbH Tel:+49 (0) 51 71 / 77 91 23 Woltorferstr. 57-59 Fax:+49 (0) 51 71 / 77 91 44 [email protected] 31224 Peine Germany 1 WHAT IS IT ? Partnership's description The interactive communications platform Regiopolis Peine (http://www.regiopolis- peine.de), developed in a private-public-partnership, is catered for jointly - on the public side - by the Department for the Promotion of Commerce and the BBg and - on the private side - by the "arcadia online publishing & media design" company from Brunswick. Further public partners are the City of Peine as well as the communities Wendeburg, Edemissen, Hohenhameln, Ilsede, Lahstedt, Lengede and Vechelde from the District of Peine. A vital supporting role plays the coordination centre (ZAB) for the Territorial Employment Pact Peine (TEP Peine). It provides a basis for the exchange of data at both regional and national level. It houses a wealth of information about the region, in addition to providing well-stocked data bases for business enterprises. Through the department BBg it, as an internal and external service provider, local and regional clients are provided support and help in the following areas: internet access (internet provider, hosting and email services) web design (intranet solutions, marketing) networking computer service (installing and maintenance) various technical support for clients training The main objective of the project is to make aware the high potential of the ICTs in the region. The communication platform is aiming to help businesses, local administrations, alliances, clubs, associations, third sector institutions, training institutions as well as private persons reach its greatest potential by using the internet and the World Wide Web. Regiopolis is aiming at lowering the barriers towards the ICTs (Digital Divide) and providing top-level internet expertise, customised services and know-how to help all customers take the Net's potential to the maximum. The communications platform helps companies, public institutions, various associations not only to get web experience and expertise, but they can rely on local people, who know the local market. Demographic, social, economic, political and cultural characteristics Territorial surface : 534,4 km2 Per head GDP : 25 395 Eligible to the Structural funds objective/s : Objective 2 (phasing out) Total population: 131 291 Active population: 29 012 Unemployment rate : 10,7% Employment distribution by sector: 2 * agriculture, fishery, forestry 242 * industry 12 629 * construction, BTP 5 294 * tertiary 9 246 Other characteristics : The district is situated between the state capital Hannover and the major centre Brunswick in the Northern German state of Lower Saxony. Formerly one of the centres of the North German iron and steel industry, the District's goal is to found its economy on a broad commercial basis. In addition to machine and plant construction companies, there are firms involved in data and communications technology, in entertainment electronics, in the building, steel and plastics industry, in the manufacture of foodstuffs and in the trading, handicrafts and service sectors. The long-term unemployment places a considerable strain on the labour market situation. HOW DOES IT WORK ? Actors traditionally involved in local development and in employment policy The professional training and employment association (BBg) District of Peine Ltd., founded in 1988, represents already an institutionalised form of regional communication, co-operation and co-ordination. All key political and social local/regional actors and institutions are represented within the board of the BBg. The board itself serves as an important catalyst for training, employment and economical policies respectively the regional labour market and structural development and open discourse with political, economical and administrative representatives. The board was the germ-cell for the 1997 founded Territorial Employment Pact: the promoter for the dissemination of ICTs (information and Communication Technologies) respectively the implementation of Regiopolis-Peine and the linkage with the department of information technologies (bbg-it), focussing on the European dimension, the involvement of private companies and the active participation of representatives from the state level. Today Regiopolis is an information portal concerning the whole district of Peine. It is however still founded on a public private partnership. The portal offers access to the district administration but it also informs about cultural and leisure activities and it has a strong commercial part. Role of each partner in the formulation, realisation, monitoring and control of local development and employment policies The Department for the Promotion of Commerce largely developed the concept, receiving support from the City of Peine and from the district’s communities. The company Arcadia carried out the entire technical concept and was responsible for the technical realisation. The technical implementation was performed largely by Arcadia and supported by BBg employees. The initiative has been funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the private sector, job-creation schemes by the federal labour office and district workfare-schemes. 3 Quality of the partnership The initiative is actively supported by the Territorial Employment Pact Peine by bringing together key actors of the local and territorial partnership by organising regular meetings and promoting the use of ICTs in the regional economy as a crucial priority. The co-ordinating Commerce Department has the task of adjusting the concept and pursuing the entire process. The BBg acts as an internal and external service provider and supplies financial and personal support. The City of Peine and communities from the District, actively supporting the initiative, made available the required content for the websites. The private company Arcadia provided consultation services concerning all technical matters and had the task of server hosting as well as supply and routing management. The co-operation between Arcadia and the BBg is regulated through contractual agreements. WHAT IS THE VALUE ADDED ? Partnership's innovative elements One can state a considerable qualification leap in the area of information technology of all participating partners. Businesses are enabled to secure respectively improve their global competitiveness and use the medium for new ways of advertising and promotion. The platform serves as an efficient information pool for businesses, administration, etc. and has become the backbone for further innovative projects in the Peiner economic region. Undoubtedly, the project succeeded in achieving a significant local know-how increase, in accelerating the use and substantial acceptance of the new medium in the private, administrative, citizens and associations sector. Changes occurred in the components of the partnership, as far as the management of local development initiatives is concerned The main efforts in the beginning of the partnership concerned structure-building and first technical implementations of the dynamical Regiopolis-applets, which constitute, amongst others, the basis for the user-friendly administration of the platform. In the follow-up years, the administrational potentials were extended, data banks with visual statistics, a hotel and restaurant data bank were implemented and all handicraft businesses within the district received online access. A large number of businesses received support in the areas of internet access and web design. Strategic vision of the problems, quality of the actions implemented on the territory The strategic vision behind Regiopolis is the implementation of a virtual district with wide- ranging information services, an active involvement of handicraft businesses and small and medium-sized businesses, as well as the development of a virtual e-commerce- market place. Without a doubt, there is room for improvement concerning the comprehension of the requirements of the ICTs especially in the sector of small 4 businesses. One of the main objectives, the regional e-commerce platform, will be accomplished by creating the "Virtual Market Place" in the course of 2001. The aim is to enhance network thinking and the creation of synergies within the regional context especially within private businesses. Perpetuation of the partnership Regiopolis was successful in launching projects like the "Virtual District", the "Virtual Market Place" and