The Synclusive project is dedicated to supporting specific groups who face barriers in finding work and progressing in the labour market. In each Living Lab, regional stakeholders – such as employers, employee representatives, educational institutions, civil society organizations, and sometimes local authorities – work together. These partners identify which groups encounter the greatest obstacles, explore the drivers and barriers to inclusion, and develop solutions tailored to each region. The solutions are prioritized, co-designed and co-implemented with stakeholders and participants, ensuring interventions are relevant and practical.
Our approach is guided by three ENGINE principles:
- Regional coalition building: Supporting a joint process to identify barriers, drivers, and solutions for sustainable labour market inclusion.
- Multi-level interventions: Interventions can target individuals (e.g. skills development of job seekers and employees), organizations (e.g. supervisors), and even the broader system or region – resulting in a flexible ‘intervention package’ adapted to local needs. We also hypothesized that these levels would reinforce each other, for example, that improving internal mobility for current employees would create space and opportunities for job seekers to enter the labour market.
- Co-design, co-implementation, and peer learning: Interventions are developed and implemented together with stakeholders and participants, fostering peer learning and practical relevance.
To evaluate the impact of these interventions, we combine quantitative and qualitative methods. Realist Evaluation has a central role, as it helps us understand what works, for whom, and under which circumstances. While quantitative data can reveal patterns and trends, response rates among vulnerable groups are sometimes limited due to factors like low literacy, language barriers, or discomfort with formal surveys. Qualitative interviews, on the other hand, allow us to gather richer, more nuanced insights into participants’ experiences and the context in which interventions take place. By integrating both approaches, Realist Evaluation uncovers the mechanisms and conditions that drive impact, offering a deeper understanding that complements and strengthens the quantitative findings. This enables us to compare the Living Labs and generalize findings across regions, clarifying which approaches are effective, for which groups, and why.
The evaluation model below illustrates how we analyse the interplay between contextual factors and coalition mechanisms – such as governance and leadership – that enable regional stakeholders to collaborate effectively. These factors are crucial for co-creating and co-implementing intervention packages aimed at fostering sustainable inclusion. The way the coalition works together directly influences how interventions are applied and their impact at the individual level.
At the individual level, the model examines the relationship between context, mechanisms, and outcomes (CMO), helping us understand how interventions work for specific groups within each Living Lab. In this way, the coalition’s effectiveness in collaboration and implementation shapes the mechanisms and outcomes experienced by individuals. This shared framework allows us to systematically compare Living Labs, assess which approaches are effective, for whom, and under which circumstances, and integrate both qualitative and quantitative insights.
