The project Strategic cooperation in the north east of Skåne will start 2017-10-01 and will end 2020-08-31. This application for funding by the European Social Fund concerns a project initiative taken by Arbetsmarknadsenheten (the Labour market unit) in the municipality of Hässleholm in cooperation with the Welfare office, Arbetsförmedlingen (the Public Employment Service) and all municipalities in the north east of Skåne in Sweden. The target group in the project is women and men who are long term unemployed and have complex needs which are better dealt with when different competences coordinate their resources and efforts to support the unemployed person. The target group consists of people who have difficulties to compete for jobs available in the labour market due to lack of qualifications, lack of experiences, problems with their physical or mental health or social problems. Mental health problems are increasing and need to be addressed. People who have been dependant on social welfare benefits for longer periods often get problems with their health. Another vulnerable group is migrants who have received residence permits as a refugee or for refugee-like reasons. The problem analysis has also shown that there are more woman represented in both the group with health problems and among the migrants. The aim of the project Strategic cooperation in the north east of Skåne is to further develop a good cooperation between the authorities and also to involve 100 local employers in a joint effort to develop new methods to create possibilities for the target group in the labour market. The local employers can be found in the public sector, in companies in the business sector and within the social economy. Special activities will be carried out in the project to support social enterprises as the owner of the project and the partners in the project believe social enterprises can help the target group to get into the labour market. The project is designed to have 150 participants who are initially supposed to participate in different activities to get tools and solutions to enhance their motivation, self-knowledge, self-esteem, self-confidence, health, the participation in and responsibility for their individual development process, their knowledge about possibilities for training, work and studies, their knowledge about business and enterprise and their desire and capacity for self-sufficiency. Introduction activities will be followed by training in the organizations and workplaces involved in the project. Some of the participants in the project will be employed by the Labour market unit to help job seekers who are in training in the working place. 75 people participating in the project are supposed to be employed when they finish their participation in the project. The project has applied for funding of transnational cooperation with organizations in Germany and Spain interested in sharing experiences and knowledge related to cooperation with employers, especially in associations and social enterprises.