Competence Kaleidoscope is a three-year long strategic partnership project carried out by four organisations - Akropolis (Czech Republic), GIC NORA (Czech Republic), migrare (Austria) and Miesto pod Slnkom (Slovakia). The main objective of the project is to develop, pilot and disseminate a new method of competence mapping which will benefit the target group and improve its situation in the job market. The target group is formed by those who are disadvantaged in the job market and who face obstacles preventing them from participating in social and professional life. The project brings together organisations widely experienced in working with the target group. Each organisation supplies a different type of expertise: some work with the socially excluded or those suffering from poverty, others with the poorly educated, minorities or migrants. In the project 80 participants of the target group will be trained in the newly designed method. Moreover three dissemination conferences will be organised, one will take place in each of the countries involved, i. e. Czech Republic, Austria and Slovakia.
Competence Kaleidoscope was a three-year strategic project completed by four organisations - Akropolis (The Czech Republic), GIC NORA (The Czech Republic), migrare (Austria) a Miesto pod Slnkom (Slovakia) . The main objective was to develop, pilot and disseminate the new methodology of mapping competences, which is beneficial for the target groups because it will improve their position at the market. This objective was fully met. The target group is persons disadvantaged at the job market who face obstacles which prevent the from participating in professional and social lives. Most socially deprived groups suffer from low self-confidence and low self-awareness. The focus is mostly on deficits and insufficiencies, which can hinder positive development and successful career planning. Competence Kaleidoscope can help to shift this focus, enabling people to explore their abilities and strengths and focus on using them to succeed. The methodology offers a comprehensive set of activities for increasing self-confidence and awareness of one’s potential. Participating organisations: Centrum Akropolis is a non-profit organisation in Uherské Hradiště in the Czech Republic which from 2007 has been offering educational, free-time and volunteer activities for children, youth, adults, senior citizens and families. We connect generations and encourage people to meet. One of the main activities is work with the unemployed and with parents coming back to labour market (education and preparation for the labour market). www.akropolis-uh.cz Gender Information Centre NORA is a non-governmental organisation with a feminist perspective. Its mission is to promote the equality of men and women in Czech society on national and regional levels. GIC NORA has been working with different groups of disadvantaged women (e.g. single mothers, Roma women, women returning to the labour market, or women migrants). www.gendernora.cz Miesto pod slnkom, a non-profit organisation, has been working with families at risk of social exclusion for 15 years. We see a family as a unit, a system in which everyone is irreplaceable and in which each family member influences the others. Our social work helps families to fulfil their functions, master the skills of parenting and child upbringing, run the household and learn to address problems in socially appropriate and effective ways. www.miestopodslnkom.sk migrare is a NGO founded in 1985 and based in Upper Austria. Over the past 30 years the range of services offered has extended substantially. We now have three different departments all aiming at better inclusion for migrants in Austria. We provide counselling on social, legal and employment matters, work on competence-related topics (competence mapping, educational counselling, counselling on recognition of qualifications, etc.) and run educational programmes and projects for specific target groups covering many topics. http://www.migrare.at/ The project consisted of the initial meeting, data collection, several project group meetings, one short-term training session, two rounds of pilot courses, creating the key output of the project – the methodology of competence mapping, three final conferences and dissemination of the output. The output of the project is course which consists of 32 hours divided into eight blocks of face-to-face sessions with homework based on the activities in the modules. The course helps to increase one’s self-confidence and trust in one’s abilities. It teaches the participants to identify what they can do and what they can offer on the job market. Successful course participants are empowered by increased awareness of their competences, have more potential for confident self-presentation and find themselves at a fair position on the job market. The course helps with a career restart when transitioning from unemployment or economic inactivity towards (self)employment, or when switching jobs. Even though the primary aim was to focus on our specific target groups and their employability, it became obvious that the impact of the methodology will be much wider. The initially selected target groups were very diverse, and we realised that the methodology can be applied much more universally. Our clients found new possibilities for using it, and appreciated the techniques and approaches in their professional lives; they could also apply them in their family lives, relationships and when dealing with unexpected problems. The approaches include client’s personal stories and experiences, their emotions, self-awareness and group support. They employ creative techniques representing clients’ strengths. The approaches are universal, but they promote individuality and uniqueness. The success and efficacy of the methodology is supported by getting to know oneself actively, formulating a positive self-image and focusing on dignity, acceptance, the right to decide freely, unacceptability of harassment and manipulation etc.