The twelve local authorities of Mechelen, Bonheiden, Duffel, Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Putte, Lier, Berlaar, Nijlen, Heist-op-den-Berg, Willebroek, Puurs-Sint-Amands, and Bornem will collaborate more closely from October 2026 under the banner ‘Rivierenland Werkt’. This inter-municipal association, existing since 2020 and expanded in 2026 with Berlaar and Nijlen, will gain a recognizable identity with a new cooperation agreement for 2026-2030, a new name, and a new logo.
The initiative aims for a joint approach to labor market challenges. By sharing expertise and collaborating with partners such as VDAB, employers, and social economy organizations, the municipalities intend to develop greater leverage at a supra-local level. Bart Vanmarcke, alderman of Bonheiden and chairman of Rivierenland Werkt, emphasizes the importance of this regional approach: “Work does not stop at the municipal border... With Berlaar and Nijlen, the entire region is now on board... This gives us the scale to truly implement regional employment policy.” He also points to the increasing pressure on local authorities and OCMW s due to the time limitation of unemployment benefits.
One of the first joint actions is the regional ambassadorship for supported employment (maatwerk). From October 2026, the twelve cities and municipalities will work together to make supported employment companies and their offerings better known to local authorities, businesses, and residents, in collaboration with Groep Maatwerk, Herwin, and VVSG. Supported employment companies provide work for individuals for whom the step to the regular labor market is not straightforward. In Rivierenland, this concerns approximately 1,200 employment positions within collective supported employment. At the end of June 2026, there were 283 job seekers in the region entitled to collective supported employment and 662 entitled to individual supported employment.
Local authorities also aim to set a good example by examining how social clauses can be more frequently used in public procurement and how contracts can be created for supported employment companies. Rina Rabau Nkandu, alderman for Social Affairs in Mechelen and vice-chair of Rivierenland Werkt, underscores the necessity of this new dynamic: “Now that it is becoming more difficult to activate people who are further from the labor market, we must create new levers to offer them opportunities for activating and emancipating employment...” Abdrahman Labsir, alderman for Work in Mechelen, adds that supported employment companies are full-fledged economic partners with considerable expertise.
The ambassadorship is linked to concrete actions, such as company visits, highlighting good collaboration examples, and an information session on social tendering. A networking event is also being prepared for regular companies and supported employment companies to meet directly. During the business contact days on October 7 and 8 at the Nekkerhal, a new B2B brochure was launched to inform companies about collaboration with the social economy.
