ARADEL - http://www.aradel.asso.fr/

Context

ARADEL (Association Rhône-Alpes des professionnels du Développement Economique Local) was created at the request of the local economic developers to favour the exchanges of experience and their professionalization.

History

The association was created 16 years ago. Aradel calls itself a network. A formalisation of what is a network and how to work in network was done in 2000-2001.

Focus

1st axis: reinforce and develop information and exchange towards and between members
2nd axis:professionalize members, especially through training
3rd axis:develop and value our capacity, our knowledge, our analysis on three types of expertise:

Actors

More than 700 members at the end of 2004. In this network, one may find:
1. the diversity of organisms in economic development
    - local authorities and their regroupings
    - economic development agencies, committees and organisations (Agences de développement économique, des Comités d’Expansion Economiques, Sem, Associations locales de développement économique)
    - organism depending of the Chambers of Commerce
    - satellites of large companies such as Sopran, Sodie, etc.
    - private consultants
2. the diversity of profiles of economic developers
    - developers, experienced or beginners
    - local civil servants and private contract workers
    - developers with diverse missions, from selling a business park to managing a project of local development
3. the diversity of local problematic, with an equal numbers of developers acting in rural or urban areas.

Practice

Example of actions in 2005:
·    71 training days to develop competences and reinforce behaviour skills on: welcoming new developers; the tools for local economic developments; creation of a company; accompanying companies' projects; activity incubators; tourism; developing personal animation skills
·    8 exchange days to gather the economic developers on the field and present concrete initiatives: how to animate an industry sector, coherence of a support plan to company creation; company and environment; how to define and animate a framework for welcoming economic activity, etc.
·    4 work-groups to capitalise knowledge: the jobs of economic development, towards a competence  reference system; HR management and local authorities; tools for reporting; collectives of companies.

Communication tools

- Aradel website
- Aradel Info, a newsletter to inform and share the life of the network
- "base de données des initiatives" (database of initiatives) to value the practices in local development
- conferences on subjects of actuality

Culture

Palette contact