Quality Development of Employment Specialists

AimThe common purpose of the partners in this project is to benefit from each other’s experience in the field of how to approach employers and network with employers. This project aims to improve the competencies ‘in networking with employers’ of employment specialists of VET-providers supporting persons with disabilities to find a job in the open labour market. Context As is well known by those active in the field of work and disability, the employment chances of people with disabilities are much lower than those without a disability. Also the rate of poverty is higher, partly due to this limited access to employment. Employment specialists in many countries are putting much effort in increasing the chances on work of people with a large distance to the labour market. Most employment specialists of VET-providers are professionals working as social workers, psychologists or teachers, having knowledge and experience in working with their target group, though often are lacking a proper knowledge about the business world. A better knowledge on how to network with employers and a better understanding of the employers’ perspective will help them to improve the quality of their employment services and, because of that, improve the chances for people with disabilities to enter labour market and to stay there. Profiles of the partnersThe profiles of the partners in this project consists of employment specialists of VET-providers and experts: employment specialists that work in daily practice in supporting persons with a distance into the open labour market, an expert in the field of networking with employers and an expert in inclusive employment and ‘working with the business approach’. OutcomesThis exchange project will lead to:A network of experts and special VET providers exchanging knowledge and experiences during the time of the project and afterwards.A checklist of criteria to be used when looking for potentially interesting companies. The checklist supports the user to target the potentially successful companies for networking and placement of persons with disabilities. A manual for successful networking, including:o Techniques and methods on how to target companieso Methods to network successfully with employerso How to use an ‘employer-based’ approacho Case studies of each participating countryo Do’s and don’ts to be taken into account for a specific country