I Know How : Facilitating Returning to Work After Cancer

   The Integrated Knowledge & coaching service to support people with cancer in How to remain in Or return to Work is a project that is part of the Interreg program 2 Seas (ERDF) in which Lille Metropole is committed since november 2020. This European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) project is still ongoing, until september 2022, and has received 190,584€ of european funds (ERDF). Led by Artevelde University of Applied Sciences (Belgium), this project involves a great variety of european partners including the Joint Research Center Zeeland (NL), HZ University of Applied Sciences (NL), Rother Volontary action (UK), The Sara Lee trust (UK), Startpoint inclusive entrepreneurship (Belgium), Emino (Belgium), the regional cancer centre Oscar Lambret (France) and Lille Metropole (France).

   To facilitate people, who received a diagnosis of cancer, to remain in or return to work, new services for employers, employees, (para)medical professionals and job coaches are co-created and piloted. The main goal is to increase the percentage of people with cancer who remain in or return to work by 15% while shortening the period that the employee is absent from work. This means that 4,889 extra people with cancer will remain in or return to work for the 2 Seas area. These return-to-work programmes will reduce the costs for both employers and governments substantially.

   Three main tools have been designed to address these challenges. The information service tool, an online interactive tool, is an innovative, user friendly information service for people with cancer, employers, (para)medical professionals and job coaches. The job coaching service aims to help employees with cancer. Finally, a coaching service for employers will focus more in details on practices and advices to support employers.

   Lille Metropole is particularly focused on the creation of services dedicated to employers and has invested a 317,640€ budget for the whole project. After having identified the companies that could be associated to this project, Lille Metropole is elaborating a tool box to help them address these challenges. Lille Metropole also advises all members of the partnership on appropriate public policies in order to enhance the possibilities of people with cancer to remain in or return to work.