City of Mechelen – Matchmaking activities

The project

The City of Mechelen and OCMW Mechelen (the public social welfare center) work together with JobRoad to guide living-wage recipients toward work in a targeted way. Through a structured matchmaking approach, we bring candidates and employers together, with a focus on fast and sustainable matches.

This project is part of the City of Mechelen’s recovery plan to activate more people toward work or training.

Who is it for?

For clients of OCMW Mechelen who are ready to take the step into the labor market.

How does the pathway work?

• Preparation & vacancy insight – JobRoad coordinates with employers in advance and maps out concrete vacancies. These are shared with civil society organizations, so that they can refer candidates in a targeted way.
• Screening & matching
• Social workers register candidates – JobRoad screens them for motivation, learning ability, competencies and basic communication. The candidates are matched with concrete vacancies and immediately get an appointment with an employer
• Project week – Meeting employers
• Candidates go to interviews and get to know the workplace – They get the chance to show what they can do in a realistic context. If there is no immediate match, we keep looking within our network of employers

Our approach

• Fast and targeted matching with concrete vacancies
• Focus on opportunities and potential
• Close collaboration with social workers
• Lowering barriers for both candidates and employers

Impact

This approach helps to bridge barriers such as language, mobility and limited work experience. Candidates gain faster access to the labor market and increase their chances of sustainable employment.

JobRoad is organizing 12 matchmaking activities for the City of Mechelen in the period 01/01/2026 – 31/12/2028 and aims to activate 30% of the registered living-wage recipients in the labor market.