Rotterdam, Netherlands

Incentivizing businesses to hire vulnerable residents

Winner of the 2021 Global Mayors Challenge for their project – Rikx – which uses digital tokens to create incentives for local businesses to hire vulnerable residents. 

Meet two of our social enterprises

A construction worker in a white t-shirt and dark pants kneels on the floor of a partially renovated room, measuring a wooden plank. The room has exposed drywall and an open window letting in natural light. Tools, a broom, and a toolbox are scattered around.

Bouwerswerkplaats

Bouwerswerkplaats focuses on preparing individuals for careers in the construction sector by offering practical, hands-on training in various construction disciplines through a master-apprentice system. Participants include vulnerable groups such as newcomers to the Netherlands, individuals with social or intellectual limitations, ex-offenders, former addicts, and young people with community service obligations. The program combines practical training with a paid one-year contract, giving participants valuable work experience and improving their future employment opportunities in the construction industry.

A visit to a social enterprise funded by early rounds of Rikx, Beroepentuin.

Beorepentuin

Rikx financing allows Beroepentuin to employ and skillfully train people disengaged from the labor market, which include troubled youth or formerly incarcerated people among other populations. Beroepentuin focuses on preparing individuals for the energy transition and career opportunities in the construction and technical sectors. The program provides a unique approach to learning by doing essential skills for energy transition jobs, such as solar panel installation, charging station setup, and electrical and heating systems. Participants include diverse groups with various challenges, such as ex-prisoners, refugees, and long-term welfare recipients.

Rotterdam in the news

Two hands working to assemble a solar panel.

Rebel Group: Financing Social Impact with Rikx

A teacher lecturing to an adult learner.

BloombergCities: 4 ways cities can shape markets that work better for residents

A construction worker building stalls at a marketplace.

Government Outcomes Lab: A local marketplace for social outcomes